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Harry Reynolds
03-24-2009, 09:08 AM
Inspected a home where everything looks good except the stucco on the back wall has an entry point where the cable/phone line go into the home about 8 feet up the wall. It doesn't appear to be flashed properly, and the home owner is asking me about the costs and if that can be fixed and how they would do it. Can anyone give me details if they have seen this before and how this would be fixed and about how much/what they would have to do? First time encountered this. Thanks.

Jerry Peck
03-24-2009, 10:04 AM
Harry,

Welcome to THE inspectors board.

Stucco on frame or stucco on block?

Stucco on block is just a matter of caulking/sealing the penetration.

Stucco on frame can be a real mess to do correctly because the penetrating cable goes through the bond breaker, through the WRB (which *should* be there), through the sheathing, and into the wall, with moisture/water potentially following it through everything and into the wall.

Harry Reynolds
03-24-2009, 10:09 AM
Thanks Jerry! This board is great finding so much useful information and people with great knowledge. I'm just starting out in the business. It's stucco over frame so I'm assuming they can't judge caulk/seal it then?

Jerry Peck
03-24-2009, 10:25 AM
It's stucco over frame so I'm assuming they can't judge caulk/seal it then?


Not and do it "properly".

The proper way would have been to have installed, flashed and sealed to the WRB, a tube through the wall which was angled down, with the metal lath being installed over and around that tube, then the stucco applied. The cable could have been run in through the tube and the opening simply caulked and sealed as the tube itself would have been sealed to the WRB - the drainage plane - behind the paper backed metal lath.

Not saying that sealing around the cable penetration 'will not help', anything and everything 'will help', simply saying that doing so is not the proper way and will not properly seal it, the proper place to seal it is behind the stucco at the WRB (WRB, by the way, stands for Water Resistive Barrier, moisture and water DOES go through stucco, DOES through through the metal lath, DOES go through the paper backing of the metal lath, the WRB then becomes the drainage plane where that water is supposed to weep down by gravity and weep out at the bottom of the wall, thus the need and requirement for "weep screeds" along the bottom.

Harry Reynolds
03-24-2009, 10:29 AM
Thanks Jerry, looks like they got a lot of work ahead of them. I'm starting to think they might need to do the enitre back stucco wall to fix that.

Jerry Peck
03-24-2009, 10:37 AM
Thanks Jerry, looks like they got a lot of work ahead of them. I'm starting to think they might need to do the enitre back stucco wall to fix that.


Nah, just an area around it, but if not done carefully, it could turn into the entire back wall (if they tried to do it themselves). It is not easy to go back and create the proper flashing and lapping within an existing stucco area, but it can be done by an experienced and qualified stucco contractor.

It really depends on what if found when the stucco is opened up. May be 'not much of a job' to 'Holy Crap! What did they do when they did this stucco?'

Harry Reynolds
03-24-2009, 10:40 AM
Sounds good thanks again Jerry, I will let them know.

Bob Vidal
04-06-2009, 04:26 PM
Hello. Bob Vidal here. I was a lather for a few years. I found a great product that may be useful with this application. Check out Quickflash Weatherproofing Products, Home Construction Equipment, Toxic Mold Prevention, Home Builder Supply (http://www.quickflashproducts.com). You might find it interesting.

Thanks. I hope that helps you.:)

(http://rvidal2@cox.net)