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We are currently deploying a specialized aerial survey to capture millimeter-level structural details. By utilizing autonomous drone flight planning and a high-resolution camera payload, we are stripping out the massive timelines and safety risks associated with traditional scaffolding.

Our team supports owners, contractors, and design professionals by delivering precise locations for negative-side injection waterproofing, along with realistic quantity takeoffs and cost estimates. This reduces guesswork, and helps clients engage qualified contractors with confidence. If you're dealing with below-grade leaks, moisture intrusion, or foundation waterproofing problems, Mandev provides practical, field-driven solutions to help protect your structure and your budget.

Investigating a historic residential building requires a careful balance between preserving character and addressing real performance issues. Our team, led by Amanda, conducted a detailed exterior wall system investigation, examining failure points from the cavity side to understand how moisture, air, and thermal conditions were affecting the assembly from within. Beyond identifying failures, we worked closely with the client to develop repair scope recommendations that bring the building envelope up to current code requirements while selecting the best-performing systems available on the market. Every recommendation was calibrated to fit the client's budget, without compromising long-term performance. This approach helps extend the service life of both the envelope and the overall structure, while protecting occupants from water intrusion, air leakage, and related risks. For historic buildings especially, getting this balance right preserves value while meeting modern performance and safety standards. If you're managing a historic or aging residential property and need a thorough envelope investigation paired with practical, code-compliant repair strategies, Mandev can help guide that process from diagnosis to solution.

In the aftermath of the Pacific Palisades fire, Mandev is proud to be part of the rebuild, bringing building envelope expertise to homes and structures designed to stand up to what comes next. Our focus is on resilience and sustainability: enclosures engineered to resist fire, moisture, and the long-term stresses of a changing climate. From waterproofing and enclosure testing to construction administration, we help ensure every detail of the building envelope performs for decades, not just at handover. This isn't just reconstruction. It's an opportunity to build smarter, durable, high-performance structures that protect the families living in them today and serve the generations who will call the Palisades home tomorrow.

During a recent building envelope investigation, we identified a nail penetrating the exterior sheathing without securing into the underlying stud framing. Per ASTM C1063 (Standard Specification for Installation of Lathing and Furring for Portland Cement-Based Plaster), lath fasteners are required to penetrate solid framing members, typically spaced at 16 inches on center for wood framing, to achieve proper structural attachment and resistance to pull-out. When lath fasteners land only in sheathing and miss framing, the lath system loses critical holding strength, increasing the risk of cracking, water intrusion, and premature stucco or cladding failure over time. This type of installation defect is often concealed until an invasive investigation or an active moisture issue brings it to light. Catching improper fastening patterns like this early allows for targeted repairs before they escalate into larger envelope failures. Mandev's field investigations help identify these installation defects against applicable ASTM and code standards, providing clear, compliant repair recommendations to protect the building envelope long-term.  

At a glance, this exterior deck looks simple. It is not. In one small area, several building envelope systems stack on top of one another and tie into each other: pavers set over a waterproofing membrane, a canopy integrated into the exterior wall, and a roof parapet at the perimeter. Each system is designed to a different standard, installed by a different trade, and, too often, fails at the point where it meets the next one. Getting exterior deck waterproofing right is not about any single product. It is about the transitions. Many systems, one watertight result Look closely and you can count the assemblies working together: Pavers over waterproofing. The finished walking surface sits on pedestals or a setting bed above a waterproofing membrane. The membrane, not the pavers, keeps water out, so it has to be continuous, sloped to drain, and protected.Canopy integration to the exterior wall. Where the canopy meets the wall, the air and water-resistive barrier, flashing, and sealants must stay continuous across a change in plane and material. This interface is a classic leak location.Roof parapet. At the perimeter, coping, counterflashing, and terminations tie the deck waterproofing into the wall and roof. A parapet is a small element that causes a large share of water intrusion when it is detailed loosely. The design challenge is that no one system is difficult on its own. The risk lives in the interfaces, where responsibility, materials, and manufacturers all change at the same line. The construction challenge: coordinating the trades A deck like this can involve the waterproofer, the roofer, the framer, the cladding and glazing trades for the canopy, and the paver installer. Each does excellent work inside their own scope. The problem is sequence and overlap. Who flashes the canopy to the wall, and does it happen before or after the barrier is installed? Which trade laps over which? What gets covered up before anyone can inspect it? When these questions are answered on the fly in the field, the details that protect the building are the first to get simplified or missed. By the time a leak appears, the assembly is buried under pavers and finishes, and the repair is expensive. Quality assurance by Mandev This is where independent oversight pays for itself. Mandev is a consultant, not a contractor. We do not install the work, so our review stays objective. On an assembly like this deck, we: Review the design details at the paver, canopy, and parapet interfaces before construction starts.Check submittals and mockups so the systems are compatible and the transitions are actually detailed.Observe the work at the critical stages, while the membrane and flashings are still visible.Verify performance with testing, including water testing and electronic leak detection on the deck membrane, before it is covered.Document everything, so the owner has a clear record that the envelope was built as designed. The result is an exterior deck where every system does its job and the transitions between them hold. Build it right the first time Complex envelope assemblies are won or lost at the details. If you are designing or constructing an exterior deck, plaza, or podium, bring an independent building envelope consultant in early. Mandev provides design review, construction-phase quality assurance, and testing across California and beyond. See our building envelope services or contact us to talk through your project.