Summary status report on our facilities needs, 2026 (Speculation)

NEARING THE END of this fiscal year, with newly elected officers and directors, let me take stock of where we stand. From this vantage point, our recent accomplishments and imminent projects are taken as givens. What matters most are the challenges that we have yet to address.

The focus in this post is not on making improvements per se, but more simply on attending to what we currently have, beyond routine maintenance. I further restrict my focus here to items that are not obvious.

Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities’ major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. 

Rain drip guard installed above door (Activity Report)

WE HAVE FOUR DOORWAYS that have been unprotected from above. During rainfall, water runs down the upper wall to the doorway, where it enters between the frame and the top of the door. There, it has caused damage to doors or to the materials below doorways. 

How to keep rainwater out of the building and/or from damaging the (top of the) doors? Putting our heads together, Andrew Roth (a new member of this committee), Fleming, and I figured out a relatively simple, cost-effective, and hopefully long-lasting solution: install an overhead rain drip guard. Andrew tested out this approach a week ago on one of the doors. 

Below the jump, this post documents the need and describes our preventive maintenance approach.…

What’s with the tarps on the front steps? (Activity Report)

JUST BEFORE each of the two big rainstorms this fall, Andrew Roth and I have covered the front steps (with Ruben’s help). We did so in order to protect them from the rain. 

Water will degrade sandstone that is unprotected. Rainwater also percolates through the steps into the concrete substrate—damaging it—and onto the ceiling of the basement spaces below. 

Unfortunately, even after years of trying, we have not managed to find an affordable and practical way to seal the flagstone and grout, and also reduce the water intrusion. (Out of curiosity, I did get a quote to fully waterproof the steps that would involve replacing all of the sandstone, at a cost of $164,000!)

We are still working on a solution—but in the meantime, a physical cover seemed like the least we could do, to minimize the damage. I don’t know whether we will keep this up, though.  

Below the jump, this post points you to 6 other posts on this topic.…

A surprise in the corner front column: damp in mid-June (Condition Report)

“MAN, THIS IS CRAZY!” I said to Ruben, as I showed him the moisture-meter’s readouts on the corner front column. For years, I have been hunting the source of the moisture that keeps ruining the paint on this column—as discussed most recently HERE. 

Illustration from the Home Depot product page

The column was wet!

And we have no idea where the moisture is coming from!

Below the jump, I recount the situation in more detail.…

Experiment in water intrusion (Activity Report)

THE CORNER COLUMN keeps getting soaked from the inside, upon rainfall, as does the portico slab beneath it. Somehow. And even after we have eliminated several suspected pathways for water intrusion. 

Rainwater is causing discoloration, bubbling, and cracking of the paint—
only on this column, and only on one side.
Where is it coming from?

Last week, the general contractor Yosi Arbib speculated about a possibility that I had not previously considered: whenever rain soaks the planter that is next to the base of the column, moisture is being drawn, via wicking, both up into the column, and down below the column. 

Yosi’s hypothesis

It seemed to me that Yosi’s hypothesis would be fairly easy to test. Basically the test would consist of pouring water into the planter, and then seeing whether the column gets damp.

Below the jump, this post documents the experiment that I carried out.…

Summer sanctuary roof projects: structural repair & reroofing (Activity Report)

DURING THIS SUMMER, it will be time to do major work on the roof of our historic sanctuary. Mishkon has saved up the funds to pay for this two-part project, and we have been preparing to carry it out.

A silicone “cool roof” recovering is applied in Torrance.

Below the jump, this post describes what our preparation has accomplished: my understanding of the situation and of the options, and what our current plans are.…

Water intrusion continues in SW column (Activity/Condition Report)

THE ROOFER CAME on March 6 and patched a number of small cracks and other openings that were discovered in the flashing on the roof. This work was done under warranty. Yet the water intrusion into the portico’s southwest column continued during the most recent rainstorms at the end of March.

Below the jump, this post documents both the repair and the continuing damage.

Water intrusion: status update (Condition Report)

ABOUT 6 HOURS after the rain stopped, I poked around to see how the synagogue fared. (Exactly 0.86” of rain had been measured nearby as falling within a 54-hour period—the most intensive storm so far this season.)

This spot registered as wet (red alarm condition).

Below the jump, this post briefly records the water-intrusion problems that still remain in 8 out of the 10 areas that I checked.…

Neighbor asked to treat our south wall with care (Activity Report)

LAST FRIDAY, I noticed that a pallet was leaning against Mishkon’s south wall. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Anything that touches our wall is a matter of concern—admittedly minor, yet still significant. That green, 20-mil-thick silicone coating is the only thing that is keeping rainwater out of our building. And it is not easy to patch up that coating after it has been scratched or chipped.

So I wrote to the office of our neighbor, with the following request:

Can you perhaps ask your staff to avoid doing anything that risks marring the waterproof coating on that wall? 

I note this simple act here, because in future years—given possible staff turnover—the request will probably need to be repeated on occasion. 

 

Repair of concrete retaining wall in stairwell, below school building (Activity Report)

WHILE A CONCRETE-REPAIR CRAFTSMAN was doing repair work elsewhere on the premises in mid-September, he redid this old patch, as well. 

November 2023 
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

For a description of the problem, see HERE.

