Bulging Stucco

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

This is a Hard Coat Stucco installation.

Bulged areas and staining from water intrusion....

Bulging along the rim board at the foundation as well as the transition between the 1st & 2nd Floors where the stain is present to the left of the door.

Also notice the staining along the upper dormer at the roof.

[Carl A. Brown]

When the wood dries and shrinks the stucco starts to buldge and the freeze and thaw cycles take over from there.

Does the dormer and flu have copper tops?

I would like to see some IR pictures of that one.

Do you know what was on it for moisture barrier?

It also looks like they either installed the trim after the base cote was on and or installed the windows under the sheathing. Either way it creates a problem at the sills of the windows.

[Shawn Rowe]

I don't see any weep screeds. Where does the moisture intrusion go? hhmmmmmm

No vertical control joints (looks to be more than 144 sf of stucco).

How old is the house? Did they apply the stucco over a different cladding?

[David P. Valley]

Now that is one way to hide the outer existing siding of a home. Don't remove it, just go over it.

What a shoody installation of Stucco.....

[Carl A. Brown]

It seems the fine codes officials,builders and stucco contractors in Pa. could use some input from Minn.

http://www.mnlath-plaster.com/listin...dbook_2007.pdf


http://www.mnlath-plaster.com/listin...oChecklist.pdf

[gporter]

It was probably that wood used during the early 90's. It think it was Georgia-Pacific. They covered it with stucco.

[Russel Ray]

I didn't know they used stucco so far north. I don't think it's a good siding for wet environments.

[tdietrich1]

I had a friend buy a house north of a 1/2 mil, and he was 'sold' on how great stucco was. He's in Pa, so I hope it's good for Pa's weather.

[Russel Ray]

I probably would not buy a stucco house unless it was located in Southern or Central California, Nevada, Southern Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and south Texas. I have never seen them hold up well in wet environments. In fact, even here in San Diego, over on Coronado Island and in La Jolla, they just do not hold up well because of the coastal fogs, marine layer, and lack of sunshine until about two in the afternoon. Most houses along the coast are wood, heavily painted wood. In dry climates, though, even a stucco house with shoddy installation can hold up extremely well as long as one doesn't water it with the irrigation sprinklers or go power washing it.

[dcallahan]

I am in Casper Wyoming and there are a lot of homes and businesses with stucco siding. We average 51.5 inches of snow and 11 inches of rainfall a year and the stucco seems to hold up just fine. We are also seeing an increase in EFT siding up here.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Hard Coat Stucco (2 coat) over wire lathe. Control joints and weep screeds are something that are rarely (if ever) found with stucco installations in this area.

Sheathing is RMax foam board.

Home is 18 years old. Original stucco installation.

[jmichalski]

I second Joe's observations about the lack of weep screeds and control joints on stucco appliactions here. It is not uncommon to see it applied to metal lathe directly over brick on many rowhomes. Many new McMansions are also using stucco exteriors.

Hairline cracks seem to be a frequent occurrence, and I have seen delamination of the stucco on angled portions of exterior chimneys, but I have not come across any bulging as pictured in Joe's photos.

What was your recommendation, Joe?

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Originally Posted by jmichalski

What was your recommendation, Joe?

Remove, review, repair, replace.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by jhagarty

Remove, review, repair, replace.

Ah, yes. The Power of R. Very good, Mr Hagarty, very good!