Quality Installation Key for EIFS

Real stucco has taken on a bit of a bad image because of its synthetic replica, EIFS or exterior insulation finish systems. r

EIFS, which includes the brand name DryVit, isn’t as permeable as real stucco and tends to lock in any moisture that gets behind it. But local installers say both are durable, low-maintenance and insulating home-building products when installed properly. r

Clyde Betnar, a certified stucco and EIFS inspector with Challengers Inspectors of America in Rogers, believes that when stucco became very popular 10 or 15 years ago, a lot of builders who weren’t qualified started installing it. r

Developed in post-World War II Germany to repair war-related damage to large buildings, EIFS was introduced in the United States on commercial buildings in the 1970s and on homes in the 1980s. Industry estimates are that about 2 percent of residential structures include EIFS. Controversy erupted in the mid-1990s when moisture-related problems began to emerge. Several EIFS-related lawsuits have since been filed in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and other parts of the country.r

Betnar has testified as an expert witness in class-action lawsuits against the EIFS industry and builders over damage caused by moisture entrapment. One such case in Wilmington, N.C. led to a settlement of up to $4 per SF on homes involved, with a total pay out of $20 million. r

A case involving the courthouse in Martin County, Texas, resulted in $11.5 million in damages and $2.9 million in interest, and that decision was upheld on appeal. The builder was sued alleging a construction defect resulted in two types of toxic mold and 15 workers were exposed to it. r

“The product is the best product known to man if it’s put up properly,” Betnar said. If not installed properly, he added, it can lead to mold problems.r

“Then it becomes a health hazard,” Betnar said. “It gets so far advanced sometimes you just have to tear it down.”r

Both stucco and EIFS products take special care in the installation process. Proper installation includes appropriate flashing at edges to prevent moisture and at least two inches of space between it and the ground to prevent it from “wicking” or absorbing ground moisture. r

Stucco can also have problems sometimes where it meets other materials, Betnar said, explaining that two types of surfaces can expand and contract differently allowing cracks to form. It’s important to caulk properly and maintain the caulk, he said. r

Mark Deihl, owner of Synthetic Design Wall Systems in Springdale, said commercial EIFS and stucco installers have to be certified and insured, but problems come up on residential jobs with untrained and uncertified installers. r

“When you install any kind of material incorrectly, it’s going to fail,” Deihl said. r

Insurance rates have been a problem for contractors applying stucco or EIFS, he said. The insurance companies, Deihl added, are simply responding to legal action that’s resulted in big pay-outs over problem residential construction. Deihl said it’s almost not worth it for him to get liability insurance to cover residential jobs, but with commercial construction it’s more reasonable. r

Danny Norris, a Nationwide insurance agent in Springdale, said insurance for EIFS or stucco structures isn’t typically more expensive or impossible to get for homeowners. But, Norris said, the insurance industry’s cautious attitude about mold problems applies to both structure types. r

“Stucco has kind of developed the reputation of moisture entrapment,” Norris said. “I think the key issue is proper installation [to prevent moisture.]” r

Areas of the country with less humidity have fewer problems with stucco, Norris said, noting that EIFS companies in Texas have faced multiple lawsuits over moisture entrapment problems. r

Dana Smalley, a 14-year installer of stucco, believes “the main thing” is having the right kind of backing behind stucco. Felt paper or a stucco wrap is best, he said. Smalley, manager of Ace Acoustic & Drywall in Springdale, has stucco on his own home.r