Synthetic Stucco (EIFS)
If
your home is finished with synthetic stucco, it may
be deteriorating from the inside out! Lurking inside the wood frame
of your house could be rot, mildew, mold and termites.
It's
a nightmare no one wants to experience, but thousands of Florida
homeowners have.
Thousands more will. There are few visible symptoms. When the symptoms
become visible, damage can be severe.
 What
is EIFS? Technically known as exterior insulation and finish
systems (EIFS), synthetic stucco is costing homeowners
across the country millions of dollars in damage and repair.
 The
very design of synthetic stucco traps water inside the
home walls causing the wood framing to quickly rot. Water gets in through
cracks, missing caulk, omitted flashing and any of almost countless
places. If your stucco extends all the way to the ground, you may have
an added problem on your hands . . . termites.
Worst
of all, you may be stuck footing the bill for all the repairs because
no one is willing to take responsibility. With EIFS manufacturers and
general contractors locked in a game of finger pointing, it's the homeowner
that ends up losing.
If
you own a house finished with synthetic stucco, you should take
steps immediately to determine if you have a problem.
Get
Educated, Get Tested and Get Active
Get
educated by reading the following
information about the problems with EIFS. Get tested.
And get active by telling anyone you know about
the problems. Ask them to spread the word to their friends.
Have
your home tested by a qualified, independent, moisture intrusion specialist.
It is vital that you verify the qualifications of a potential inspector.
Determine:
- How
long the inspector has been in the business of Moisture Intrusion
Inspection?
- How
many homes s/he has inspected? — 50 homes might be considered
a reasonable minimum.
- Inquire
as to which test protocol they use. Beware of responses like "what
do you mean, test protocol?" or "we use our own." The EIFS Review
Committee (ERC) is one protocol. The Georgia Association of Home
Inspectors (GAHI) offers an alternate.
 Make
Sure Your Inspector
Checks as High as Safely Possible
-
Make
sure the inspector will be providing an extensive, high-quality
report, including photographs. Should you end up in litigation
you do not want to have to pay to have additional testing and
photographs done.
-
Local
home inspectors, in general, may not be qualified to do
this testing. Many think EIFS is a "North Carolina" problem.
It is not. Problems have been encountered in North Carolina,
Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, California,
New York and states in between.
-
Realize
that as the word about EIFS problems spreads there will be a
growing industry of "professionals" offering "testing and repair" services. Be extremely critical.
Many of these people are unqualified and inexperienced. Ask which
testing protocol they follow. Beware of those offering both testing
and repair services.
-
Beware
of any inspector who claims to be able to do a thorough moisture
intrusion inspection without invasive probing. Experts
are virtually unanimous in their agreement that invasive probing
is required to accurately assess the health of the sheathing
under the EIFS. Surface scanning cannot find areas of
dry-rot. The image below shows an example of dry rot. The 1/2-inch
exterior sheathing was dry, and so would have been passed over
with a moisture scanner. The experienced inspector detected the
problem while probing. The hand shown in the figure is that of
an 8-year-old boy, who was able to push his finger through the
sheathing.
If you
think you do have a synthetic stucco problem, we can help determine
if you have legal recourse to help pay for the damage to your home. Contact
us for more information.
© 2008 Fonvielle Lewis Foote & Messer
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