This picture is from a home built in 1985, new tar & gravel roof in 2012, new “Synthetic Stucco” (per MLS info) in 2016. It is EIFS but please don’t ask me what type. I took that InterNACHI course but there was absolutely no place on the home to see the details. It sounds quite hollow when knocked on so I am confident it is EIFS. I saw this staining above the garage door, too. That surface faces west, the surface in this picture faces south. They were dry, 0% on the moisture meter, and there had been no rain recently. This picture is from on the roof on a section of wall above the Great Room. The roof was in very good condition and the parapets were in excellent condition. There are no window or other openings above these stains, just about 2 feet from the stains to the top of the parapet. What bothers me is that they seem to sprout in the middle of the wall. There is nothing above the stains or on the roof above them that made me think water might be getting in there. The stucco was not loose or bulging and otherwise seems to be in excellent condition. I know I can recommend a EIFS stucco inspection, but don’t want to do that if I enough of you tell me it is nothing to be concerned about. I have not seen this type of staining on stucco before. Thanks for your help!
If this is EIFS and installed in 2016, it should have drain holes or a drip tray. Did you see any way for water to drain? If not, it may have been installed the old way, which was problematic.
I did not see any way for water to drain. The stucco was run below ground level, which is wrong, so I could not see the bottom. On the roof parapets the stucco runs down to the gravel and tar paper with no gap, so again, no weeps visible. I spoke to the owner since I originally posted this question and he said when it was re-stuccoed they power washed the stucco and then applied an new layer of stucco. I am beginning to think it was applied with 1985 techniques and then just a new layer of finish coat applied. This picture shows the section of roof the stains are on.
tgardner
(Timothy Gardner, VA HI Lic# 3380000992 NRS)
4
Power washing EIFS can drive moisture into the foam board at the fastener points. That’s why one should never pressure wash EIFS with more than 300# of water pressure and a wide fan nozzle from a long way away. Those stains look like they correspond to foam board fasteners. A surface moisture meter will not tell you whats going on at the sheathing depth. A Delmhorst pin type meter is what you need.
That said, I notice the sealant is cracked around the windows, the EIFS doesn’t have a sealant gap there, and the sealant at the roof below has open cracks. A complete EIFS inspection should be called for. IMHO. TG
