Stucco and EIFS Systems Inspections
EIFS
Exterior insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) is a multi-layered wall systems that are used on both commercial building and homes and are sometimes referred to as a synthetic stucco system. They provide superior energy efficiency and offer much greater design flexibility than other cladding products.
Traditional Stucco
Traditional stucco consists of Portland cement-based materials and sand, mixed with water to form a workable plaster. Portland cement plaster is applied either by hand or machine to exterior and interior wall surfaces in two or three coats.
Why should I get a Stucco/EIFS Inspection?
EIFS and Traditional stucco homes have made news headlines across America, mainly as a result of system failures. Quite often, these systems were improperly installed, by untrained contractors. As a result moisture finds a way to penetrate the wall cavities, and causes structure failure and mold. If not detected early enough the cost of repairs can be between $5,000 – $100,00 dollars to repair. We do not perform repairs of any kind, we only inspect and report what we find.
How to Perform a Proper Stucco/ EIFS Inspection?
Our Stucco? EIFS inspections are performed in three parts: a Visual inspection, Infrared Inspection, and Intrusive Moisture Analysis.
Our visual inspection will note any cracks in the Stucco/ EIFS, bulging areas, improperly installed or missing flashing, and discoloration.
Second, would be to use an Infrared Camera to scan the walls, to determine if there are any thermal anomaly of moisture penetration without damaging/penetrating the exterior wall cavity.
After the visual and infrared inspection has been completed, we would do intrusive moisture testing to confirm any areas of suspected moisture penetration. We utilize intrusive methods as opposed to non-intrusive methods, to confirm our finds, and to avoid any false positive readings encountered with non-intrusive equipment. This will require drilling into the front of the home and take moisture reading with a moisture meter.
We provide a detail report with picture of all are finding after the inspection is perform. Reports are emailed the following day.
When Should these Inspections Take Place?
*New Installations
*Real Estate Transactions
*After any repair work has benn completed
*Renovations
*New Construction
*Insurance Claims
We perfrom stucco inspections in all counties of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Ed Mitchell is a member of the Exterior Design Institute(EDI #NJ-89), which is a non-profit organization founded for the purpose of training and certifying Building Envelope and EIFS Inspectors and Moisture Analysts, to promote quality control within the construction industry.
Also a certified Level 1 Thermography from Infraspection Institute.
Certified Moisture Analyst/Building Envelope/Quality control Inspector (specialist in the building envelope: roof, siding, stucco)
Contact Info:
Ed Mitchell
(856) 649-5946
(973) 936-3420
(908) 403-5528
[email protected]
