EIFS Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems
Presented By Stuart McMullen
Stuart McMullen is an EIFS specialty inspector operating his business in NW Oregon where it rains all the time. As a specialist, he put on a two hour training for home inspectors at the A.I.I. Spring Conference in Portland, Oregon.
Mr. McMullen shared that the EIFS product is a multi-billion dollar liability issue that Home Inspectors need to be very cautious with due to the high probability for litigation and water damage. EIFS was originally designed for use over concrete and then Americans devised the idea to install it over wood framing... bad idea. Originally the installers were very highly trained and then through a major labor shortage they started allowing almost anybody to do the installations.
"Synthetic Stucco is not part of the building code" shared Mr. McMullen. That means that almost anything goes and 98% of the installations are human-error related. Stuart went to North Carolina and learned firsthand the issues that led to its banning of the product in North Carolina. When he returned to Oregon he found the same misinstallations in his home state.
EIFS installations a decade ago by skilled installers ran $9.00 a square foot. It currently runs $6.50 a square foot. What has happened in the marketplace is that the contractors now accept the lowest bidder who has eliminated important finishing details (such as caulking) to come up with the lower bid. Without adequate sealing details the water easily enters the wall. The EIFS is so waterproof that the moisture quickly rots the wood framing beneath.
According to Mr. McMullen, it takes 28 dry days for an EIFS system to cure before they can seal up the wall by instaling the sealant. Sealing it up earlier will trap moisture inside the walls. In the ranier portions of Oregon they rarely ever experiences 28 drying days in a row.
"Homeowners are really taking it in the shorts. The first owner has the legal recourse against the Builder. The following owners have no direct claim. The Home Inspector is really the only form of defense to protect the marketplace."
Mr. McMullen ended his presentation by stating, "I truly like what I do, but you have to love to be hated!"
In May 2000, Stuart McMullen addressed homes inspectors at the Spring Conference for the American Institute of Inspectors in Portland, Oregon.
