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Nice information

Thanks to all for sharing such ideas for landscaping.

In any event, you don't see any drainage method and it looks like that gutter was installed before the cladding was done, which means, the cladding isn't complete just behind the end of the gutter. If that is the case, and the end of the gutter overflows because it's clogged with debris, that water is going to drain into the wall cavity. Guess what happens to the wood in that wall if there is no way for the water to drain out of the wall?

You may certainly be correct, but didn't look like EIFS texture to me; more like a hardboard stucco. (If so, shouldn't be the sole area with issues.)

That house is covered with an E.I.F.S. (Exterior Insulation and Finishing System) exterior cladding. As far as I can tell by the photos, the installer didn't observe the proper steps for installation of through-wall flashings, clearances around protrusions filled with backer rod, etc., and that gutter is supposed to terminate at least an inch from that EIFS cladding. If an EIFS wall cannot drain, it rots. Sorry to put it so bluntly but EIFS walls when not properly done are a nightmare. As an example, years ago a realtor I know asked me to come by and look at his home. The exact same thing you have was happening to his three-year old home. I scanned the front wall of his home, which was on the windward side, for moisture and my moisture meter went crazy. "That wall is soaking wet behind the stucco," I told him. "You'd better have the installer look at it." He called me up the next day. "The installer says you're out of your mind," he said. I responded, "Tell you what, I'll meet you and the instructor tomorrow afternoon at your house, and I'll show him what I'm talking about. If it turns out that I'm wrong, I'll pay for whatever repair is needed." He called me back later and said the installer had told him, "He's on. He's gonna have a nice fat bill!" At the appointed time I met them both. I got out my moisture meter and showed the contractor what I was talking about. He laughed and said, "OK, I hope you've got deep pockets," as he got a saw off his truck. He proceeded to cut a 6inch by 6inch square out of that wall. When he pulled it out, we noticed the smell even before peering in the hole. It smelled like a moldy wet basement! The interior of the wall was soaking wet - sheathing, framing, insulation. "Okay, I guess you don't need me here anymore," I said, and left. For the next six weeks that contractor worked at stripping all of that EIFS layer off that home and fixing all of the rot. It was so bad that, when they stripped the two columns flanking the front stoop, water drained out of the wall, and one could break off chunks of the framing underneath with one's bare hands. That contractor ate that entire job plus the cost of completely cutting out walls and framing and rebuilding them where they were rotten behind the EIFS. He was obligated to do that because in my state there is a ten-year structural warranty, and this incorrect installation has compromised the structural integrity of that building. Just as soon as the job was completed, that realtor put his dream home in the market and sold it. He didn't want to have anything more to do with it. Now, I'm not saying your home is like that, because I don't know for certain, but from what I'm seeing, you definitely need an experienced EIFS specialist - not the guy that did this incorrect installation, to check that out because it could be hiding a very serious issue. Get a qualified EIMA (EIFS Industry Member's Association) professional out to examine that installation. Don't dawdle, don't delay, don't pass go, do it now. Maybe one will arrive and tell you that I'm out of my mind, but I don't think so. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

It won't necessarily wick up the wall and cause damage. There are thousands of stucco homes around here (Seattle area) that were built a hundred years ago, before uniform standards for stucco became standard, where through-wall flashings, head flashings, and clearances were not observed, and most are doing fine, despite this being a very damp environment. At least, as far as I've seen they are doing fine. One never knows what may happen. However, the key thing to know in your case is whether the shingles are interlaced in flashing as they proceed up the slope, so that the roof drains shingle, flashing, shingle, flashing, shingle, flashing until emptying into a gutter or running off the edge. If there is one long piece of flashing with the shingles just shoved underneath and pushed as far inward as possible, it's not likely to repel all water - especially if it's on a windward side of the roof. If each row of shingles is overlapped by a flashing before the next row - the roofer interlaced the shingles in pre-existing individual flashings, it could drain fine - even though the stucco goes all the way to the surface of the flashings/shingles - without wicking. Stucco is essentially a modified mix of Portland cement and, even if it does wick a little bit of water, if it is done well, it should dry out. The stucco applicators have their own association, and they conducted a study where they sprayed water on a stucco wall continuously for days while observing moisture levels at the back. They found that stucco is essentially waterproof, so if there is a proper mix, proper substrate and the flashings drain, things in the wall should remain dry. There will be a layer (hopefully a double layer) of building paper behind that stucco. If you've just had the roof installed recently, you are probably on your third cover, so any issues should have shown up with earlier covers. The guy that applied the second layer might have cut back the stucco, installed flashings, and then had the stucco restored (improperly) at the bottom, and that's why I see what I think is something going on with the bottom of that stucco. That doesn't mean there won't be an issue with this cover, since the roofer could have just shoved the shingles under the flashings instead of interlacing them (if there are many individual flashings), but one would think problems would have developed with the original and/or second cover long before now. Does the stucco need to be fixed if the shingles are interlaced in flashings on those slopes? Well, we're home inspectors - of course we're going to tell you it does because that's the ideal, but every one of us has seen homes, where things were done wrong decades ago, that have never developed any issues. In the end, that's ultimately your decision. Do note though, that if you don't correct it and go to sell your home, a home inspector is likely to criticize the way that stucco terminates and posit that some wicking may have occurred or be occurring, and that will likely throw a wrench into any sale until the issue is dealt with. So, correct it now and spend now, while you have time, or wait till sale and then deal with that expense when you're under a time limit and dealing with a lot of other issues? IF you want to get a warm a fuzzy about it, you'll want to correct it - if not now, eventually. When/if you do that, make sure you hire a stucco contractor that's been certified competent by the Stucco Manufacturer's Association (https://stuccomfgassoc.com) so that you'll have a better chance of dealing with a real stucco professional instead of someone who doesn't even know what the standards for a good stucco application are. I hope that we've been somewhat helpful. You'll have to take it from here. Good Luck! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi @hausdok The home was built in 85. We do not know how old the stucco work is or how many roofs have been put on. The roofing company said "There is a flashing behind the stucco, and under the shingles, and the shingles are installed as close to the walls as possible." So apparently there is some flashing. It is unclear as to how far it goes up and the question is does it really matter. It will still wick and eventually cause damage. Right?

