I entered the construction business about 35 years ago, fresh out of high school. Beginning as a carpenter, I gradually rose to foreman, supervisor and, finally, a general contractor. Early in my career, I felt a sense of pride knowing something I made would probably outlive me. I was happiest when deliveries of large stacks of newly milled lumber were dropped at my job site, whether it was thousands of board feet of clear cedar decking or enormous piles of Douglas Fir and plywood. The ground would shake when the load was dropped, and I’d climb to the top, smiling with the knowledge of what lay ahead.
But as surely as one year led to the next, the quality of the lumber decreased, and debris box after debris box of old, demolished redwood decks, kitchen cabinets, tar and gravel roofs were taken to landfill. I started to become less enthusiastic about my career path. I became aware that, once lumber decays or is burnt, its sequestered carbon is released to the environment. I learned that the tar from old roofing leaches into groundwater, and for every ton of cement manufactured, a ton of carbon is released into the air. I realized I needed to become part of the climate protection movement, and that simply having a “paperless office” wasn’t enough.
In 2007, I met waterproofing contractor Wayne Browning, used his services on a few projects and became interested in the vast environmental benefits of waterproofing—mainly through a product called WetSuit. Waterproofing, by its nature, is “out of sight, out of mind”—either underground or under concrete, tile, stone or planting (in the case of a living roof). It’s only when it fails that waterproofing is given much thought, but in truth, the needs for waterproofing in the construction industry are numerous.
Some uses are obvious to a layman, such as a roof (everyone wants their roof to be waterproof). Others aren’t as obvious but are equally important, such as subgrade foundations, basement walls and flooring, living roofs, decks over living space and the waterproof membrane under shower tiling. The industry has responded to this need with a variety of waterproofing products, many of which are toxic to some degree—high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or made from petroleum products like bitumen. The main problem with bitumen-based products is the method by which they’re produced.
Bitumen production can release up to 3.5 times more CO2 into the environment than crude oil, and it’s usually applied underground, which adds nonbiodegradable chemicals to our soil. WetSuit waterproofing, on the other hand, is nontoxic, water-based, spray-applied and contains no VOCs. It requires less labor to install than sheeting and can be seamlessly sprayed up to 1,500 square feet per hour. These attributes allow for lower costs, which will hopefully encourage more building owners to incorporate cool zones (planting above street level in the city), thereby improving the quality of life for the people in and around them.
Cool zones or living roofs that mitigate heat associated with block after block of asphalt and rooftops are becoming more common, particularly on parking lot or office building roofs. Until recently, waterproofing these cool zones/living roofs has consisted of gluing sheets of vinyl or plastic together. Any irregularity in the roof (skylights, corners, solar panel stanchions) required a series of cuts in the sheets, which created seams that needed to be glued together, often with high-VOC glue. This meant a homeowner or architect, trying to do the right thing by building a greener building, ended up covering the roof with harmful petroleum products that release VOCs during installation. Generally, these roofs needed to be watered for up to six weeks to leach out the toxins before planting could begin. But a roof waterproofed with WetSuit has zero off-gassing and is nontoxic, which mitigates these problems.
These properties, in tandem with WetSuit’s elasticity and adhesion, can also play an important role in water harvesting. Technology exists to install valves in roof gutters that let the first part of a rain event wash dust and contaminants off the roof through traditional down leaders, then switch to divert the remaining, cleaner rainwater into a cistern, which can be buried underground or hidden behind landscaping. Porous concrete has been developed so rain can filter directly into waterproof vaults underground. This could be done on a large scale, like under a mall parking lot, or even in a backyard. The resulting “gray water” harvested from these methods can then be used for landscaping. In the not-too-distant future, we may be flushing our toilets and doing laundry with gray water as well, saving “pure water,” which is predicted to become increasingly scarce, for drinking and cooking.
As well as the ability to be sprayed up walls and overhead, its adhesive quality and its Class A self-extinguishing fire rating, WetSuit has other possible applications not associated with waterproofing, which are currently being explored or tested. Among them are asbestos encapsulation, soundproofing, reinforcement of old masonry buildings to minimize injury during earthquakes, and hardening new and existing buildings against explosions or ballistic attacks.
After some discussion, Browning and I decided to form a partnership in 2008, coupling my 35+ years in building with his 35+ years in roofing and waterproofing. Even through the current tough construction climate, we’re steadily adding to our client list, including general contractors, tile setters, property managers and homeowners who share our vision of building green.
The people of the North Bay, residents and industry alike, are unique in their desire to integrate green practices into their lifestyles, driving habits and building practices; still, waterproofing has been mostly overlooked. With every building—large or small, new or being refurbished—choices that will make an environmental difference can be made. Cool zones, living roofs and cool roofs (roofs painted with reflective paint) can lower air conditioning requirements, and they’ll do so without introducing more toxic petrochemicals and VOCs into our gutters, soil and air.
Duncan Wilson has more than 30 years’ experience in the North Bay construction industry. For more information about waterproofing or WetSuit, contact him at Duncan@aquastopsolutions.com, phone his office at (415) 479-6269 or visit www.aquastopsolutions.com.
