Nice comment and good observation.
I’m ready to take the course…
We definitely have a problem with the corner of this home. A reference should be made to contact a certified stucco applicator to fix up this corner and check all other areas. The other corners were cracked but had not deteriorated as badly as this one. There is definitely a possibility of damage inside and should be looked into.
Adobe Inspection
This type of building would not be found in the area I"m from but it is interesting reading. It is also interesting to read that they are using traditional building methods today and using stucco finishes to imitate the old style. The traditional adobe bricks would only stand up in a warm dry climate. Since the original bricks were not fired they do not stand up to moisture and settling very well but used in the right climate they do last a longtime.
Stucco
The preservation and Repair of Historic Stucco
In older buildings stucco was often applied to cover up an existing finish. Stucco needs regular maintenance in order to last a long time. If a building has not been well maintained then one should be on the look out for moisture intriusion which can cause rot in the framing. A professional should always be called in to asses for damage. In the case of historic buildings they often prefer to patch rather than remove all the stucco finish so an experienced finisher is required to match new material with old.
These are pictures of a home with EIFS siding. As you can see in the pictures, the EFIS is not held up off the intersecting roofline the recommended two inches. The flashing was in place and the kick-out flashing was there, although it was not the recommended six inches high.
Read the article on kick out flashing. Kick out flashing is required where sidewalls extend past the lower edge of the roofline. It is usually noticeable that they are missing when water stains can be seen vertically on the walls below these areas. Water will penetrate in these areas and cause extensive damage that sometimes will not be seen on interior walls.
The stucco system on this new home was partly exposed at the electrical service entry and appears to be a DEFS or Direct Applied system (stucco with embedded fiberglass mesh on a cement board substrate). The exposed edges of the system should be protected. The stucco has been chipped at the corner exposing fiberglass mesh and and should be repaired to stop water entry and deterioration. Recommend that builder examine system and repair omissions and blemishes as required prior to closing.
I have not had an opportunity to inspect a stucco home. I took the course to gain more knowledge about stucco claddings and to be better equipped to inspect and identify the different typed of stucco claddings as well as the typed of defects I may find. I feel that the course has given me a good foundation to inspect stucco homes and to direct issues I may find to the proper professional for further evaluation.
I found this class to be very informative and has given me a good foundation to inspect Stucco clad homes. It has also given me excellent information on how to identify the different types of Stucco systems and very good advice on ways to not misidentify the systems.
Stucco reading assignment.pdf (94.3 KB)
Stucco Essay
The picture details a window corner of a Traditional HCS. The window has good head flashing that extends beyond the window frame. The window edge to stucco lacks an expansion joint a sealant. The contractors placed the stucco coating right to window frame. This can allow expansion/contraction and stucco cracking over time. Seals are recommended that include a backers rod and proper sealant application at window joints. The stucco in general is in good condition.
Jason Hoerle
Stucco
Stucco has been used since ancient times and the meaning is plaster. It best describes a type of exterior plaster applied as a two- or three-part coating directly onto masonry, or applied over wood and metal lath. Stucco provides a wind and moisture barrier as well as fire resistance to some degree. The traditional hard coat system is one layer base coat, second brown coat and then a third finish coat. Stucco is applied over XPS and EPS insulation via an EIFS technique. Regular maintenance and inspection of the stucco system is recommended. Repair methods vary with the system used and in general the stucco can have a long term life.
I really don’t think that a home inspector will go into such details.Its good to know though.
The following image is of what appears to be a barrier EIFS system.
The EIFS ends directly against the parapet cap below. There is no back wrapping or finishing at this edge. Some fibers of the fiberglass mat are protruding at the edges and face of the EIFS. The base and finish coats are not complete in areas on the face of the system, as evidenced by holes. Below the capping, there is a crack in the EIFS which is approximately 1/8" wide.
The capping has also been fastened through the top. The screws used were also too short and are now loose.
Articles
Water Damage and EIFS
EIFS has been installed since the late 1960s and is a group of exterior wall coverings which consist of foam board and fiberglass mesh with a polymer based coating textured and finished to look like historic stucco. PB or barrier EIFS is intended to be a watertight system which prevents water infiltration behind the EIFS. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to entirely prevent water intrusion behind the EIFS, and water can become trapped behind the EIFS causing water damage and rot. Inspectors should pay close attention to detailing and through wall penetrations. Entire systems may have been compromised by general poor installation which may not be immediately evident through a visual inspection.
I recently inspected 2002 home with synthetic-stucco walls: from the outside, nothing seems wrong with this barrier-type synthetic-stucco exterior (inset). Inside the wall, it’s a different story. As I found out inspecting internal stucco structure in unfinished basement water gets in, but it can’t get out. In addition to that masonry demonstrated efflorescence problems (white, chalky stains), crumbling mortar, cracked or loose bricks and spalling (exterior layer breaking off). Most frustrating for me is that stuccoed walls and water intrusion rarely show signs of the rot occurring within.
C:\Users\Alex\Desktop\DSC00180
Here in my part of the country, stucco is the thing. I need to know more about it.
The attached picture is of a window that was installed at a home the has and EIFS system installed on three of the four exterior walls. The reason that I chose this picture is because not only does EIFS systems has problems of their own, but other factors can adversely effect these systems and cause the same types of problems that a failure in the EIFS would cause. In this case, rotted windows were allowing water to penetrate behind the finished surfaces and created rot and mold issues in the interior of the structure. This issue was substantially worse where a prior roof had failed and allowed water to enter along the entire front of the structure causing damage to not only substrates and sheetrock, but to structural wall and ceiling members. So, even if there is no visible issues with EIFS coverings, beware of other factors that can cause the same problems requiring repairs and replacement of the EIFS.
The article I read from the library was called Ghosting. It described the discoloration of surfaces you sometimes find throughout homes during an inspection. In addition to the typical adhesion of particles due to the stickiness of them, the article described the term “plating out.” This term is used to describe the electrical attraction between particles and surfaces, typically the fact that opposites attract and positively charged particles will attract to negatively charged walls. Although I was familiar with some of the ghosting issues, I did not realize the carpet staining could be caused by this action as a result of a door improperly cut at the base.
This is a picture of a mock-up wall cladding system. I observed the following:
• The system is a traditional hard coat system (three coat)
• Mock-up is built on OSb board with framing on wheels
• There is no insulation present
• Double layer of D-paper is present
• Stucco netting properly installed to majority of studs and embedded in scratch coat
• System is hard to the touch
• All three coats are visible – scratch, brown, and finish coats
• System properly terminates above grade
