At the turn of the millennium all sorts of tent-like structures were erected to protect literally hundreds of building throughout the Vancouver region. Plastic sheets on wooden frames, thicker tarpaulins draped over parapet walls and roof systems, in fact all sorts of bits of plastic and plywood: all to give an appearance of some third-world shantytown. Unfortunately, this initial ‘shantytown’ may be only a beginning. Rainwater incursion damage, because of the ‘amazingly designed’ warm-side vapour barrier behind the inner wallboards, may only be discovered after exterior wall damage becomes most evident. In other words, a lot of presently hidden damage is yet to be discovered. For example, many ordinary single-family homes have roofing that has a limited life cycle. In the past, damp patches or water stains on the ceiling would be noticed almost immediately after the roofing material began to first fail. New roofing, because it is obviously required, would generally be installed before more of the interior decorating was spoiled. Such new roofing may have simply been the replacement of the odd shingle that has been lifted or displaced by the wind. In other words, an inexpensive repair would soon put things to right. However, now with our intended energy-saving “amazing barrier”, with electrical lighting outlet boxes in sealed enclosures, the rainwater will simply sit between the trusses or ceiling joist members. It may sit there for years, sealed-up into the attic, to not actually be discovered until the ceiling framing begins to rot. Perhaps to only be recognized as a problem, when the ceiling begins to fall into the rooms below. (A recommended winter season attic inspection procedure will be discussed in later chapters that should hopefully avoid the possibility of future major framing damage.)