Thread: Home buyer - Question about possible stucco and leaking

We had our home inspection today, and there were two areas of concern that showed prior water issues, but were dry during the inspection. There was light rain for most of the inspection, but the moisture came back completely clean. I am looking for any thoughts or ideas about the risk here or possible remedies.

Home was built in 2005

First problem area was inside the garage on the ceiling. There was dry water stains, and a dark spot on the stucco outside the same area.

Garage ceiling water damage: http://i.imgur.com/DjAKtq0.jpg
Corresponding mark on outside stucco: http://i.imgur.com/3fxYRUD.jpg

Second problem area is with one of the bedroom windows. Water stains and some warping of the sill. Again, with a light rain there was no moisture detected, though there was an obvious dark wet spot on the stucco.

Bedroom window water damage: http://i.imgur.com/Tr5GZoy.jpg
Damage to windowsill: http://i.imgur.com/90bfdCN.jpg
Corresponding mark on outside of stucco: http://i.imgur.com/8RMvINz.jpg


Thanks in advance for any guidance or suggestions.

What did your home inspector state concerning these issues? Were you given information about these areas?

Originally Posted by Dom D'Agostino

What did your home inspector state concerning these issues? Were you given information about these areas?

He stated that there was no moisture at the time of inspection, but he is not a stucco expert. Based on his suggestion, we are going to ask the seller if we can come back later today to do another moisture test (it's been raining now for about 24 hours), and ask for a certified stucco inspector to have a look.

I am just a bit out of my depth here so I am not sure if this looks minor or serious, I've never owned a stucco home.

Originally Posted by Michael Cooke

He stated that there was no moisture at the time of inspection, but he is not a stucco expert. Based on his suggestion, we are going to ask the seller if we can come back later today to do another moisture test (it's been raining now for about 24 hours), and ask for a certified stucco inspector to have a look.

I am just a bit out of my depth here so I am not sure if this looks minor or serious, I've never owned a stucco home.

I would say that the location of the stain on the stucco and the stain on the garage ceiling was caused by an ice dam which caused ice to backup under the shingles and when it melted, it caused what you are now seeing.

The stains around the windows both inside and out are telling me the windows were not flashed and sealed properly when they were installed. Could also be some condensation but most of it is caused by water seeping in around the window.

Light rain will not do much, you need a hard driving rain or someone spraying water on the windows with a garden hose and spray nozzle. I don't think this is just a stucco issue....

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

I would say that the location of the stain on the stucco and the stain on the garage ceiling was caused by an ice dam which caused ice to backup under the shingles and when it melted, it caused what you are now seeing.

The stains around the windows both inside and out are telling me the windows were not flashed and sealed properly when they were installed. Could also be some condensation but most of it is caused by water seeping in around the window.

Light rain will not do much, you need a hard driving rain or someone spraying water on the windows with a garden hose and spray nozzle. I don't think this is just a stucco issue....

Thanks for the feedback, I was also wondering if the issue is with the window installation as well. We'll use a garden hose when checking the wall for moisture.

Regarding the garage and the ice dam, is this a "once off" type event, or something that requires a repair to prevent in the future?

Originally Posted by Michael Cooke

Thanks for the feedback, I was also wondering if the issue is with the window installation as well. We'll use a garden hose when checking the wall for moisture.

Regarding the garage and the ice dam, is this a "once off" type event, or something that requires a repair to prevent in the future?

Ice dams can happen every winter if the conditions are right! Gutters freeze, ice builds, their is no ice guard membrane on the decking and the ice builds and then it melts. Also attic ventilation can be part of the culprit as well as air entering the attic from the living area.

Call your home inspector and ask them about ice dams. If the inspector is experienced and knowledgeable they should be able to help you.

