A brief visual inspection can alert you to potential trouble spots.
- Check roof / wall intersections (kickouts) to see if an angled piece of flashing has been installed to divert the flow a of water away from the vertical wall
- Check the lower corners of windows for any gaps in the corner miters, and probe the sealant to determine if is still flexible.
- Look for any bulges at the second floor line.
- Check your deck, if it is wood frame and attached to the house. There should be visible flashing and no sign of wood rot.
- EIFS should not be installed below grade, so when replacing mulch, first remove the old mulch.
- If you suspect a problem give us a call and have a qualified inspector in your area.
- 80% of all remediation costs are less than $1500, and are usually a maintenance issue.
Keep in mind, water intrusion is cumulative. The longer water penetrates the building envelope, the greater the potential damage. Watch a short video – Click on “Understanding the Problem”.
Be aware that any inspector who proposes stucco remediation and inspection on the same project does not have your best interests in mind. You can see the conflict of interest which exist if the same company inspects your stucco home and then performs the stucco repairs. Then performs their own quality control inspections to maintain the warranty.
Simply ask them 3 questions, “Are you bonded? Who is your warranty underwriter? What happens to my warranty coverage if you go out of business?”
Atlanta A stucco inspection and repair engineering company provides a guarantee and an estimate of about $8,000 to a stucco homeowner. In fine print, nearly $13,000 in additional repairs are mentioned, but represented as “only necessary if the areas are found to be moisture damaged.” The moisture inspection already showed these areas to be “soft” meaning the area had, at the least, damaged substrate wood. The open-ended contract is sold to the unsuspecting customer, but the actual repair bill is over $21,000. Then they offer their “stucco warranty” which they will gladly sell you for a $300/year annual inspection fee. They have to visit your property every 13 months to maintain some type of “coverage” using their E&O insurance. This inspection to be performed by their inspectors. This scam has been pulled on hundreds of unsuspecting homeowners. Beware!
Having the stucco inspection provided by BC Inspections set the buyers’ minds at ease. It was a smart move because it gave them the confidence they needed to purchase our stucco home.