Stucco
We are certified to inspect your Stucco, Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), from the beginning of construction, to moisture intrusion, to moisture analysis, and through remedial repairs. Jim is a nationally certified graduate of Exterior Design Institute (EDI) and has been performing Stucco inspections for several years.
There are now at least 35 different modified, proprietary hard-coat stucco systems on the market and more than 30 varieties of exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS) that have the look of stucco. With products continually leaving and
entering the market, and new hybridized systems
coming along that combine characteristics of EIFS and hard-coat systems (or go on over some other base like fiber-cement board), it's hard to keep track, much less understand them all.
All these new systems are penetrating markets where traditional stucco is largely unknown, and where the details that make stucco work are not part of the local tradition. In place of the standard, generic water management details that governed traditional stucco, which you could look up in the body of the building code, these new systems are regulated through evaluation reports ("ER reports") and proprietary specifications that you have to locate and study individually.
The good news is that any kind of stucco -- traditional three-coat, proprietary one-coat systems, and even EIFS -- can work well if you apply the flashing and drainage plane principles that have always been part of traditional stucco.