If
you have been in this industry a bit, you know the EIFS industry was
not having a fun time in the residential construction world during the
1990s. While still a great product, EIFS had a number of hurdles with
trades and applications. Amongst other things, this caused contractors
to go back to Portland cement plaster/stucco. Unfortunately, they were
putting stucco on structures with similar mistakes, such as missing
flashings and covering some new problems, like damaged and improperly or
poorly installed weather-resistive barriers.
Exterior
Inspections, Inc. was founded to review and advise on EIFS and stucco
installations. Recently, at the Texas Lathing and Plastering Contractors
annual conference, Walls & Ceilings spoke with this author
about the inspection process and its value to the contractor and the
industry. The company is dedicated to helping the stucco industry fight
those naysayers that say to never put stucco on a house in Houston or
coastal areas because the climate is too wet. So many times, the problem
is not the stucco at all, but rather when water intrusion occurs it
ends up behind the stucco, which must be removed to repair the damage.