The Symbolic Value of Buildings A visit to venerable European cities Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome imbues the traveler with a sense of history difficult to obtain in urban youngsters like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. City Planning Here in Chicago we have only experienced our city’s destruction once – in the great fire. This destruction enabled city planners to re-draw the map into…
The Symbolic Value of Buildings
Leaks and Problems with Vinyl Windows
Vinyl windows, also known as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) windows or uPVC (unplasticized PVC) are a ubiquitous part of the residential window landscape, and not only that, there are a lot of them out there. There are many satisfied vinyl window customers and I have seen many good installations, however there can also be problems with vinyl windows. Some problems are common to all windows, others…
Envision the Wind in a Blizzard
Chicago Ground Hog Day 2011 Blizzard – Envision the Wind On February 1, 2011 at about 3pm, a somewhat rare occurrence took place in Chicago. A real-life blizzard! It continued for 20 hours. Contrary to the misconceptions of some, a blizzard is not distinguished by a large volume of snow, but rather by an intense and pervasive wind. In order to achieve the…
Insulated Glass Seal Failure
Mark Meshulam is a consultant for insulated glass seal failures including fogged & condensing windows Condensation between glass panes can be a real pain for building owners Insulated glass, sometimes called by the old LOF trade name Thermopane, has been commercially offered in the United States since the 1950s. For the ensuing 60 years, the fundamental concept hasn’t really changed. Insulated glass still consists of…
Testing Leaking Brick Walls
The unfortunate fact is that brick walls leak, concrete block walls leak, mortar joints leak, flashings leak, and we sometimes have forgotten fundamentals of masonry design, making it that much harder to control those leaks.
Window Condensation: Top 10 Fixes
Mark Meshulam is an expert witness and consultant for window condensation. Here’s what happened after one of Chicago’s typical cold snaps: This week Chicagoans experienced our first brutal blast of winter. Temperatures dropped from an average of 30°F to almost 0°F in a single day. Windy City winds dropped the wind chill to minus 20°F. Our bodies endured the new arctic reality with shock. The…
Leaks and Mold in Walls: the dirty little secret
Mark Meshulam is an expert witness and consultant for leaks and mold in walls.To many building owners, the thought of mold in their walls invokes images of coughing, mold-allergic occupants and plummeting property values. Indeed, these scary visions can become realities if the problem goes unmanaged. But fear will not solve the problem of mold in walls. Educated action will. Mold is a category of…
Choosing a Window Consultant or Exterior Building Consultant
Mark Meshulam is an expert witness and consultant for building exteriors.These days you can pretty much find a consultant for anything. Without trying very hard, you can find:So it stands to reason that you can find a consultant to assist you with your windows or the exterior of your building. As it happens, there are quite a few of us providing construction consultation services to…
Split Face Block Leaks
Since spit face blocks became available, misuse and permeability have plagued homeowners
Storm Damage to Windows and Glass
Mark Meshulam is an expert witness and consultant for window & glass storm damage.Although the storm activity of the Windy City can’t even shine the shoes of weather experienced regularly along the coast of the Southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (soon to be converted from an ocean into a Strategic Oil Reserve), we Chicagoans do experience our share of fluky, violent storms. A few…