Protecting Stucco Homes Nationwide…
Homeowner “As stucco homeowners, we know how important it is to keep up with regular maintenance on our stucco home. We have our home tested annually and we have the MoistureFree Warranty in place to protect our home should any problems occur. It gives us the peace of mind we need just knowing our home is protected, and we have the documentation to provide a...
Read MoreThe most insidious part? By the time the outside stucco begins to show the effects of water damage, it’s too late. And because Georgia offers little or no protection for homeowners, an unsuspecting buyer could still end up with a synthetic stucco home. Meanwhile, homeowners’ insurance won’t cover the cost of repairs, and legal remedies dissolve over time.
Then in 1994, North Carolina’s coastal New Hanover County inspection department in Wilmington began fielding complaints about synthetic stucco homes, six in one week. To date, the department has inspected about 600 homes and found 94 percent had moisture problems.
Pre-repair mold testing is always a good practice. Sometimes finding the exact source of the mold can be frustrating and difficult. Mold spores are everywhere – inside homes, up in the attic, in a home’s yard outside, living rooms, kitchens, etc. It is a question really of how much and what species of mold that is present. Some molds are worse than others in terms of toxicity. If a building smells moldy, for instance, hidden mold could be the culprit, but perhaps the source cannot be pinpointed. If it is known that there has been water damage and health problems are being reported then is it usually safe to assume that mold growth is present. Modern building materials like wood, drywall, wallpaper, and fabric are excellent food sources for mold, while synthetic stucco building technology can leak and trap moisture inside. Home appliances like washers, dryers and dishwashers also generate water vapors which again create the type of thriving environment conducive to mold infestation.
Read MoreA construction problem is rotting local homes and forcing homeowners to pay six figures just to keep them standing.
“Nobody could imagine what it’s like to have your home in shambles,” said Lisa O’Day.
Rotting from the inside out.
This has been by far the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” said O’Day. The O’Days must spend upwards of $200,000 to keep their million-dollar home from falling apart.
“The longer you wait the worse the damage and I have seen walls buckle. I mean houses quite literally start to collapse,” says Blaine Illingworth, a certified home inspector and national expert on stucco application. He says as contractors rushed to finish houses during the building boom of the last decade or so, they often applied stucco improperly and took short cuts.
Read More
Recent Comments