External Insulation Finishing Systems (EIFS) Inspections
A Brief History of EIFS
Sample ReportEIFS, Exterior Insulated Finishing System, is an exterior wall finishing system that resembles stucco and has become increasingly popular for both residential and commercial structures. It was developed in Europe over 40 years ago as an efficient way to insulate buildings from the exterior rather than from the interior. In Europe most exterior walls are solid masonry with no cavities for insulation. This is not the case in the United States where walls are hollow and can trap moisture and water.
EIFS was introduced to the United States in 1969 under the brand name DRYVIT. It has been used for both commercial and residential installations in over 30 states and that numbers continues to grow.
What are the problems with EIFS?
By the mid1970's there were several other manufacturers of EIFS components. Its use in residential construction grew rapidly. The problems that occurred resulted mostly from installing the materials over wood framing instead of over masonry, as in Europe. This, coupled with a lack of experienced installers, resulted in major problems by the late 1980’s. The resulting damage in most cases was from moisture getting in behind the siding and rotting the substrate and wall framing materials. Due to the growth of the industry, there were not enough experienced installers. Drywall plasterers and painters became installers. Being totally unfamiliar with exterior flashing and terminations, they installed EIFS the same way they would plaster interior walls. Failures developed at roof rakes, chimneys, floor lines, and around windows, doors, and protrusions.
Failure to follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions can allow moisture to become trapped behind the wall system. The cladding material is a water barrier; therefore once water gets in, it cannot flow out. If the water does not evaporate it will be absorbed by substrate materials and rot the interior finish surface. Moisture trapped behind the siding is not visible until it has done damage. The only means to determine if elevated moisture is present is for a certified EIFS inspector to do a moisture analysis.
How serious are the problems?
As with any component of your home, periodic inspection and maintenance are vital. The vast majority of homes with properly installed EIFS require only minimal repairs and ongoing maintenance. However, a national residential relocation and environmental inspection company stated, “Over a span of 10 months, we have conducted over 400 Synthetic Stucco inspections and have found varying degrees of damage on all but one home. The moisture penetration we have uncovered and the resulting damage has been as high as $100,000 on a home with a market value of $450,000.”
PBI Inspectors
Our inspectors are certified EIFS inspectors and have undergone extensive training for this type of building finishing system. They have the experience necessary to help protect your investment from future damage or identify current problems already causing damage.
For new installations of EIFS, our inspectors can also review plans and perform detailed inspections during various application phases to ensure that the system is installed according to manufactures specifications.