We're on a Mission to Fix Wet Buildings

The red pins on the map show WickRight Passive Ventilation installations as of 2020, the shading is based on a 2016 report by Illinois Department of Health indicating prevalence of reported asthma in Chicago neighborhoods.

You're not alone.
There are thousands of wet buildings in Chicago.

11 years ago, Bob was assessing wet buildings 2-3 times a week. Now repairing wet buildings is the focus of our business. Chicago, and other urban centers that experienced a building boom between 1990-2016, have thousands of wet buildings. Many of these buildings have severe moisture intrusion damage and mold growth, and need immediate repair. This type of construction continues today, but is less prevalent.

The construction conditions that led to these issues was caused by combining old and new materials, like split face block, with traditional building techniques (and some unskilled labor) and of course, cost-cutting and corner-cutting (also known as "value engineering"). Specifically, much of this moisture intrusion is caused by improperly installed or non-existent flashing details and inadequate ventilation and/or improperly installed or eroded masonry sealant.

We have evaluated over 400 wet buildings in the Chicagoland area and installed WickRight passive ventilation on more than 106 buildings in Chicago, Milwaukee and Tampa. All of the buildings with WickRight Passive Ventilation installed are now dry or in the process of drying.

WickRight is here to help.

Our core team and all of our sub-contractors have decades of experience and will treat your building as their own.

We will help you make the most of your budget.

We understand that everyone has a budget. We will plan your project so that the most crucial repairs are made immediately. Then we will work together to determine which repairs can be safely delayed until reserves have been replenished.

Wet Split Face Block wall, metal coping leg is too short to protect the wall from wind driven rain. Transition from parapet wall to roof top building was poorly designed allowing rain to enter. Building also needs to be sealed. Ukranian Village, Chicago, IL

We fix it right, the first time.

Many of our customers have had roof repairs, even roof replacements performed, only to have the same leaks occur. We take the time to find the true leak sources, then plan projects so that the work is properly sequenced, this minimizes backtracking and maximizes the amount of work that gets done each day, which saves you money.

Our Stay Until It's Done Policy.

We aren't the fastest contractor out there, but we are the most thorough. We also aren't the cheapest option, but we are a good value – and the old adage "you get what you pay for" definitely applies to contractors and building repairs.

Most of the buildings we fix have multiple system failures. As we fix one thing, we discover another issue. It's the nature of the work. That said, we keep our schedule fluid to accommodate discoveries. We never cut and run like fly by night contractors that leave a building owner wondering if their project will ever be finished.

Concrete block wall with inadequately applied elastomeric coating, among other issues, shows frost on wet grouted block core. Little Village, Chicago, IL

Frost under properly installed self-adhered flashing on parapet wall shows naturally occurring condensation was unable to escape until we installed WickRight Passive Ventilation. Lincoln Park, Chicago IL

New Google Review June 13, 2023

Bob and the WickRight team were AMAZING! I initially started my roofing repair journey for my condo a couple years ago. Initially, we bid it out to several contractors w/ WickRight being in the mix. However, our condo board ended up choosing the cheapest contractor. That was a HUGE MISTAKE! ...

The roofing contractor we went with ended up walking off the job after a couple weeks leaving the job unfinished and not in the best of shape...all while storms were in the forecast. I reached out to Bob and WickRight and b/c of the urgency, he re-worked his schedule and had folks onsite the next day to make the necessary repairs to prevent any storm damage.

Because of the seasonal timing and needing to secure additional funds, we had to wait almost another year to finish the rest of the roof that needed to be replaced. When we re-engaged with WickRight, they were very communicative throughout the process and upfront about there being potential unseen damages that could raise the initial estimates. We were not only happy with WickRight's innovative product, we were also elated with their installation of the product and the overall roof replacement and repairs. I cannot say enough good things about WickRight!

– Ed Neerose, Wrigleyville, Chicago, IL

We understand that having workers at your building is stressful.

Discovering that your building has serious, possibly dangerous conditions, is unnerving. We can't promise that your building won't present surprises along the way, but we can promise to keep you informed of any new discoveries, overages, delays or new sub-contractors.

All our sub-contractors are well-trained, knowledgeable, courteous and trustworthy.

Our sub-contractors receive hands-on training by Bob Kelly. In addition to being masters in their respective trades, they also have general construction, sheet metal, masonry, roofing and carpentry knowledge, and understand WickRight installation and building science.