Kick-out or diverter flashings are at the bottom of the step flashings. They divert the water out of the wall into the gutter. They must be visible and daylight to deliver water on them out of walls. Watch for staining on the walls below where eaves and gutter ends meet walls.
Deck flashings, deck flashings are often incomplete and unsealed. Even when present deck flashings often are missing end dams. All joists and beams must be flashed and sealed where they penetrate stucco, EIFS and DEFS, watch for bugles in EIFS near corners of columns and watch for stains on beam bottoms.
The image shows a properly installed kick out flashing. The area where a kick out flashing is required is particularly prone to water problems. Many times the flashing is either left off or improperly installed. This can lead to large amounts of roof run off water to get inside the wall causing rot, mold or other related moisture problems.
I chose an image showing a typical traditional three coat stucco installation. In a three coat system there is a scratch coat, a brown coat, and a finish coat. The total system thickness is 3/4 to 7/8 inches thick. There needs to be a moisture barrier and metal lath attached to the substrate. At the bottom is a weep screen to allow for drainage. The stucco on this system is not water proof and must allow for the system to drain and dry.
Here it appears someone made an attempt to repair a crack or hole in the system. The window flashing appears proper on top the window an he had a good sealant along the right side, hear the repair. I can not see behind the system to determine what kind it is.
Iread the article on stucco. They talk a lot about historical stucco. The stucco had sand and animal hair added to it for color and strength in the past. Stucco repair shop of be left to to the professional. There is a lot of detail and testing to match the old stucco to the new.
This is a stucco wall that was completed during a renovation. Although it seems to be doing the job now, if they would have taken the time to remove or move the meter they could have ran the stucco behind to make it more pleasing to the eye and to make it easier in case there is an electrical issue later.
In the article, stucco I have learned that when repairing historical stucco it may not be possible to get an exact match of what was used originally. Some products are not used or are not available anymore. Also, using hydrochloric acid on a very small spot can tell you if it was made with Portland cement or lime.
There are many different stucco systems that you should be familiar with when going to do a home inspection. Each one will have different assembly requirements and different possible deficiencies that you should be looking for when doing your inspection.
The understanding and explanation of different types of stucco is important when doing a home inspection. Looking for possible defects such as starter strips, sealing around windows, PVS stripping, and so on, are all important items to look for and note in your report.
I know i should be talking about this corner bead but I have to say this is one of my least favorite training videos. Not because of the subject matter, but it was very difficult to inspect the pictures given for review and quiz usage.
I appreciate the knowledge the man gave, I went from being intimidated by the thought of inspecting stucco systems to a comfortable state of recall to be able to inspect professionally. The teacher did a good job, breaking the class down into categories to study and pulled them all in for a mind bending quiz. I sure hope these fuzzy pics arent going to be used in the test…
Proper installation of step flashing and kick out flashing is of the upmost importance when protecting EIFS systems.
Failure to install these flashing components when it is easy to do so, will very likely cost far more once water penetration damage is noticed.
After taking the EIFS course, it is clear that home inspectors have to carefully look for, and understand the many systems that are currently found throughout North America.
With certain do it your self systems out there that could potentially have defects that could cause failure, it makes the home inspectors experience in recognising proper EIFS workmanship that much more important.
Stucco and EIFS are very complicated cladding systems. They are multi layered systems put in place for waterproofing the exterior walls of houses and building. Because of the many types and layers it is easy to confuse these systems and improperly inspect them.
“Styrofoam Homes” In Japan they have homes made of Styrofoam. They have many attributes that are better than most stick built house such as: they do not rust or decay. They are also earthquake resistant. They are very light weight and can normally be constructed in a few hours.
This HCS system was applied directly up to the wooden window trim. There is no expansion joint and no caulk around all windows in this structure. Close contact of these two dissimilar products can cause decay problems. Also the expansion and shrinking process with no expansion joint can cause cracking with expansion and (since there is no caulk) water intrusion with shrinkage. I would recommend a stucco expert look at this to determine if any moisture damage has ocurred that i was unable to see and provide repairs if needed.
Article “Stucco
The Preservation and Repair of Historic Stucco”
Stucco has been around for a long time. The materials used have changed and become stronger and more moisture resistant. Many old buildings have had the old stucco removed in thinking that the material underneath should be exposed as the true history of the building. However for whatever reason the stucco was applied it is felt that it should remain in it’s original application to the fullest extent possible as it is part of the history of the building. Stucco should not be repaired by an inexperienced person as improper repair can often cause more damage than good. An expert should do repairs and match the old stucco as closely as possible so as to retain the history of the building.
Kickout flashing or no Kickout flashing. This is a thirteen year old home in Pensacola, FL. I observed 6" kickout flashing at all locations where required on the roof system. The photo of the closest wall to roof area did not require a kickout flashing because water should run down the roof to the valley and off the overhang. In reality, some of the water had been running down the adjacent wall. I looked at it with my IR camera and did not see any moisture behind the wall from the roof line to the foundation so I didn’t write it up.
Stucco: The preservation and repair of historic stucco. I realize this stucco was made from Portland cement, lime and sand and proportionately mixed by each master. I still see it being done in Europe but not here. Personally, I prefer the bag mix.
