Stucco – The Wrong Installation Leads to Severe Consequences

Your home purchase will most likely be the largest investment you will make in your lifetime. To protect your investment, you need to know that stucco over a wood substrate is prone to water penetration much more that traditional masonry such as brick or stone. Brick & stone have air spaces of 1-2 inches, “drainage planes” that allow moisture to escape through the bottom weep holes, thus keeping the wood substrate mostly free from wood rot. Stucco does not have a defined “drainage plane” thus allows water retention, creating wood decay in a very short time period. The smallest opening can result in a leak that can do severe damage. Typical leaks occur around windows, roof kick outs, vent openings, poor terminations, parapet walls, hidden gutters and on and on. The novice home inspector will not catch most of the installation defects & potential problems. Some problems are not self evident, and those that are can only be detected by a well trained inspector.

At Smith Inspection Services, Inc. I can provide you with a full scope of services that include in depth reporting of defects, moisture testing & coring samples to confirm defects & give contractor names to give cost estimates & repair damaged areas. Since receiving my certification from EDI, Exterior Design Institute, I have made a pursuit to inform & educate my clients how to recognize poor construction defects & potential problems before they become the their problem. If you are a home owner call us today so we can find the potential problems to limit your repair cost. If you a prospective buyer call us today to schedule an appointment & discuss the risk & problems involved that are current or potential.