What on Earth!?! A Case for the Neighborhood Investigator

The North Pointe Condominium building.

The North Pointe building has been shrouded in plastic since November because workers from Bridgeway construction company are completely removing the original outer skin of the building and installing a new one. The original skin was a product known as EIFS, exterior insulated finish siding. It is made from styrofoam and polyconcrete. It leaked.

One of the foremen at the site said it is basically a good product, but might have been installed incorrectly six years ago when the building was built. In any case, the skin has been leaking so much that some interiors have been damaged, and there has been some damage to the wood frame structure.

Bridgeway Construction is completely removing the EIFS skin, repairing all damage to the wood, installing new flashing and waterproofing, and installing a new outer skin of good old-fashioned stucco.

The building is shrouded in plastic to permit the work to go on without allowing any water into the exposed underlying structure, and to prevent dust and debris from flying about the neighborhood, explained Larry Pilger, operations manager for Bridgeway's construction defects division.

Do you have a question about strange goings-on in your neighborhood? Write to What on Earth!?!, The Seattle Press, 4128 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103. We'll put our neighborhood investigator on the case.

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