For forty years — since 1985 — WICR Waterproofing and Construction has protected decks, balconies, walkways and below-grade structures across Orange County. Most of that work has been for communities rather than single owners: condominium associations, master-planned developments, property managers and commercial owners who need hundreds of deck areas handled as one coordinated program.
A true waterproofing specialist, not a general contractor with a coating crew. California State Contractors License #745936.
Licensed California contractor #745936 · Fully insured · E3 certified inspector since 2018 · Systems warranted up to 20 years
Built for Orange County’s HOA Communities
No county in Southern California is so thoroughly organized around planned communities. Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Niguel — hundreds of near-identical elevated balconies and shared podium decks, built in the same era, to the same detail, by the same methods.
That has a consequence boards learn the hard way: when one deck fails, the rest are not far behind. They were built together and they age together. A single leaking balcony is rarely a single balcony problem — it is the first one to show.
It also changes who the decision belongs to. The buyer is not a homeowner choosing a contractor for a weekend. It is a board with a reserve study, a budget cycle, an owner base to answer to, and a fiduciary duty to spend well. That calls for something different from a repair crew.
WICR runs waterproofing at community scale. We have delivered programs covering 365 deck areas at a single Santa Clarita community, 138 balconies at one Corona property, and approximately 108,000 square feet of decking under continuous maintenance contract in Palm Desert. Those are not Orange County addresses, but they are the size and shape of the work Orange County boards need done.
Coastal Exposure and Inland Exposure Are Not the Same Job
Orange County is two waterproofing climates in one county.
Along the coast — Newport Beach, Laguna, Huntington Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente — salt air and marine-layer moisture attack from both directions. Salt accelerates corrosion at every metal detail: flashings, railing penetrations, door pans, fasteners. Failures frequently begin at hardware rather than in the field of the deck.
Inland — Anaheim, Orange, Fullerton, Yorba Linda, Brea — properties run hotter and drier. Thermal cycling and UV drive the degradation, and topcoats give out on a different schedule.
Same county, different specification, different maintenance interval. A contractor who quotes both the same way is guessing on one of them.
Our Orange County Waterproofing Services
- Deck & balcony waterproofing — reinforced traffic-coating systems for elevated decks and private balconies
- Deck coating & resurfacing — walkable coatings matched to coastal or inland exposure
- Basement & below-grade waterproofing — subterranean garages, retaining walls, and podium decks
- Podium and planter waterproofing — the assemblies that leak into the parking structure below
- Vehicular traffic coatings — parking decks and drive lanes
- Waterproofing injections — sealing active leaks in concrete and below-grade walls
- Leak detection & repair — locating the actual source, not the stain
- Structural repair — plywood, joists, posts and footings under failed decks
- Community maintenance programs — scheduled cleaning, repair, priming and protective topcoats
What Working With WICR Actually Looks Like
Boards are right to want the process explained before they commit reserves.
We assess before we bid. We evaluate deck by deck rather than pricing the community as one number. On most properties a meaningful share of decks are still serviceable and need an overlay rather than reconstruction. We will tell you when that is the case, even though it is the smaller job.
We phase around residents. Work is sequenced so people keep access to their homes and businesses keep operating. We have coated all three stories of an occupied hotel without closing it.
We tell you what we find. When an assembly is opened and there is damage the assessment could not see, you get photographs and a written explanation before anything changes.
We document for your reserve study. A record of what was installed and where it sits in its service life, which is what your reserve analyst needs to fund the next cycle correctly.
Orange County Projects
Huntington Beach condominium community — failing architectural balustrades engineered back into service for another 15 years Developed and implemented an engineered remedial solution for failing balustrade systems across approximately 50 balconies at a Huntington Beach condominium community. Combined deck-edge reconstruction, internal steel reinforcement, custom anchorage, waterproof membranes, and foam injection have preserved the original assemblies for approximately 15 additional years through recurring three-year maintenance cycles.
Coastal condominium community, Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach — 59 assemblies assessed one by one, eight rebuilt Completed a condition-based rehabilitation program for 55 balconies and four elevated walkways at a coastal condominium community on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. Work included waterproofing and maintenance repairs, new flashings and scuppers, replacement of deteriorated railing posts, and complete reconstruction of eight damaged pony-wall and glass-railing assemblies.
Apartment community, Fountain Valley — SB 721 walkways taken back to the plywood, residents in place Reconstructed two elevated common walkways at an occupied Fountain Valley apartment community after an SB 721 inspection identified failed waterproofing. Removal of the existing magnesite systems exposed widespread substrate deficiencies, requiring complete plywood replacement, new sloped assemblies, perimeter flashings, stucco integration, and reinforced waterproof traffic coatings — all completed under challenging resident-access conditions.
Large condominium HOA, Huntington Beach — 250+ units maintained on a three-year reseal cycle, no leaks Maintains the decks at a large coastal condominium HOA on a recurring reseal cycle rather than waiting for failure. Because the community reseals every three years, the decks have stayed watertight, the original systems have remained under warranty, and the association’s lifetime cost has stayed low — small scheduled work instead of major repairs driven by water intrusion.
Fairfield Inn & Suites, Brea — three stories of decks and walkways recoated without closing the hotel Prepped and coated all three stories of waterproof decks and walkways at an operating hotel while guests continued to use them throughout. The work was delivered through close coordination between the WICR crew and hotel desk staff, using a specially formulated fast-return sealer, with scheduling matched to the temperature and humidity conditions the manufacturer’s specification required.
Serving Orange County
Irvine · Anaheim · Santa Ana · Huntington Beach · Newport Beach · Costa Mesa · Mission Viejo · Aliso Viejo · Laguna Niguel · Laguna Beach · Dana Point · San Clemente · Fullerton · Orange · Yorba Linda · Tustin · Brea · Rancho Santa Margarita · Ladera Ranch
WICR serves Orange County along with Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside and San Diego Counties, and the Coachella Valley.
Why Orange County Chooses WICR
- 40 years of Southern California waterproofing — founded 1985
- Community-scale program experience — hundreds of deck areas managed as one coordinated project
- Systems matched to exposure — coastal and inland specified differently
- Licensed California contractor — #745936
- Warranted systems — coverage up to 20 years depending on the system installed
- New construction and reconstruction — from a single balcony to a full community program
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with HOA boards and property managers?
Yes — it is the majority of what we do. We provide bid packages, phased schedules, unit-by-unit condition assessments and documentation boards can put in front of owners and reserve analysts.
How do you phase a community-wide project so residents keep access?
We sequence the work building by building and stack by stack, so residents retain a route to their homes throughout. We have coated all three stories of an operating hotel while guests continued using the walkways.
Do coastal and inland Orange County properties need different systems?
Yes. Coastal properties face salt air that corrodes flashings, railings and fasteners, so metal details and detailing sequence matter more. Inland properties face heat and UV, which degrade topcoats on a different schedule. The specification and the maintenance interval differ.
How much does deck waterproofing cost in Orange County?
Cost depends on deck size, existing condition, and whether structural repair is needed underneath. WICR provides free, no-obligation estimates after assessing the property.
How long does a typical project take?
A typical deck or balcony runs about three days. Community-wide programs are phased and run to completion on an agreed schedule.
Do you offer warranties?
Yes. WICR systems are warranted for up to 20 years depending on the specific system installed.
Do you handle basements and subterranean garages?
Yes. Below-grade waterproofing, podium decks, retaining walls and subterranean parking structures are a core part of our work.