Thread: Stucco Problems...Mold?? or Water Stains??

I live in a 10 yr old town home. I orginally thought my issue was from water stains, but now I'm not sure. I have attached pictures for your review. How do I fix my stucco (front is the side of the garage; back is a bedroom windows and kitchen windows)? Is it mold or water stains....almost positive the garage section is mold. We're having a baby and I would like to get this fixed before he/she gets here!

Thanks!!

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LISA

looks to me that the window weep holes are not draining properly or is draining properly but windows installed poorly and water is getting behind window frame of your stucco--if that is stucco. is your home exterior maintained by HOA ?--if so get them involved. are other units looking the same ?

cvf

Looks like the roof deck is draining water down the rear of the home. You need a gutter up there.
The area doesn't get any sun and little ventilation so mildew can grow.
Looks like true stucco.
Garage roof is also draining on the house side.Gutter needed again.
Fix the water drainage problem first.
Monitor in rain to see if it is working.
Power wash the siding to remove the mildew
Bow down to your wife because it's all your fault and you will spend the rest of your life taking it.
Fortunately stucco will dry well if a prpero vapor barrier is installed behind.
Do one thing first to check.
Take an ice pick or screw driver and try to poke it through the stucco down near the ground. Try hard to get it to poke through. If it pokes through easy it's EIFS and you have a whole new scenario.
If it's hard like concrete, you are good to go.
Report back.

Originally Posted by Lisa B

I live in a 10 yr old town home. I orginally thought my issue was from water stains, but now I'm not sure. I have attached pictures for your review. How do I fix my stucco (front is the side of the garage; back is a bedroom windows and kitchen windows)? Is it mold or water stains....almost positive the garage section is mold. We're having a baby and I would like to get this fixed before he/she gets here!

Thanks!!

.
Hi Lisa,

Try this product Wet & Forget Non-Caustic Cleaner Debuts in U.S. Markets After Years of Success in Australia and New Zealand
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Do Not Pressure Wash ! ( unless you have a Great Amount of experience as improper use could cause damage. )
.

Thanks Charlie and Wayne!

The roof deck is definately running water down the back of the house...I have seen the water during bad storms running down those back windows. I have someone coming to give me some estimates this week regarding having a gutter placed in that location. My home is not maintained by a HOA so the repair will be my responsiblity.

As far as the front (garage picture) is concerned, I know there is a tiny hole in the stucco at the top near the roof (on the left corner). I am going to assume the worst in that most of that side will need to be replaced/repaired. I will also have some kind of gutter/water kick out installed there as well.

I located the window weep holes on other windows around my house just to make sure I know what I am looking for. Tomorrow, I will inspect the back windows to see what is going on there. Do you think it's mold/mildew in the back or just debris?

I will keep you posted.

Thanks!

The garage stain looks like it is due to water is coming from a downspout. Extend that downspout over the roof to the lower gutter. There is an open trough that is made for that purpose, which lays on the roof shingles and directs runoff to the gutter below.

Where the windows are, water is leaking off of the roof. That water needs to be directed to the right so that is can go to the drain and downspout. You may need a roofer to get up there and fix that.

There is an algae that grows on wet walls like that. It grows on the dirt, actually, so it will wash off. There are soaps made for that. Spray the soap on, wait 10 minutes, wash with a garden hose. "Krud Kutter" is a brand I see up here. Avoid spraying a lot of water into the window frame areas if possible.

Lisa,

my best advice is to have an on site inspection by qualified stucco inspector and make sure they have proper moisture meters/probes and infrared thermography would be a real plus, imo
Exterior Design Institute - The absolute best in EIFS Inspector training.
good luck

Thanks so much everyone for the advice!!!

I wanted to give you all an update...... I had a contrator come out this morning.

For the garage: He said I needed a downspout and gutter to keep the water from running directly down that side of the house. Currently, downspout is just emptying directly onto the roof.

For the back: Basically same issue. I need a gutter to be placed at the edge of the upper deck which then needs to drain onto an additional downspout and into an already existing gutter. There is also an upper gutter on the roofline that drains directly onto another part of the roof. That gutter also needs a downspout which will run into an already existing gutter.

Lastly, he is going to replace the flashing on an upper deck outside the master (not pictured) and the flashing on the upper deck in the back of the house. There is a leak there as well inside the house.

My plan is to get the water/gutter issues taken care of first then fix the stucco issue. Getting some other estimates for the water/gutter issue. Will keep you posted!!!

Feeling a lot better now that we know what the problem is!!! Thanks all for your help!!!

You are more than welcome Lisa.
Good luck.
WOW guys, a homeowner who actually read the responces, did the right thing, and reposted.
Lisa, you are one in a million!!!

Hi all!!! I FINALLY have an update....

We changed the downspout on the gutter in the front near the garage to change the direction of the water when it rains. I also have a flat roof/walkout out front near the garage. We are going to put a gutter there as well.

In the back (wall w/ the windows), we had a gutter placed on that flat roof/walkout to keep the water from running down the house.

Now the best part...the stucco.....

It started off not toooooo bad but as the day went on things got worse. (Pics included!!) In the front, the stucco was cut at the top, and the plywood was soft, moist, beginning to rot. A few of the 2x4's were beginning to rot. No mold issue to the drywall, etc. So that wall was reframed in a few spots and the stucco is in the process of being resurfaced/replaced.

The back....same idea...they cut into the stucco...plywood was soft BUT in the back there was a MAJOR ants nest!!! YUCK!!!! So plywood soft, ants nest, moist, beginning to rot....a few of the 2x4's were beginning to rot....no mold issue but we had them cut all the way to the drywall just in case & we replaced the insulation. The whole back wall is being resurfaced/reframed and of course those spots that were moist were reframed.

We also noticed on an adjacent wall (where the sliding glass door is) that the stucco was cracking/crumbling. So we are also having that wall resurfaced/reframed.

So far, very happy w/ the work but we'll see when the project is all done!! Thanks all for ur help!! Wayne, ur the best!! And let me know what you think!!!

Thanks!!

Lisa.....I will attach the new pics in a minute Picture loader not working on the Ipad!!!

Ok..here are the before pictures!!!

During pictures!!!

Lisa,
You might do well to have an inspector look at this stage to assure flashing is installed correctly. For example, kick out flashing at the bottom of the deck may have prevented these issues. Just a thought.

Please notice the window stains are under the window corners, THE most conducive area for water penetration.
While this may be exterior staining, it is a highly conducive area for water penetration.
Power washing should be done with tender care, if the cementuous product is slightly deteriorated, the power/pressure can damage more. It is more important to properly check for water penetration prior to any cleaning.
The stains below the roof capping are at seams and edges/miters in the capping, also a conducive area for water penetration. The capping should slope back into the roof, not be horizontal or toward the outside.
Have the system proper inspected by a Certified EIFS/Stucco Inspector, it will save you the headaches and any lawsuits.

S Scott Brown
EDI Certified EIFS/Stucco Inspector
EDI Certified Water Intrusion Analyst
Moisture Warranty Certified Inspector