Probably no bearing on the issue at hand, and possibly just a difference in design from one brand of window to another, but something about the photo showing the windows at what appears to be the second floor looked odd.
I had to walk outside and look at my windows because I thought that the feature highlighted with the arrow (top right corner of the photo) looked like the drains on the lower section of the windows on my home, and sure enough...

Alton,

Those don't look like regular drainage openings at the bottom of windows (bug doors) to me - one reason is that they are back at the flange and not out at the front edge.

Also, if they were those drainage openings at the bottom of windows, that would mean the window were installed downside up (upside down ) ... if that were the case the windows would have been made wrong with the upper sash in and the lower sash out, making it quite difficult to open the windows and even more difficult to keep water out at the meeting rail.

I am left to suspect that they are openings which allow a self-flashing window to drain at the top???

Originally Posted by Alton Darty

Probably no bearing on the issue at hand, and possibly just a difference in design from one brand of window to another, but something about the photo showing the windows at what appears to be the second floor looked odd.
I had to walk outside and look at my windows because I thought that the feature highlighted with the arrow (top right corner of the photo) looked like the drains on the lower section of the windows on my home, and sure enough...

My guess would be that there is an arched window above these two windows. The visible drain is for the arched top window. Around here until recently, arched top windows were rarely flashed correctly. My guess would be lack of flashing at the arched top window, and / or a leak in the transom between the arched top window and two lower windows.

I have seen a window installed upside down once. I have seen windows installed inside out a couple of times. I see single hung windows installed as sliders on a regular basis (the drains now on the end of the window). I did suspect that there was an arch or a transom out of frame and what I was seeing "might" be the drain from the upper section of the window.
If that is the case , is there no drain for the lower portion of the window? Just got back from the local big box store where I wandered over and looked at several windows just to satisfy my curiosity. Every single or double hung metal & vinyl window that I looked at had drain slots at the bottom of the window.

It appears to be a second window above the window, although that looks like an unusual configuration for single hung windows. The frames have a rust colored stain on them that we see on the stucco. And there isn't obvious evidence of a casing bead around the windows.

YUP....further evaluation is needed.

First I think a consultant who specializes in stucco systems is the right solution.
Second is this true stucco or a synthetic stucco (Drivet typesystem)?
Third, any response from the seller? Such as when (time of year/ season) the problem was first noticed?
There is no thing as to much information.


Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

[QUOTE=Michael Cooke;242285]We had our home inspection today, and there were two areas of concern that showed prior water issues, but were dry during the inspection. There was light rain for most of the inspection, but the moisture came back completely clean. I am looking for any thoughts or ideas about the risk here or possible remedies.

I would call it as either poor window installation or possible faulty mulling of the lower to the upper windows. I've seen several faulty mull jobs that leaked. Either way there is definitely something going on that is bad now and will only get worse and more expensive to repair.

The other does look like an ice dam problem. I see that quite often. The ice guard is supposed to run uphill enough to reach three feet past the wall line towards the inside of the house. Novice builders, cheapskates, and those who don't care run one pass of the three foot wide product and call it good.

Thanks in advance for any guidance or suggestions.[/QUOTE]

Another thought on the ice dam. It looks as though that roof area is small and steep. The ice dam would have to be HUGE to run water back that far. The area where the upper windows are should not be ruled out. Plus, if the other windows were put in wrong then these probably are too. And, if that is the case then every single window in the house needs to be looked at very closely. There may be other clues elsewhere in the house that will help determine the possibilities and narrow down the search.
Also: Is there a down spout dumping on this small roof section? Is there faulty flashing at the wall above? Are there shingles that are not properly offset from each other at the butt joints?

It looks like EIFS to me (no control joints). You should have isolation joints around the windows. if they just butted the cladding up to the window there is no seal and they will leak. Have your certified stucco inspector check under all widows and penetrations for moisture. Do not proceed until you know the condition of the substrate behind the cladding.

2005+stucco=I would be very concerned. But then I live in eastern Pennsylvania ("the stucco failure capital of the United States").