Pike Place Stewart House

Numerous and severe problems plagued this 1980’s era building in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Absence of expansion joints caused cracking in the brick cladding.

Widespread and severe leakage was damaging interior finishes.

PL:BECS provided many specific details for correcting the building’s many problems.

Seattle, Washington
Client: Pike Place Market Preservation Authority
Dates of Service: 2007-2010

Project Summary: This 1980’s era, low-income housing complex in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market had been experiencing infiltration and degradation problems since shortly after its construction.  

Exterior envelope systems experiencing problems included sub-grade concrete walls, brick veneer and thin-brick wall claddings, wood-framed and steel-sash windows, waterproof decks, and modified bitumen low-slope roofs. 

PL:BECS Services: PL:BECS was retained to perform a complete evaluation of the existing building’s exterior envelope components, and provide corrective recommendations.

The evaluation revealed that numerous design and installation flaws were causing widespread and severe infiltration and degradation problems.

Problems affecting the brick veneer cladding included inadequate securement, absence of through-wall flashings, absence of vertical and horizontal expansion joints, absence of code-required horizontal reinforcing, as well as many ill-conceived, leak-prone details.  These deficiencies compromised the structural integrity of the masonry cladding, caused widespread leakage into many units, and doomed the cladding’s longer-term survival.  Although each individual problem could be corrected through costly retrofitting strategies, complete cladding replacement was recommended as the most cost-effective approach for addressing the full constellation of these issues. 

In addition to the brick veneer issues, the building was experiencing serious infiltration via sub-grade walls, through thin-brick claddings, at many improperly installed decks and windows, etc.  

PL:BECS provided highly-detailed recommendations for correcting all of the problems affecting the building.