Stucco Inspections

Water Leak Detection
Stucco Inspections Tampa, Orlando, Florida
By

The Home Experts, Inc.

Above, the dark blue is the wettest portion of the wall while the red is the driest. This allows us to find hidden damage. Below is the normal wall view.

tomherman@homeexpertstampa.com
Brandon Office 9607 Ware Circle Tampa Fl 33619. Phone (813) 623-1177 Fax (813) 623-6964
Westchase office 15905 Prince William Place Odessa Fl.
CGC007826

The Customer is Everything

Here are some of the things we may consider when suggesting repairing damaged stucco on a home.

Do not proceed with STUCCO REPAIRS until you are sure of the cause of the stucco failure.
How much stucco must be removed during the STUCCO REPAIR? The stucco repair should include all stucco above any rusted lath.
Depending on the cause of the stucco damage/failure, the stucco repair may need to address other areas.

We do not suggest that STUCCO REPAIRS are needed just because of stucco cracks. Please see StuccoHelp.com for the causes of stucco cracking. In many cases the stucco will crack in the same locations after the stucco repairs. In most cases stucco cracks can be addressed with properly painting the home.
STUCCO REPAIRS usually require a building permit.
Any water intrusions should be addressed with the STUCCO REPAIRS.
An inspection of the plastic house wrap should be made before covering and the final STUCCO REPAIR . This should be done by the stucco repair contractor.
The STUCCO REPAIR should include the installation of the expanded wire lath and all associated components, such as expansion joints per the appropriate ASTM Standards.

After the stucco repair preparing the home for painting is extremely important. The “Paint Prep” should be inspected prior to painting. After the stucco repair, use premium paint.

I am on the ASTM C-11 committee that writes the building codes for stucco. I preformed my first stucco inspections over 30 years ago. Stucco over concrete block and wood framing is widely used as wall construction in parts of the country with hot humid environments and heavy rains as other materials have been found unsuitable in such climates. Water intrusion has frequently been observed in this type of construction. Observations of water movement into and through wall construction can be identified. Defects, if any, causing water intrusion into the building or damage to the exterior surface will be inspected, including water and insect passage through stucco accessories such as expansion joints, control joints and corner beads; water intrusion where walls sit on solid structures such as concrete bond beams or slabs; corrosion of stucco accessories; and efflorescence at stucco accessories. There is often water intrusions through the exterior cladding or stucco with no defects in the construction.
Plastering is old as written records. Today stucco materials are made of Portland Cement with additives and local sand. Stucco has a hard and architecturally desirable finish. Stucco will not rot or promote microbial growth. Stucco and concrete block are brittle and subject to cracking. Most of the cracking is caused by temperature expansion and contraction. A building will get smaller when cold and larger when the environment is warm. The forces involved in this expansion and contraction are greater than stucco of any thickness could resist. This normal cracking can be made worse over time with wet/dry cycles.Type your paragraph here.

Tom Herman, the President of The Home Experts has had an Unlimited General Contractor’s License for 44 Years. License number CGC 007826. Mr. Herman has built over 15,000 of homes and buildings. Mr. Herman conducts all inspections.

Mr. Herman is on the ASTM C-11 Committee that writes the stucco building codes. Email TomHerman@Stucco Help.com

We use several tools during our inspections. Our Thermal Imaging camera can see moisture under the stucco.

Call 813-623-1177
Go to our other Websites: StuccoInspectionsFlorida.com and StuccoHelp.com

Stucco Inspections Tampa, Saint Pete, Clerawater, Lakeland.