North Beverly Hills Water Damage Reconstruction

A small black stain at the baseboard turned out to be years of hidden water damage running up to the second floor.

Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Project type: Water Damage & Structural Repair
Permit authority: City of Beverly Hills

The brief

A 10,000 square foot luxury home in North Beverly Hills. The homeowner noticed a small black stain in the corner where the baseboard met the carpet, behind an armchair. The room looked fine. We opened the wall to see what was behind it and found that almost the entire wall cavity was rotted, running up to the second floor.

The challenge

The framing had deteriorated. The black paper membrane behind the stucco had broken down. This had been accumulating for years, and nothing showed on the surface until that stain.

The first assumption was the shower directly above the room. We checked it and that wasn't the source. We used thermal imaging, moisture meters, and an endoscope inspection camera to trace where the water was actually coming from, and found it on the second floor. The stucco below a window had opened up and the flashing behind it wasn't sealed. Water had been entering there and running down inside the wall.

Fixing the shower would have left the real leak active and the damage would have come back.

The solution

We removed the failed framing and the deteriorated membrane, treated the affected areas for mold with an antimicrobial process, and completed full water damage remediation before any rebuilding started.

Then we rebuilt the wall from both sides. New framing, new waterproofing and flashing at the window, new stucco on the exterior, new drywall on the interior. The window detail that caused the leak was corrected so the same failure wouldn't repeat.

The room had wallpaper on all the walls. We couldn't match new wallpaper on the rebuilt wall to what was already there, so it all had to come off.

Wallpaper removal is slow work. You spray a chemical solvent, let it soak in, then scrape the paper off with a specialized blade. After that the old adhesive is still on the wall and has to come off too. Then every wall gets skim coated and smoothed before it can take paint.

Once the walls were smooth we repainted the whole room, including the baseboards and window trim. The homeowner installed new carpet themselves.

The homeowner's insurance deductible was high enough that filing a claim wasn't worthwhile, so the work was handled directly. The project took two months.

Scope of work

Leak detection using thermal imaging, moisture meters, and an endoscope inspection camera
Demolition of affected interior and exterior wall assemblies
Mold remediation and antimicrobial treatment
Water damage remediation
Framing replacement
New waterproofing membrane and window flashing
Exterior stucco reconstruction
Interior drywall reconstruction
Wallpaper removal, adhesive removal, and skim coating throughout the room
Repainting of walls, baseboards, and window trim

Before & after

The room before work began, furnished with the original wallpaper on the walls — Before

The finished room with new paint, the wallpaper removed, and furniture in place — After

The work

A close view of a baseboard where it meets the carpet, with a dark stain visible — A close view of the baseboard where the stain first appeared.

The inside of a glass block shower window on the second floor — The shower on the second floor, checked first as a possible source.

A room sealed off with plastic sheeting and a dehumidifier running — The room sealed off with plastic sheeting and a dehumidifier running.

A room lined with plastic sheeting over the walls — The walls lined with plastic sheeting ahead of the wall opening.

A worker in a protective suit and respirator next to a small opening in the wall — A small section of the wall opened to see what was behind it.

A worker in a protective suit pulling back wall covering to expose rotted wood — The covering pulled back to expose rotted wood behind the wall.

A section of wall removed down to the studs, with mold on the framing and insulation — The lower section of the wall removed, with mold on the exposed studs.

A wall opened from floor to ceiling, with mold across the framing and brick visible behind it — The wall opened floor to ceiling, with mold across the framing and brick behind it.

A close view of wall framing and insulation stained black with mold — A close view of the framing and insulation stained black with mold.

French doors open to a room with plastic containment visible inside — The room's entry, with plastic containment visible through the open doors.

A close view of a wall stud with rot and mold damage.

An exterior stucco wall below a second-floor glass block window — The exterior stucco wall below the second-floor window.

A close view of rotted wood trim at the base of a glass block window — Rotted wood trim at the base of the window.

A closer view of rotted trim and cracked stucco at a window corner — A closer view of the rotted trim and cracked stucco at the window corner.

An interior wall opened to the framing and brick across the room — The interior wall fully opened, framing and brick exposed across the room.

The exterior stucco cut open below a second-floor window, exposing rotted wood behind it — The exterior stucco cut open below the window, exposing rotted wood behind it.

A worker applying a red waterproofing membrane to new wall sheathing — A worker applying a waterproofing membrane to the new framing.

New wall framing with a weather-resistive barrier and metal ties installed — New framing with a weather-resistive barrier and metal ties installed.

A close view of new framing with a weather-resistive barrier and metal connectors — A close view of the new framing and weather-resistive barrier.

New framing next to a drywall edge, with a metal strap visible — New framing next to the drywall edge, with a metal strap in place.

A new interior wall framed and wrapped, with insulation in one stud bay — The new wall framed and wrapped, with insulation going into place.

The cavity below a second-floor window opened up, showing extensive wood rot — The cavity below the window opened up, showing the extent of the rot.

New wood blocking installed below a window to replace a rotted sill — New wood blocking installed below the window to replace the rotted sill.

A worker on a ladder at the exterior wall below a second-floor window — A worker on a ladder at the exterior wall below the window.

An exterior view of a second-floor window with the wall below it opened to framing — An exterior view of the window with the wall below it opened to framing.

New framing at a window base with flashing tape applied around the stud bay — New framing at the window base with flashing tape applied.

A worker securing metal connector plates to new framing — A worker securing metal connector plates to the new framing.

Water sprayed against a repaired exterior wall below a window — Water sprayed against the repaired wall below the window.

Drywall installed on the lower section of an interior wall, framing exposed above — Drywall installed on the lower section of the wall, framing still exposed above.

Wallpaper removal in progress, with adhesive residue left on the walls.

A room with smooth walls and carpet pad down, ready for paint — The room with smooth walls and carpet pad down, ready for paint.

A room during painting, with part of a wall masked off — The room during painting, with part of a wall masked off.

A freshly painted room with floor protection still down — The freshly painted room, with floor protection still down.

A truck loaded with materials parked in the driveway outside the house — A truck loaded with materials in the driveway.

The result

A backyard garden and pool — The garden and pool the room looks out to.

The finished room with furniture in place — The room with furniture in place.

Common questions

How do you find a hidden water leak like this?

We use thermal imaging, moisture meters, and an endoscope inspection camera to trace where water is actually entering, rather than guessing from the nearest fixture. That's the same water damage diagnosis process we use on every project like this one. On this project, the first assumption was the shower directly above the stain, but those tools traced the real source to unsealed flashing around a second-floor window.

Why did a small stain turn into a major repair?

Because the damage had been building for years before it ever showed on the surface. The black paper membrane behind the stucco had broken down and water had been running down inside the wall, so by the time the stain appeared, the framing behind it was already rotted.

Do you have to remove all the wallpaper if you're only repairing one wall?

In most cases, yes, if you want the room to look consistent. New wallpaper on a rebuilt wall usually can't be matched exactly to wallpaper that's already been on the other walls for years, so on this project all of it came off, along with the old adhesive, before the walls were skim coated and painted.

How long does water damage repair like this take?

This project took two months from diagnosis through the final paint. That included locating the leak, remediating the mold and water damage, rebuilding the wall from both sides, and finishing the room.

Found a small stain or signs of water damage in your home?

Call (310) 717-0432 or request a consultation. We'll trace the source before we start any repair.

Call (310) 717-0432