I did an inspection for a 2020 house. The 2nd fl stucco wall have 5 white repair spark. The seller told buyer it is builder come to repair minor crack in stucco wall. I an 100% do not believe that.
Then I talk with the neighbor and he told me the seller with some owners in this community to make a case with builder about the 2nd fl wall using defective sheet. Then I think it maybe the 3rd party lab come to make some samples for evidence. Finally, I saw other house have the same white repair spark in this community which confirm my idea is right.
My question is, what kind of sheet is defective? does the county sheet inspector did not care this sheet material? Is this stucco crack is normal?
I would report the amateurish repairs for professional evaluation and repair by a stucco specialist.
While hard coat stucco should not crack, we see it cracked all the time. So, in practice, most stucco specialists evaluate how bad (and quantity) the cracks and cracking are to determine if repair is needed. What I see in your photos, falls into the category of ordinary or common cracks that rarely require repair. The crack at the expansion joint should not be there, but most stucco experts would not repair that.
Also, there should be a 2" gap between the stuccoed wall and the roof deck.
This inspection does not determine the type of stucco system or the condition inside of walls. Sometimes different stucco systems are found on the same building or house. Some EIFS type stucco systems can have moisture related problems. Stucco evaluations should be conducted by EDI Certified Independent Third-Party Stucco Inspectors
Someone prob came and took core samples to check thickness.
Been pretty popular in fl the past decade, and builders have lost millions to lawyers. (Which is why DR Horton now only uses block for both levels. -no exterior wood frames walls)
Lawyers go door to door and ask if they can take measurements, and promise to get you a check for $10-20k for improper thickness. (Should be 7/8", and they will find a spot that is only 5/8, which is why you see these samples at the edges.
Here is my narrative I use:
There are a few areas on the stucco that were previously drilled out, likely to measure the thickness of the stucco. Many builders were sued in the past decade for insufficient stucco thickness, and as a result, there are now companies that actively knock on doors, asking people to allow them to take samples of the stucco, and promise payouts as part of a class action lawsuit.
Recommend asking seller what the result of the test was, and if a payout was received. If it was found to be insufficient, then no further warranty would apply to the home, and correction would be your responsibility, if needed.
All DR in Florida, because they never seem to use siding on the second floor. All builders here use block on main floor, and wood at second, except them.
I think they got tired of being sued, haha.
But all the other builders still do wood frame at second with either hardi or stucco.
