Moisture Consulting | Bay Area

Water rarely shows up where it gets in. A stain on a living-room ceiling can start at a parapet two stories up; a damp wall can trace to a window flashing six feet away. Repairing the symptom without finding the entry point wastes money and leaves the real failure in place — which is why moisture-infiltration consulting is its own discipline.

Rick Fogg has spent 41 years diagnosing how water moves through building envelopes, working directly with architects, designers, and owners’ representatives on both fixes and new designs. Fogg Construction offers that experience as a consulting service: systematic detection of where moisture is entering, an honest read of how serious it is, and corrective solutions scaled to the actual problem.

On the AT&T store facade, careful demolition and discovery revealed water penetrating at a beam above the glass aluminum storefront — a failure no surface patch would ever have fixed. That’s the value of diagnosis before repair: the fix went where the water was, and the leak stopped for good.

What’s Included

Scope of the work.

Infiltration detection & diagnosis

Systematic inspection of the envelope — cladding, flashings, penetrations, and transitions — to locate actual water entry points, not just visible symptoms.

Exploratory discovery

Controlled removal of finish materials at suspect locations to confirm the failure path, document conditions, and define the true repair scope.

Corrective solutions & scope definition

Clear, prioritized repair recommendations — what must be fixed now, what can wait, and what each path costs — in language owners and architects can act on.

Design & pre-construction consulting

Envelope detailing review for remodels and new construction: barrier selection, flashing details, and stucco assembly design that prevents the failures we get called to fix.

Recent Work

Moisture Consulting in the field.

Click any image to see it full size.

Demo and discovery phase exposing the sheathing behind the AT&T store facade — moisture infiltration investigation

Rotted structural beam uncovered behind the failed facade — moisture damage found during inspection

Venetian plaster walls and marble tile in a bathroom with a valley view — interior plaster finish

Townhome with original vertical wood siding before its stucco conversion (before)

Completed tan stucco exterior with fresh landscaping in afternoon light (after)

Building wrapped in weather-resistive barrier with scaffolding during a re-stucco (during) — moisture barrier installation

Where We Work

Moisture Consulting across the Bay Area.

San Francisco View area → Marin County View area → Sonoma County View area → Alameda View area →

★★★★★

“They were fantastic! The owner came out himself to bid the job, threw in some stucco patchwork that was needed outside of the immediate area to be fixed. The crew was on time, worked quickly, and didn’t leave any debris behind (cleaned up the area perfectly). Not the cheapest, not the most expensive either, but the expertise and skill was evident and I couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend Fogg.”

Ana S. · Petaluma, CA

FAQ

Frequently asked.

When should I bring in a moisture consultant instead of just a repair contractor?

When the leak keeps coming back, when you can see damage but not the source, when you’re about to spend significant money on repairs, or when a transaction or remodel needs a clear picture of envelope condition. Diagnosis first keeps you from paying to fix the wrong thing.

How do you find where water is entering?

We read the evidence — staining patterns, crack locations, flashing and penetration details — then confirm with controlled discovery: removing small areas of finish at suspect points to see the actual condition of the barrier and framing. On the AT&T facade project, discovery pinpointed water entering at a beam above the storefront glass.

Do you work with architects and property managers?

Yes — Rick has spent his career working with architects, designers, owners’ representatives, and owners directly. We’re comfortable producing findings that slot into a larger project team’s process, and equally comfortable explaining them to a homeowner in plain terms.

Can the same company that diagnoses the problem also fix it?

We can, and there’s a real advantage: nothing is lost in translation between diagnosis and repair, and one contractor is accountable for the outcome. If you prefer an independent repair bid, our findings are documented clearly enough for any qualified contractor to price.

Is this only for stucco buildings?

Stucco and plaster assemblies are our specialty, but envelope water management principles apply broadly — we’ve diagnosed and corrected infiltration in brick facades (avoiding a full demolition in one case) and mixed-material exteriors.

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