Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspections- I'm Stucco on you

"Plaster" an ancient Greek application term meaning "to Daub on" was used to describe interior plaster dating back to 500 BC (crude plasters date back to 7500 BC). When it became popular to apply plaster on the exterior of structures the term "Stucco work", meaning exterior plaster, was developed to describe it as the interior products/materials would not withstand the elements.

In 1824 Joseph Aspdin a bricklayer in Leeds, England, invented Portland cement by processing and cooking lime and clay together in his kitchen. Joseph named the product "Portland" cement because it resembled stone quarried on the Isle of Portland off the coast of England (sorry Oregon and Maine).

In the modern application there have been some issues in recent years with Stucco in residential homes. Problem areas seem to be window leaks due to a lack of flashings, improper deck flashing, and grade above the wood framing. This accounts for the majority of the damage. (Flashings seem to be lacking in all styles of building).

In Woodbury Minnesota after five years of conducting very thorough investigations along with the areas listed above there seems to be areas termed as "mystery areas" where the cause of damage is unknown. (Report- Link)

The report states that wall sections without windows or other openings (penetrations) seem to show little evidence of moisture intrusion with minimal or no damage.

There are some thoughts that interior moisture or excessively high humidity levels in the home could be a secondary cause of issues. Most buildings are rotting from the outside. (Failure rates are around 62% for Stucco construction)

Woodbury's conclusion is if there is excessive exterior moisture intrusion, the building will fail and secondary and interior sources of moisture will accelerate the failure. Many of the issues can be attributed to improper installation practices.

They also report that this is not just a regional issue but seems to be industry wide.

When performing home inspections on homes with stucco exterior cladding if the inspector(s) find evidence that may indicate potential failure due to moisture intrusion it is highly recommended that a specialist in brought in to perform a more in-depth investigation. This may include performing exploratory openings, thermography and moisture testing to evaluate potential failure areas.

Chelan and Okanogan Home Inspections- I'm Stucco on you

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.