LOCAL INSPECTOR'S EIFS ERROR
I received a call on Friday from an agent friend who was listing a house that had just been inspected for the buyers by another home inspector. The other Inspector tends to get a lot of business because of his low inspection fees and a 90 day supposed guarantee. He had made an issue over moisture damage in the stucco at one location on the front of the home. The buyers were scared and wanted it repaired. The seller's agent knows my work and reputation and wanted to know how much it would be for a second opinion. I then pressed her for more details.
"What kind of exterior does the home have?" The agent said that it was stucco and brick on the front, while aluminum siding was used on the other three sides.
"What is the extent of the damage?" The inspector told the buyers that there is a stained area at a lower portion of the wall.
"How did the Inspector know that it was wet?" The agent then related that the Inspector took his little moisture meter and put it on the stucco wall that had a stain on it and the needle was pegged.
"Did he use the meter anywhere else?" She said that he only put it on the stained area.
"What does his report say the type of stucco is?...... Did he specify traditional stucco or EIFS?" "Let me see.... Here in the report he just checked the boxes Stucco, Brick and Siding. He does not specify what type of stucco there is."
If you had received this phone call, then what other kinds of questions would you have asked the agent?..... I continued to ask her what the weather was like during the inspection, how much snow or rain there was, and where else he placed his meter. The agent was scared because she did not know what to do, or who to pay. She didn't know if it was EIFS or stucco. I then told her different options which might include an expensive Moisture Intrusion Evaluation or a possible wasted visit if it was just plain old stucco. I have probably lost many of you in this dialogue, so let me digress and clarify some points.
- STUCCO or EIFS - The Home Inspector did not do anybody any favors by checking off a STUCCO box on an NCR form and then saying that there was moisture damage. He then didn't recommend the specific contractor or tradesman needed for further evaluation. This backs the seller into the corner and they will potentially have to pay two different contractors to come out and specify repairs.
- CONTRACTORS - Currently, stucco contractors are different than EIFS contractors in our area. Each has their own specialty. I hope that all of you are either specifying what type of stucco is installed or documenting the fact that you are unable to verify which type of stucco is on the home. If you don't know if it is EIFS or not, then you had better inform your client in writing.
- MOISTURE METERS - If you do not have the $1,000 Tramex Wet Wall Meter, then don't bother trying to impress your client with the wimpy little wet floor models. Different meters measure to different depths. The typical home inspector models will measure about 3/4" of an inch (Some of them much less). This means that if you stick it on an EIFS wall you will measure up to a maximum 3/4" depth. This barely gets you into the EIFS foam. It will in no way get you through the foam and into the wood substrate behind the system. In other words, you will be measuring where nobody cares.
- NOTE: This is a case where using a moisture meter for a situation that it was not designed for really opens up your liability. As has been told many times to all of us by wiser inspectors, we should stay under our unbrella of safety! If home inspectors choose to use a moisture meter on a regular home inspection, they need to use them with care.
- MOISTURE METERS, TAKE II - Even with the expensive Tramex Wet Wall moisture meter, almost anything will cause interference and peg the needle. Yes, it does read moisture very well, but it reads metal even better. My gut feeling is that this local Inspector was putting his meter on a traditional stucco wall. What happens when the meter is positioned over traditional stucco? The meter will peg as though there was a drinking fountain in the wall. Why? Traditional stucco is built with chicken wire underneath. This type of webbed metal gives an immediate false reading..... Therefore, only a fool would attempt to take moisture readings on a traditional stucco wall with a non-invasive moisture meter.
- WEATHER - The supposed pegged moisture meter reading occurred on a cold snowy day. That means that the surface of the home was covered with a slight crystalized moisture that will peg a non-invasive moisture meter as well. I would be extremely cautious of relying on non-invasive moisture readings. The chances of an accurate reading from the non-invasive readings are best when it is hot, sunshiny, you use an expensive meter, and it is actually EIFS..... Oh well, I guess that a possible one out of four isn't bad???..... NOT!!!
The following was an experience shared in my regular Monday Morning Messenger. It was authored for home inspectors in an attempt to help them better report EIFS while performing normal home inspections. If we can learn from another's mistake, then we can better protect our clients.
