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I am wanting to know if this new stucco (Dryvit I think is the name of it) Is suitable for a home in a very shady area. Will it be prone to meldew and other fungus of a shady lake-front home?
Larry Siders
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Dryvit is a brand name of a type of Exteior Insulating Finish Systems, or EXIF as they are more commonly called. They have been around for 20+ years. There are many variations of the Dryvit products on the market today.
My house plans call for EXIF and syntehtic stone and it is on a heaviely wooded site. I'll follow your thread closely to see what the old timers have to say on this type of system.
Dave
*To L.Siders;the system is also called EIFS in the trade. Other similar systems are Senergy, Sto, and others. We have found that the EIFS system works well when applied to masonry substrate, rather than wood or metal stud, especially in a humid climate. The system has had serious problems in a freeze/thaw climate where water or moisture finds its way behind the insulation and cannot get out. Most of these problem areas are in the south east, as we know them. I strongly suggest that you contact the technical services kept. of the company product you choose to use, and become aware of the necessary construction details required for a successful installation. It is a good product, but it must be used correctly.I can put you in touch with a competent company in North Carolina who could recommend other contacts.Good luck.Phil
*Phil, it seems I can't follow my own nemonic. Oh well, with a four year old wanting to use the pc maybe he should write my post.Could you e-mail me that number? I have talked to only one Sto installer and my gut says uh oh. If your guy is complient in NC he must be better than what I have met around here. Didn't NC outlaw EIFS for a while?
*There is an installer in my area ( Louisville KY)who does excellent work, with excellent references and many years experience. I do not know much about this system, but I know that he is expensive, very busy and not many people know or care to put on an EIFS system correctly .Get several references before deciding on a contractor,it seems the best installers are few and far between.
*Dave,Contact Clint Burton at Carolina Specialties in Winston-Salem, NC at ph 910-760-0081; fax 910-760-0343. Mention my name. I don't have an email address.Phil Pastore
*Thanks Phil... You have been very helpful.. I was thinking of building with foam forms (concrete).
*This last fall i carpentered on a $300,000 + repair of a failed EIFS system on a 5000 sq.' commercial building. The building was about 17 years old and would have had less rot if they had not covered the sheating with anything. They did however put EIFS back on after the massive dryrot repairs. EIFS horror stories abound. FHB did an article about it some years back.joe d
*FHB did an article, written by Steve Culpepper, I'm pretty sure, about 6 years ago. I'll try and dig up the reference at work tomorrow. E-mail me if I forget.Much has changed in the intervening time. One state, I think NC, considered and may have implemented a ban on eifs. Most others haven't, and I hear mixed reviews on eifs from building scientists. The devil is said to be in getting the flashings, particularly around the windows, perfect. The trouble seems to be worse in areas that require interior vapor diffuson retarders (poly under the drywall). This effectively puts a vapor barrier on each side of an eifs-clad wall, preventing it from drying to either side. That's fine, as long as the wall seals out moisture perfectly from both sides. So, if you go with eifs, consider carefully not only the eifs contractor, but whoever is putting up your interior vapor barrier as well. Or perhaps, this is one time when any interior vapor barrier is inappropriate, in the interest of building a wall that can dry to the inside during air-conditioning season. Andy
*There's an article in the Feb 2001 Journal of Light Construction regarding proper flashing details. In fact, here's a link to it:Making EIFS WatertightDan
*Our EIFs article was in issue 105, Oct/Nov 1996, pp 66-71. The JLC article is more current.Andy
*EIFS - Stands for "Major National Class-Action Lawsuit(s)." Do some research - it won't be hard to find. Start with North Carolina.Jeff
*EIFS stands for "Lazy-Ass-Builders-Need-Not-Apply" this product. I'm sort of against EIFS since the whole system depends on caulk to work, but if you are going to use it, make sure you get the details right. I'm planning an addition to a house with DryVit siding (therefore have no choice about wether or not to use it) and am meeting with the author of the above mentioned article tomorrow -- (As luck would have it I didn't have to search the entire Nashville market for a good siding crew to install this stuff, The author lives here and can recomend one!)I have a suspicion that if RFBI is used instead of CDX or OSB, the chances of failure will decrease dramatically. I'll ask him and let you know...What's wrong with real stucco?Dan
*As I have mentioned in a previous post, some stucco guys around here are doing traditional scratch and brown coat followed by the Dryvit (or other EIFS) finish. Theory is that this is detailed like traditional stucco but that the modified finish makes the final coat much less likely to crack.I would be very interested to hear from anyone else using this method.Jeff
*Ok, I talked to Mr McCampbell. His whole deal is that if the details are correct, and maintanence is timely (every five to eight years)it won't fail. When I asked him about using RFBI as a wall sheathing he just sort of said that if the details are correct and it's maintained in a timely fashion, the system will be ok. No need for backup.My deal is that since that foam beadboard is so good at sucking up water, there's no sense in jepordizing the integrity of your home. Use RFBI as a wall sheathing (which is better in an insulative sense as well) and make sure the installers follow the details set forth in that JLC article. And use the absolute best caulk you can get. Be really anal about the head flashings on windows and doors (Mr McCampbell details boxed returns on these, running them past the end of the casing by a half inch or so), make sure all head flashings are continuous.As far as mildew and fungus go, I can't see that it would be more prone than anything else. Maybe you could have the guys mix in some mildewcide into the final coat...Hope that helps,Dan
*RE: interior vapor barrier:I contacted the DOW rep. who specifically years ago dealt with this issue (they have one...that should tell us something). He sent me technical materials that one reading implied (from my point of view--I have read small print regulations and then fought about them for a living) that your vapor barrier better be perfect. I have yet to see one that is, and so passed on the system. I'm sure those materials are still available and contact w/ that rep. is possible thry DOW. Luck, Rand
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I am wanting to know if this new stucco (Dryvit I think is the name of it) Is suitable for a home in a very shady area. Will it be prone to meldew and other fungus of a shady lake-front home?
Larry Siders