Leaks and How We Fix Them

Alternate title: Leaks and How We Spend Money to Marginally Improve the Problem.

For the better part of November and December, it rained here in San Francisco.  Sometimes a drizzle, sometimes a downpour, the rains came down.  In the spring we had noticed a few moist spots in our garage, but this fall, we noticed streams flowing down. 

This is especially concerning because water usually causes damage and due to the location of our leaks, it could be causing damage to the structure of the house and the foundation.

We called out a professional to assess where the leaks were coming from and to then patch these areas.  The cost came in around $1800 to replace several feet of flashing, caulk several joints, patch the roof on our back laundry room, etc.

We were hopeful we had caught the problem and fixed it before any real damage could be done.  So we crossed our fingers and waited for the next rain.  Within a week, we had water in the garage again.

At this point, the only thing we can think of to do is assess the tiled porch above our garage to see if water is entering the garage through cracks in the grout.  It could mean that we have to tear out all the tile and start fresh.  All of that work could cost us big bucks, not to mention the hassle of not being able to get in and out of the units while the work is being done.

These are the kinds of problems that make home owner's throw up their hands in despair.  Paying good money to repair things that probably needed fixed anyways, but don't solve the most immediate problem is frustrating and draining.  This issue has taken up a lot of time, energy and money to solve. And we haven't gotten to the root of the problem yet!

Anybody else ready to sell and just rent the rest of their lives so that's the landlord's problem?