Last picture suggests a wall-roof flashing leak above (though a picture of the wall/roof juncture area above would help here). Have a roofing contractor check.

Hello, I am new to this space. I found it after I found this brown liquid coming out of the stucco on under my covered entry and looking for possible causes. I believe I have seen others on this site call it a cola like color...which is accurate. I tried to clean it today using Dawn soap and water....using a firm scrub brush to no avail. This is stained...and continues to leak. I have a six year old home that I purchased a year ago. The house had its original color and there were no signs of previous staining. I will attempt to attach a photo or two to show you its location. What is located on the interior of this stain is a guest room, and a guest bath about 15-20 feet away. The home is located in Florida and it has been very humid, and rainy the last few weeks. I looked on the tile roof, and gutters, and did not see any obvious signs of a leak, I found some people on this site previously mentioned it could be poor venting into the attic from a bathroom? Sounds feasible. My question to you all is....what do you think should be my next step? Have the roof inspected, have someone check the attic to test for moisture levels?? I would appreciate your suggestions and this occurred within the last two days and looks VERY bad. I am nervous about any damage that may be occurring behind the stucco. Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge. Gregg

Looking at that photo, it appears the stucco guy might have tried to install flashing - he just didn't know the proper specs or technique. One can see a slight difference in the stucco that extends about the height of conventional roof flashing up the stucco wall a height of about 4 inches. It's kind of wavy at the height of about 4 inches. How old is this house and how many re-roofs has it had? There have been times I've seen roofers hack back the stucco, leaving a rough bottom edge, interlace flashing, and then the stucco was restored by someone, showing that slight variation on the surface of the stucco. Other times, roofers installed flashings flat against the stucco and then someone, using fiberglass scrim, laid fresh stucco on top, sort of like an E.I.F.S. termination (which is also supposed to end 2" above the surface). If one looks closely at the joint where the stucco meets the roof, at a couple of places the bottom of the stucco is perfectly straight as if it terminates on top of a piece of flashing. It's still wrong, but there might be flashing there. The question is, if there is flashing there, did the roofer interlace the new shingles in the existing flashings or just shove the new shingles beneath? If the latter, wind-driven water blown between the shingles and flashings will reach the wall felt and drain down that wall. On one house I found where they did that, the wall framing directly below had been badly damaged by rot. Not always though. In my area we have deeper overhangs than shown in the picture, and if a joint is on the leeward side of a house, they won't suffer any infiltration until someone gets up on that roof with a pressure washer and directs the water directly toward that joint. Stucco is technically waterproof, and when I've scanned it on a dry day with a Protimeter, it read dry except where moisture had accumulated behind the wall in sheathing, and that was only revealed by scanning the wall from below because it would detect the flashings if scanned on the stucco near that joint. That was how I discovered the rot in that aforementioned wall.

The roofer can't fix it. You need a stucco contractor to fix it. They'll need to cut back the stucco to about a foot above the roof, install building paper, lath, & weep screed, and lay in new stuco. The roofer did the best he could with what he was given.

Any decent wood shop with a planer and shaper could manufacture it from scratch for you. If you're lucky, they might even be able to do it without the planer if they can find off-the-shelf clapboards with the right bevel and thickness. Finding the wood stock will be the trick. You really want vertical grain for a product like this - preferably old growth.

Yeah, it appears that the stucco work was done well before the new roof so getting the roofing company to fix that is not going to be easy. Certainly not free either. Right?

What a fucking moron. Can I say that?

Water can wick up behind the stucco and rot the wall. The installation in your picture is dead wrong, but it's not the roofer's fault, it's the stucco installer's fault.

@Bill Kibbel Thanks so much Bill! I guess my next question is what are the risks, knowing that it was done this way? What kind of damages could occur?

