Who Knows About EIFS?
I have a property under contract (subject to inspection, of course). Inspection was done and scared me to death. This house has "fake stucco" - EIFS - Exterior Insulation and Finish System, which apparently has been the subject of lots of lawsuits. The stuff really does look horrible when someone points out all of its failure points.
Should I steer clear? How much does it cost per sq.ft. to re-clad a house, e.g., hardiplank or something different?
I really need a picture to see the extent of what has to be done to change the house back into acceptance by the buying public.
It really depends what is your contract price? If you are 50% under market or better you can play. If you can send me a picture and a full description as to the surface. Was it a spray on or is it some forme of panel attachement.
There are some interesting corrections available. But it all goes back to what you are paying.
Advise and I will do the same. I am looking at all kinds of similar projects and all I have seen to date makes me want to throw up. My reason for interest is the Containers into Housing require some insulation and one solution was to go exterior.
Advise. Lucius
Thanks for the response. I don't have pics of the outside yet. I'll work on that tomorrow.
This is a kind of panel system that is backed by a kind of mesh with Styrofoam. There are no weep holes anywhere, which is a big no-no in Houston, TX. The seals (where the cladding meets the frame, windows, and doors) are failing all around - who knows if there is moisture damage underneath or - yikes - mold!
The best I can do with this seller is 20% under market, which was narrow already - it was going to be a buy-and-hold for me - but at this point it looks like a money pit. The seller thinks he can just keep it as a rental without fixing anything. Oh yeah, the A/C system is on its last leg, too!
Having been involved with EIFS systems (both installing and selling) for the last 20 years I may be able to give some insight into this product. EIFS systems, and there are numerous manufacturers of this product, have been around for a long time. The problems with them are relatively new and most can be traced back to shoddy installation of the system.
When EIFS started appearing in the U.S. it was mainly a commercial product used for multi story buildings. You had to be certified by the manufacturer to install it. That meant you had to take courses and pass tests on installation processes. Later on the manufacturers relaxed those requirements and you had installers putting on a product without proper knowledge of how to do it.
That is the main problem with the system. Being a barrier system , once water got in or behind it , it was trapped there and caused all kinds of damage.
Since the problem cropped up the manufacturers came up with new systems to drain the water away from the substrate to help with the lack of proper installation. They tried to make it fool proof.
I would say generally if the system was installed prior to 1996 you may want to at least get a home inspection to check for damage as most damage will be hidden. If the EIFS was installed after then they probably used one of the drainage systems and you should not have the problems associated with the faulty installation.
This is a new one to me. But from the say of the others in this thread i would be VERY VERY VERY VERY careful. If lufos says you had better be 50%of market or better, you should listen!!!! Do not get attatched or emotional!!!!
[addsig]