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Building Material Issues |
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904 269-2929
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Building Material Issues As a homeowner, you face the potential of having one or more problems arise in your home. While some deterioration in the condition of your home is expected as a result of aging, some building materials have been determined to be faulty or defective as a result of their design, installation or both. The most common building material issues present in north Florida are exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS), more commonly known as synthetic stucco and Louisiana-Pacific siding, both of which are discussed below. EXTERIOR INSULATION FINISH SYSTEMS (EIFS) / SYNTHETIC STUCCO
Getting your house tested is part of the solution, but the key is making sure the testing is done right. An inexperienced tester may know to test around the windows because they know water is likely to come in there, but they may not know to test in other locations where the water can travel and settle afterwards. First, a surface scanning device is used to check for moisture. If these readings indicate a potential problem, more intrusive testing is done with a device known as a moisture meter. Roof flashings are inspected, sealants are checked around doors and windows, and grade level back wrapping is inspected for termites and moisture. Any moisture level above 19% is considered high; above 30% is considered saturated. If you have any concerns about your home, you should call us right
away, because ignoring potential problems will only multiply their
severity and the cost of repairs. For more information regarding
synthetic stucco,
click
here.
LOUISIANA-PACIFIC INNER-SEAL SIDING
If you do not think you
have L-P siding or if your lap siding was made by L-P and it looks fine,
you still may want to have it professionally inspected. A thorough and
regular inspection of your home’s exteriors is good preventive
maintenance, regardless of the kind of siding you have. Our home
inspectors check siding as part of our routine home inspection to see if
anything seems out of the ordinary. If you want to schedule a special
siding inspection, please contact us. For more information,
click here.
LINKS FOR OTHER PROBLEMS The following links relating to other building material issues are presented for your information:
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Some synthetic
stucco homes look fine from the outside, but there can be problems
hiding beneath the surface. The problems arise primarily from small
cracks and caulk joints around windows and doors that can let water leak
in behind the EIFS. Left unattended, these leaks can cause the wood
underneath to rot, literally causing your home to rot from the inside
out.
Louisiana-Pacific
has been held responsible for manufacturing faulty siding that was found
to prematurely deteriorate under normal weather conditions. To determine
if there is a problem with your siding, look first for possible
maintenance problems, such as cracked or missing caulking; cracking,
peeling or fading paint (especially along the bottom drip edges);
damaged siding or trim; and damaged or blocked flashings, gutters and
downspouts. Pay particular attention to the condition of the
caulking and paint on the bottom drip edges. Those are points where
moisture is most likely to penetrate. Also check for mold, mildew and
fungus. Although such growth does not necessarily signal that there is a
problem with the siding, they are symptomatic of moisture or humidity
from which all wood needs to be protected.