Residential Building Envelope and Structure Assessment and Repair
Fee: $2,345 / Online / Mar 22 - 24, 2027 / Course Code: 17-0314-ONL27
OVERVIEW
Please note, This instructor-led course has specific dates and times:
This course is held online over 3 days on the following schedule (All times in Eastern Time Zone): 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (Will include the usual breaks)
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Apply building code requirements and compliance alternatives to real-world repair scenarios
- Diagnose structural and envelope failures and determine appropriate repair strategies
- Evaluate repair risks and prevent common failures that lead to rework, damage, or liability
- Structure and manage repair contracts to control scope, cost, and project outcomes
- Navigate construction disputes using practical resolution strategies, including liens and ADR
Description
Residential building repair projects present a unique challenge: existing structures rarely behave as designed, building code application is not always straightforward, and repair decisions often carry significant risk if misapplied. Poorly executed repairs can lead to continued deterioration, safety concerns, and costly legal disputes.
This course addresses these challenges by focusing on assessing building envelope and structural issues, interpreting and applying code requirements in repair contexts, and making sound, defensible decisions under real-world constraints. Emphasis is placed on identifying failure mechanisms, selecting appropriate repair approaches, and avoiding common errors that lead to performance issues or non-compliance.
Through practical examples and structured guidance, this course develops the capability to evaluate complex repair scenarios, manage technical and contractual risk, and deliver repair solutions that perform as intended while meeting regulatory requirements.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for:
- Engineers and engineering technologists working in building assessment, repair, or rehabilitation
- Architects, building science professionals, and inspectors involved in code compliance and envelope performance
- Project managers and contractors responsible for residential repair projects
- Professionals managing risk, quality, and regulatory compliance in building repair projects
- Owners and consultants involved in residential building assessment and remediation
SYLLABUS
Day I
Welcome, Introduction, Workshop Preview, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Methods
Building Permits for Repairs
- Application of building code legislation
- Application of the regulations: the building code
- Alternatives to the building code and regulations applicable to building repair
Alternatives to the Building Code and Regulations
- Compliance alternatives
- Building material evaluation commission authorizations
What Parts of the Code Govern Your Building?
- What is a residential building
- What parts of the building code apply
- What are the building code differences and similarities between new construction and repair?
- Changes in the Building Code and its application to building repair
Code Part 9: Building Structures
- Application of the building code
- Foundation settlement, heaving, and leakage assessment, and repair
- Structural wood framing failure assessment and repair
Code Part 4 and Code Part 5: Building Structures
- Application of the building code
- Assessment, repair, and monitoring of structural concrete: results of a double-blind study
Day II
Code Part 9: Building Envelope
- Application of the building code
- Assessment and repair of brick veneer and windows
- Ice dams and pitched roof design
Multi-Unit Building Envelope: Masonry Veneer and Flashing
- Application of the building code
- Failure assessment and repair of brick failures
- Development of new clay brick materials standard for improved freeze-thaw durability
- Thermal expansion and contraction control
Multi-Unit Building Envelope: Exterior Insulation Finish Systems (EIFS)
- Examples: Failure assessment and repair of field; applied systems and panel systems
- Application of the building code failures: Has the building code failed us
Multi-Unit Window Systems: Time for a Change?
- Assessment and repair of condensation, air leakage, and water leakage
- Application of the building code
- Energy performance of windows
- Low and gas-filled insulating glass
- Framing design and location in the wall
- Retrofit options payback
Day III
Components of Repair Contracts
- Forms of contract
- Parties to a contract
- Payments and holdbacks
- Approvals and certificates for payment
Performance of the Contract
- When is a contract complete
- Who decides if a contract is complete
- What about deficiencies
The Construction Lien
- Application to building repairs
- Trust provisions
- Expiry, preservation, and perfection of liens
- Discharge of liens
Contract Disputes
- Avenues to resolution
- Construction liens and legal action
- Alternatives
- Arbitration and mediation agreements
- ADR process
Questions and Answers, Feedback on Achievement of Learning Outcomes
INSTRUCTOR
Partner & Vice President — BEST Consultants Martin Gerskup Architect Inc.
Mississauga, ON
Mitchell is a Canadian Professional Engineer specializing in the practice of building science and restoration engineering with a background in structural and building systems engineering.
He has spent the last twenty years applying building science principles to the investigation and repair of existing structures, with an emphasis on resolving problems affecting the building envelope. This includes preparing hundreds of condition assessments and reserve fund studies.
President — BEST MGA (2025) Inc.
Toronto, ON
Martin has over 35 years of experience and is the president of BEST Consultants Martin Gerskup Architect Inc. He specializes in the field of investigative architecture and building science with particular emphasis on the resolution of problems affecting the building envelope. Martin is a member of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and has served in various capacities on the Ontario Building Envelope Council (OBEC) Board of Directors from 1991 to 1997.
He was president of OBEC from 1993 to 1994, a member of the council for the OAA from 2003 to 2005, and a member of the ULC Thermal Insulation Committee. During his tenure on the council at the OAA, Mr. Gerskup was Chair of the Discipline Committee while also serving on the following committees: Practice Committee, Registration Committee, Public Interest Review Committee, Communications Committee, and the University Liaison Task Group.
In addition to authoring and presenting many technical papers on the subject of building science, Mr. Gerskup taught as an assistant adjunct professor and tutor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design from 1999 to 2001 and at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ryerson University in 2002.
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