Below the jump, this post documents what was done, as well as how one resulting concern was handled.…

West wall of school building receives maintenance (Activity Report)

AS A FOLLOW-UP to my having noted in October the maintenance need HERE, I am pleased to record that our Director of Operations has arranged to have this wall painted, as part of a larger project in November. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

The quick turnaround is heartening. (Sometimes things do come together nicely!)

Below the jump, this short post documents the wall’s current condition via photos. They are meant to be compared directly with those in the previous post.

Front façade water intrusion repair and prevention (Completion Report)

THIS PROJECT was completed last month. It features several historically significant components of our sanctuary building’s façade. Therefore this post follows a report template in the 2003 Historic Structure Report, as recommended for all historic-cultural monuments. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post restates the basic need and documents the work done. For more background, see HERE.…

Completion and maintenance of south wall waterproofing project (Activity Report)

ON OCTOBER 29, our waterproofing contractor for the sanctuary’s south wall tied up the last remaining loose end, in the project it had begun the previous summer. It did so in conjunction with its annual maintenance visit. At least, the south wall project is complete!

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post documents both aspects: the waterproofing installation, and the maintenance.…

West wall of school building needs maintenance (Condition Record)

LAST PAINTED IN 2007, which was 17 years ago, the west wall of our school building is in need of a little lovin’. In retrospect, it should have been repainted a decade ago. 

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

This wall has been neglected because almost nobody except the staff ever sees it. Meanwhile, the afternoon sun and sea breezes have taken their toll.

Below the jump, this short post documents the wall’s current condition, with three annotated photos.

Step-by-step approach to waterproofing the steps: Part 2 of 3

THIS IS THE SECOND in a series on how to address the following urgent problem:

During heavy rains, our historic sanctuary’s front steps leak water, which soaks the concrete substrate below the steps, which in turn drips water onto the ceiling of the rooms beneath it in the basement.

Missing grout of front patio along sidewalk, 8/30/24
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Given the sandstone’s age, modest state of deterioration, and inherent instability, as well as the absence of waterproofing during initial construction, the fix is not simple or straightforward. Below the jump, I discuss the second of the three steps involved.…

Step-by-step approach to waterproofing the steps: Part 3 of 3

THIS IS THE CONCLUSION of a series on how to address the following urgent problem:

During heavy rains, our historic sanctuary’s front steps leak water, which soaks the concrete substrate below the steps, which in turn drips water onto the ceiling of the rooms beneath it in the basement.

Front steps of our sanctuary, Feb. 2023, prior to installation of fence/gates
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

In May, the board agreed to authorize this project “as funds become available.” Since then, I have been finalizing plans. Below the jump, I discuss the last of the three steps involved.…

Step-by-step approach to waterproofing the steps: Part 1 of 3

THIS IS AN UDPATE of a post from 2½ years ago, “Water Intrusion Under Front Steps — Not Yet Stopped,” in which I described a longstanding issue that has been progressively moving up our list of priorities, until it has become currently our most urgent one. The problem can be summed up like this:

During heavy rains, our historic sanctuary’s front steps leak water, which soaks the concrete substrate below the steps, which in turn drips water onto the ceiling of the rooms beneath it in the basement.

Front steps at the 1948 dedication of our sanctuary.
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Back in 2022, I was stymied regarding a long-term solution. Contractors had made various suggestions, none of which were practical (such as “rip out the sandstone, waterproof the substrate surface, and then reinstall the sandstone”).

Then in May of this year, I wrote about the problem again because I thought we were close to engaging a certain vendor who had touted a particular sealant called Creto DPS. On that basis, the board agreed to authorize this project “as funds become available.” Now, Creto DPS does seem to be a much better and more permanent sealant than what masonry contractors typically apply to flagstone. However, that vendor flaked out—which in hindsight is fortunate. Why? Because I have learned a lot since then. Now I am preparing to do things rather differently.

Perhaps I still have a lot to learn, yet it finally seems as though a resolution is at hand. The right combination of expertise, materials, and funding may be coming together. Below the jump, I discuss the first of the three steps involved.…

Summary status report on our facilities needs

STARTING A NEW fiscal year, with some new officers and directors, let us take stock of where we stand. From this vantage point, our recent accomplishments and imminent projects are taken as givens. What matters most are the challenges that we have yet to address.

The focus in this post is not on making improvements per se, but more simply on attending to what we currently have, beyond routine maintenance. I further restrict my focus here to items that are not obvious. (Which excludes repairing the flood damage in the basement.) This gives us our baseline for moving forward beyond this summer’s projects.

Below the jump, this post sums up the needs of our facilities major areas of concern. The list is not exhaustive. What is listed here alone will cost more than $180K. Most of the expenditures have been discussed by, and authorized by, the board of directors.

Status report on minor water intrusion

ASSUMING THAT this summer’s planned projects will be successfully completed, there are three minor remaining water-intrusion issues. At least, to my knowledge they are minor or probably under control. (Still, this topic matters attention because water is a threat to the building’s structural integrity — and can ruin interior finishes. If not addressed timely, repair costs balloon quickly.) 

Below the jump, this post lists and briefly describes the three remaining issues.

Degradation of plaster wall at our southwest edge

TWO WEEKS AGO, I hosted the representatives of two waterproofing companies. It prompted me to take a more careful look at the plaster-covered concrete wall at the southwest corner of our property. Its degradation is now obvious, as the result of water damage. It took a big hit this past winter.

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, this post discusses the condition of what I am calling the “southwest edge” of our sanctuary property.…