Rising Damp and Air Leakage: The Real Problem
The Drinkwater report identifies a dual failure at Kanaka Springs Crest in Maple Ridge: rising damp and air leakage due to a completely botched slab-wall detail. Water is traveling up through the foundation walls via capillary action, a problem well-documented and preventable. Simultaneously, the seal between the slab and foundation wall — the junction of under-slab poly and concrete — is failing catastrophically. The result? Moisture-laden air is pushed into the wall cavity, condensing behind a polyethylene vapour barrier that was never designed to breathe. And this is happening in dozens of homes. DE’s own smoke pen tests confirmed it. The slab seal is garbage, and Epic Homes signed off on it.
- Moisture has nowhere to escape. The poly barrier traps it, and concrete/sheathing slow outward drying to a crawl.
- The acoustic caulking intended to seal the joint was visibly pulled apart in several units — a basic failure of detailing and workmanship.
- This isn’t theoretical. It was observed in real-time, in real homes, by engineers, and yet... nobody did mold testing.
- Homes were sold and occupied with this defect built in. That’s not just bad practice — that’s wilful neglect.
What Drinkwater Fails to Do
- No mold or air quality testing: Despite moisture levels beyond 26% MC — the threshold for microbial growth — not a single lab was called. This was textbook conditions for mold development, and nothing was done.
- No structural evaluation: Moisture weakens wood. It rusts fasteners. It compromises insulation. No engineer was dispatched to evaluate potential long-term effects on framing, foundation integrity, or wall systems. Apparently, that wasn't in the budget.
- No warranty or assurance: Sikadur and Sikaflex are slapped in with zero performance data, and no long-term homeowner guarantee. "Trust us" is not a warranty. WBI and Epic Homes conveniently avoid committing to any meaningful liability.
- No transparency: Which homes are most affected? Which are minor? Nothing disclosed. Everything kept vague to avoid exposure.
- No accountability: Not a single sentence assigns blame. No trades, no builders, no consultants. Everyone skates. That’s not a report — that’s a shield.
The “Fix”: A Fancy Tube of Caulking
The proposed "repair" consists of Sikadur 53CA epoxy poured into the joint, topped with Sikaflex 1C-SL polyurethane caulk. It’s a product brochure solution, not a building science one. It doesn’t address rising damp at all, and it assumes the repair environment is pristine — which is laughable for lived-in, moisture-compromised homes.
- Epoxy won’t stop capillary rise of moisture through the wall. It’s not even supposed to.
- Sealants fail in wet, dirty, or unprepared substrates — which is exactly what DE’s own report says these homes are.
- There’s no published durability testing, no expected lifespan, no lab simulations. Just a hope and a caulking gun.
- And worse? No recourse. If it fails again, the homeowner pays. WBI and Epic Homes walk away smiling.
Calling Out the Excuses
“The construction is code compliant.” That’s the refrain. But code compliance means nothing when the detail has failed in over 20 homes. That’s a defect. That’s systemic. The revision log even goes so far as to say:
“The failure is not due to construction defects.” — Revision log entry, April 7, 2025
That’s not engineering. That’s legal maneuvering. It’s designed to shield WBI from paying out claims and Epic Homes from owning the consequences. The BC Building Code (Section 9.25.3.3) requires continuity and durability in the air barrier system. That failed. Game over. Homeowners should not be expected to foot the bill for an airtight seal that wasn’t airtight in the first place.
What Should Actually Be Done
- Third-party mold and air testing in every affected unit, with lab reporting and remediation as required.
- Exterior foundation waterproofing with a true capillary break — not interior band-aids.
- Structural review of framing and sill plates for any home that showed high moisture content.
- 10-year, no-excuse transferable warranty for all repairs — backed in writing by WBI and Epic Homes.
- Public release of a per-unit remediation and risk report. If this is affecting dozens of homes, the community deserves to know which ones.
The Homeowners' Stand
This isn’t about damp concrete. This is about being sold defective homes and fed excuses. It’s about a warranty provider that won't warranty anything, and a builder that passed off a ticking time bomb as a finished product. We’ve had enough of the PR. We want solutions, and we will not stop until they are delivered.