Stucco (EIFS & Traditional) Inspections

STUCCO INSPECTIONS - EXTERIOR INSULATING AND FINISH SYSTEMS (EIFS) AND TRADITIONAL STUCCO

EIFS

Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are multi-layered exterior wall systems that are used on both commercial buildings and homes and are sometimes referred to as a synthetic stucco system. They provide superior energy efficiency and offer much greater design flexibility than other cladding products.

Developed in Europe in the 1950s, EIFS were not introduced in the U.S. until the 1970s. They were first used on commercial buildings, and later, on homes. Today, EIFS account for nearly 30% of the U.S. commercial exterior wall market. EIFS typically consist of the following components:

insulation board, made of polystyrene or polyisocyanurate foam, which is secured to the exterior wall surface with a specially formulated adhesive and/or mechanical attachment
a durable, water-resistant base coat, which is applied on top of the insulation and reinforced with fiber glass mesh for added strength
an attractive and durable finish coat — typically using acrylic co-polymer technology — which is both colorfast and crack-resistant.

TRADITIONAL STUCCO

Traditional stucco consists of portland cement-based materials and sand, mixed with water to form a workable plaster. Portland cement plaster is applied either by hand or machine to exterior and interior wall surfaces in two or three coats.

EIFS and Traditional Stucco homes have made news headlines across the states, mainly as a result of system failure. Quite often, these systems were improperly installed and, as a result, moisture finds a way to penetrate the stucco. If the stucco was set up as a barrier system (lack of a drain point), moisture penetration quite often leads to wood rot. If not detected soon enough, moisture penetration can also lead to structural failure and mold issues.

Our EIFS and Traditional Stucco Inspections each consist of a three part inspection, including a Visual Inspection, Infra-Red Inspection, and Intrusive Moisture Analysis (if needed).

The first part is a visual inspection of the stucco. During the visual inspection, cracks in the stucco are documented, as well as bulging areas, discoloration, and areas where common installation practices were not followed.

The second part of our inspection is an Infra-Red survey. Infra-Red technology allows us to detect areas of the stucco that have thermal imagery characteristic of moisture penetration without damaging/penetrating the stucco itself. Consult JFM on the use of the Infra-Red camera as this technology has specific weather requirements for use.

Once the visual inspection and Infra-Red inspection have been completed, JFM offers intrusive moisture testing to confirm areas of suspect moisture penetration. Although we can not determine the extent of the hidden damage, moisture readings can give us a clue as to the severity of the damage. We utilize intrusive methods as opposed to non-intrusive methods because of the high occurrence of false positive readings encountered with non-intrusive equipment. Moisture readings are an optional part of the inspection and are highly recommended.

Once our three-part inspection is complete, we will have your stucco report completed within 5 working days. As part of the report, you will receive an Email version in .pdf format and a full bound hard copy report with photo documentation (both digital and Infra-Red). We offer and strongly recommend annual stucco inspections in order to monitor the condition of the system and track annual changes.

For more information about Stucco Inspections, contact JFM Inspections, Inc. at mdostillio@comcast.net.