What to do when your home has EIFS siding
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Last week, I outlined some of the problems with Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS - synthetic stucco).
This week: where the industry is headed, and what to do if you have this material on your home.
Paraphrasing industry insiders, "no matter how bad we may have screwed it up in the past, it's not going to go away." Acrylic finishes over traditional stucco and true EIFS installations just have too many advantages for EIFS to disappear completely, despite the tremendous negative publicity.
Stuc-O-Flex, headquartered in Redmond, now offers nine EIFS drainage-system packages for new installations.
Greg DeVault, a private Seattle building inspector, has done many EIFS inspections. Despite best intentions of the installers, he sees only one out of 10 buildings meeting manufacturer-recommended installation instructions. "Every EIFS product must be installed according to manufacturer specifications, if not, it is a code violation," DeVault says. DeVault adds that drainage systems must be installed perfectly, or else you're doomed.
Q: So who's enforcing this?
A: No one at the moment. Mark Fowler with the Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau (NWCB) tells me that the cities of Sammamish and Bellevue have begun working with the NWCB to implement specific programs and third-party or municipal inspections of EIFS.
The problem with these inspections is illustrated perfectly by Stuc-O-Flex's nine drainage systems: Every manufacturer (there are at least eight major, and scores of smaller, manufacturers) has different products. It is demanding enough to identify the manufacturer simply by looking at a product, much less evaluate a completely covered drainage system at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable time frame.
Q: Last week you mentioned a traditional cement stucco base with an EIFS-derived acrylic top coat, lacking the insulating foam beneath. A hybrid-type system. What can we expect?
A: The sales have been strong; the results have been mixed, but getting much better. Another newer technology in drainage systems is the liquid-applied rubber coating sprayed directly on plywood, providing moisture resistance for EIFS or other siding material. This shows promise, but skeptics abound.
Q: How can I tell if I have EIFS on my building?
A: Hit it with your knuckle. If it has a hollow sound it is EIFS. If it hurts and bloodies your knuckle, it is stucco beneath. Take a knife and dig into a small portion of the topcoat in an inconspicuous area. If it is scratchy, it is cement-based. If it has a somewhat rubbery texture, it is an acrylic finish.
Q: With EIFS siding, what are some things I could look for?
A: Problems occur where poor EIFS installation techniques interface with openings, such as windows and doors. You will not be able to see rot from the exterior beneath the siding until it is highly advanced. It takes specific moisture analysis equipment and experience to see and predict the problems.
Exposure to rainwater is the single largest predictor of problems. Unpenetrated siding will not leak.
South- and west-facing EIFS (where our rains come from) will be most vulnerable, assuming they have at least one of the following: small or nonexistent roof overhangs, tall walls, parapets, flat roofs, exposed beams or post tops, gutter ends buried inside the siding, windows, deck-rail abutments, swelling or cracking, and doors.
Check for a good seal at windows, particularly wood windows that need to be flashed. Flashing needs to be complete, including "kick-out flashing" at roof and wall intersections. Look for tobacco-colored water stains at the top edges of the foundation. Obviously, water stains on the interior floor or walls are indicators of problems.
If the home was built after 1996, it likely has a drainage system and better flashing than older homes.
The latest techniques in flashing and sealing windows involve expensive and, in my opinion, questionable "peel-and-stick," fancy flashing and over-engineered papering, multiple complicated caulking and other Band-Aids. The window industry needs to step up and supply us with windows that don't leak and have integral flashing.
Finally, this from Gary Shipman, lead attorney on a successful class-action suit against EIFS manufacturers in North Carolina: "The key to having a good understanding of problems with a home is a good inspection by a qualified inspector. Not every `home inspector' understands how to properly inspect an EIFS home. A homeowner should ensure that anyone conducting an inspection has a track record."
And specific training, I might add.
Darrell Hay answers readers' questions. Call 206-464-8514 to record your question. Or e-mail dhay@seattletimes.com. Sorry, no personal replies.