Getting a EIFS inspector to check for EIFS damages
You could be an owner of a house that has been damaged by water and moisture or you could be a potential buyer of a house that was insulated using EIFS, which you liked but suspect may have water damage. Whichever it is, you should get a professional home inspector to assess the damages and whether the damages are attributable to EIFS. You will also be able to get an assessment on the cost of repair. Because in some cases, the cost of repair is so exorbitant that you would rather rebuild the entire house.
Most homeowners are not trained to be able to do a proper assessment. They also do not have the proper equipment, which are necessary for a detail inspection so that you can take rectification actions on the areas affected. Better that than having to deal with damaged areas that you had not detected previously.
For Professional EIFS inspectors doing an assessment on EIFS, they are able to perform non-destructive inspection using sophisticated equipment such as the electronic moisture detection equipment called the “Tranmex Wet Wall” meter, which can determine the moisture content within the walls of your house. A more detailed inspection will include the usage of infrared thermography to inspect the EIFS to determine which areas are damaged by moisture. This is a very accurate method and some inspectors will combine both systems to get an accurate report for your entire house. But to be even more certain of the extent of the damage, a more invasive inspection should be performed. Your inspector can insert electronic moisture meters into the insulation of the EIFS to check the actual moisture levels. After such a detailed inspection, your house inspector will be able to advise you on how to proceed. Whether you can even repair the EIFS damages will depend on the extent and cost of damage.
Taking care of the repairs caused by EIFS will be the first step to getting your house back in to shape. Next, you would also want your inspector to assess the causal factors leading to the damages. Is it due to an improperly installed EIFS or was it due to other reasons. This will also be critical so that you can decide whether you want to seek legal recourse. EIFS litigation have been quite common over the last 10 years and there are many EIFS lawyers and legal agencies whom specializes on helping homeowners with EIFS problems. Your legal advisors will be able to help you assess whether you can recoup your losses from your homeowner insurance policies or whether you should seek to claim your damages from the builder or agencies responsible for the damage.
So if you are a homeowner or trying to buy or sell a house insulated with synthetic stucco or EIFS, you should always get a professional house inspector and if your house is affected by EIF related water damages, then the next step would be to decide whether to repair or replace your house. The next logical step would then be to seek legal recourse for your EIFS damages.