A leak in the roof or a window?

Q. I just read your response to “A leak that won’t stop” in the Oct. 27-Nov. 2 Herald. The obvious problem they have isn’t a leaking roof but a leaking window! Your first clue should have been when they said it only happens during a windy rain and not an average downpour. It’s a window, not the roof.

A. Good to know there are other people willing to go out on a limb without jumping to contusions. In making the assumption that there’s a window in the wall I was asked about, you came up with a perfectly logical, though equally assumed, answer. Einstein said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction.” Having read and re-read the question, I saw no mention of a window, and since my questioners rarely send photos, I can only address the facts, not the conjecture.

While a window can cause the leaking described in the question, the basics of what I wrote still stand, that redundant waterproofing techniques are a necessity, not a luxury, and that leaking occurs where materials join, not in the center of a material’s face. Windows leak from one variety or another of poor attention to details, either in their construction or their installation. Either way, there are industry methods that have been developed to address the prevention of leaking in almost every possible situation, and only those who actually take the time to read and familiarize themselves with those methods should be unleashed on the public.