Of course you're correct, Bill. Once you enumerated those issues, they all came back to me. I'd completely forgotten them. Apparently, the stroke affected more than my physical health. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

The stucco is not terminated properly - a roofer wouldn't know that. 1. Water wicks up the stucco from the roof surface. 2. Debris can't wash out of that little gap. 3. There are plenty of authoritative sources that state that the stucco should be at least 2" above the roof surface. It should also terminate with a weep screed.

It's hard to tell from your photos if the flashing is interlaced into the shingles, though I do see one photo of a kickout behind the left end of the gutter in the last photo. If the flashing protruding from beneath the stucco is interlaced in the shingles on the slope, I don't see an issue.

My client had an inspection done and the inspector noted the following in the roof section: The shingles are touching stucco siding in various areas around the home. When we questioned the roofing company that recently installed the roof he said... "There is a flashing behind the stucco, and under the shingles, and the shingles are installed as close to the walls as possible. The shingles touching the wall should not have any issue in the future. The shingles have to be installed tight as they can for prevention of leaks.” Is this the proper way to do this? Should we accept this or is there a differnet manufacturer install requirement with shingles? Is this going to be an issue later? thx!

My client had an inspection done and the inspector noted the following in the roof section: The shingles are touching stucco siding in various areas around the home. When we questioned the roofing company that recently installed the roof he said... "There is a flashing behind the stucco, and under the shingles, and the shingles are installed as close to the walls as possible. The shingles touching the wall should not have any issue in the future. The shingles have to be installed tight as they can for prevention of leaks.” Is this the proper way to do this? Should we accept this or is there a differnet manufacturer install requirement with shingles? Is this going to be an issue later? thx!

It sounds like you're talking about some kind of jacket or covering installed around a pipe or water heater. Let's go through the possible scenarios and what you might need to do about it. Identifying the Purpose of the Jacket Pipe Insulation: Typically, insulation jackets for pipes are used to prevent heat loss in hot water pipes or to prevent freezing in cold climates. They’re usually made of foam or fibreglass. Water Heater Jacket: These are designed to improve the energy efficiency of a water heater by reducing standby heat loss. They are usually made of insulating materials like fibreglass or reflective foil. Soundproofing: Sometimes, jackets are used to reduce noise from pipes, particularly in plumbing systems with high water pressure or in noisy areas. Protective Covering: In some cases, jackets might be installed to protect pipes or equipment from physical damage or exposure to the elements. Assessing the Installation Since you mentioned that it was installed by a handyman and you're unsure of its purpose, here are a few steps to help you assess the situation: Material Check: Inspect the jacket's material. If it’s foam, fibreglass, or reflective, it’s likely meant for insulation. If it’s a hard or protective material, it could be for physical protection. Condition: Check the condition of the jacket. Is it properly fitted and in good shape, or does it look makeshift or damaged? A poorly installed jacket may not serve its intended purpose effectively. Location and Purpose: Identify what the jacket is covering. Is it a hot water pipe, cold water pipe, or a water heater? Knowing what it’s protecting can give you a clue about its purpose. Actions to Take Consult a Professional: Given that the installation was done by a handyman and you're uncertain about its purpose, it’s a good idea to consult a professional plumber. link removed They can assess whether the jacket is necessary and if it’s properly installed. Replace if Necessary: If the jacket is damaged, improperly installed, or not serving its intended purpose, it might be best to replace it with the appropriate insulation or protective covering. Proper insulation can save energy and prevent damage. Check Local Codes: Ensure that any insulation or protective measures comply with local building codes and standards. This is particularly important for insulation around hot water heaters and pipes. Final Thoughts The jacket might have been installed with good intentions, but without knowing its purpose, it’s difficult to determine its effectiveness. A professional plumber can provide a thorough evaluation and recommend the best course of action. Proper insulation and protection of your plumbing systems are crucial for efficiency and longevity, so it’s worth getting it right.

That's Weyerhaeuser drop siding #124. Probably from late 1950s to mid 1960s.

Okay, Here is an example of the kind of millwork company you need. I've checked all of their catalogs of their standard millwork, but that pattern isn't there. However, they say on their website that if they are given a piece of the existing old pattern that they will match it. I'm sure if they do that, they charge setup fees for the time it takes to configure their equipment, then they probably charge by the hour for the time it takes to mill the lumber plus the cost of the wood per linier foot. Years ago, at Blackstock, that's what I had to pay to get 1300 board feet of custom milled tongue-and-groove flooring to match what was in a 100+ year old home. This is the type of firm you'll need. Advise your client that it won't be cheap. They might want to consider using clapboard (beveled) siding without the tongue and groove, installed using a story stick to ensure you get the exact spacing and overlap. Custom Wood Milling | Custom Lumber Milling | Siding Pattenrs and Moulding (jwlumber.com)

Hi, Well, there used to be a company called Blackstock Lumber Co. on Elliot Ave. in Seattle that had been in business since 1912 that produced custom-milled lumber profiles, but they sold out in 2017 and I don't see anything about a replacement company when I search them. They used to be able to reproduce any profile of lumber one would need to do a restoration, including that profile, I'm sure. You're going to have to find a company similar to Blackstock, I think, if you want to obtain clapboard siding that's milled like that. I suggest checking in Old House Journal for an advertiser that does custom milling. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike