I have water problems seeping down a wall that was constructed wrong. I am looking for suggestions. This is hard to describe, but I will try. We have a straight exterior wall of our house. It is 2 stories in the front of the house, and one story in the back of the house. (So the roof line makes a big slant from the front to the back of the house.) This front exterior wall is stucco. At the top of this wall, is a horizontal redwood trim strip of wood that is flush with the stucco wall. (The fact that it is flush with it, is where the problem lies I believe.) At the top edge of this trim strip is where the drip edge of the roof is attached (i.e. there is no overhang, soffits, etc.) When there are heavy rains or wind driven rain, the water gets in between the stucco and this trim strip. We are going to be putting a new roof on the house (metal) and I am going to fix this trim strip before the new roof gets put on.
I have come up with a way that I think will fix this, and am hoping for any other suggestions. I am going to rip out the old trim strip, that is warped, cracked, etc. Then I am going to replace it with a strip of Hardie Board (of the same width). (In case you are not familiar with Hardie Board, it is a cement based board product, and is fireproof, waterproof, termite proof, etc. – www.jameshardie.com) I will screw it into place and also caulk or silicone behind it. Then — I would like to attach another strip of Hardie Board, which will be wider than the first one, and it will overhang the first one by a couple of inches. It will overhang over the top edge of the stucco. This I will also screw into place and caulk or silicone behind it (just for overkill purposes I guess). Then of course when the roofers install the new metal roof, they will install their metal drip edge over BOTH of my Hardie Boards.
What do you think? Do you have any other/better suggestions? Since this wall is about 40 feet wide and I will have to use more than one Hardie Board length — what exactly do I do to waterproof the joint where the boards meet (edge to edge)? Thanks for any suggestions. I really apprciate it.
Replies
Your solution sounds like what I was going to suggest only nort ripping out the old redwood (but if it's cracked and warped like you say, ripping it out is a good idea.
The only thing I might add, and it's probably overkill (but that's the way I am) would be a continuous Z-flashing behind the bottom of the first board, out over the stucco and then down, so any water that does get in will be directed back out. Where the ends of the Hardiboard butt, use a small piece of flashing behind--I think posters at the Breaktime site have mentioned something on the order of five by eight--like you get boxes of for step flashing.
The manufacturer (Hardie) would have recommended treatments for weatherproofing butt joints of their product. Ask your supplier for spec sheets. And when your roofer comes to estimate or appraise the situation, ask about dripedges with an integral drip bend, to assist in diversion of moisture.
As I understand it, you are describing a shed roof.
It sounds like you're on the right track. I would go a step further and add a narrower cleat along the top edge of your second board. This will get the water a little further away from the wall and add a bit more visual interest with an additional shadow line.
I don't know much about metal roofs. Ask your roofers if there is a special cap for just this situation. You want a solid piece that projects out over and down beyond your wood trim AND back over and down the roofing. You want the water to drip free of the wall and to be directed on top of the roofing. Capillary action can cause water to stick to surfaces and run along them unless the water is forced to drip by a proper drip edge. If I had this situation and was roofing with asphalt shingles that are common in my area, I would likely fabricate this cap with heavy aluminum coil stock.
Don't let the roofer blow you off on this. This is the sort of little detail that annoys some roofers, but ignoring it can cause major problems years down the road as water slowly penetrates the wall and causes major damage.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Sounds like you are on the right track, but I'll make a few additional suggestions. Tear off that board and get a good look at how much water damage you have. Water damage does not heal itself and must addressed now if it has caused any structural damage to your frame. If a moist environment has been created you want to, in the very least, get it dry before you go and seal it back up. You may find that sheathing or even framing underneath your stucco may need to be replaced.
For the repair, I second the suggestion for a continuous Z flashing to cover that joint where the stucco face meets your trim board. I, however, do not feel that it is overkill at all.... should have been installed from the get-go. Now that you are properly flashed you can go ahead and replace that missing trim piece.
I'd will also suggest to you that you look at products such as Azek or Koma to replace that trim. Hardie fiber cement products are excellent siding materials but lack the dimensions and aesthetics that the other two products provide as trim accents. Azek and Koma are both brands of PVC trim boards. They cut, nail, and paint just like wood and like Hardie board, are impervious to insects, rot, water damage etc. They are perfect for your situation.
EDIT: One last bit of advice... in all of your projects around your house, NEVER rely on caulking of any type as your final and permanent barrier between water and the structure. All caulking fails sooner or later despite what the packaging says. Its good insurance, but not an end-all solution. Proper flashing techniques are a must.
Edited 2/27/2005 7:16 pm ET by dieselpig
Thanks a bunch. I know what you mean about caulking. People use it like the end-all solution to everything, and it only lasts a few years, if that. We have roofers in our area that say, "Oh, we'll just caulk that and it'll keep the water out." Yeah, right. I must look like I was born yesterday. Anyway, thanks for the tips. I will definitely look into the Aztec and Koma. And I will figure out really good flashing for sure. (My middle name is "Overkill" anyway!) Thanks!Sue
Good advice. The real damage could be hidden in the wall. A lot of condo's in British Columbia had extensive wall damage from improperly flashed stucco exteriors. Mold, rot etc. Cost the owners thousands. Having no overhang means the entire wall is not only exposed to the driving rain but also the run-off from the roof.
You may want to run the aluminum flashing up behind the drip edge.
Goodluck
Budman
You will probably find there is no moisture barrier continuous from under the stucco and behind the trim. And the leak is between the trim and stucco. You can see some horrid pictures at this web site. http://www.badstucco.com And you might have only one layer of grade D building paper that was on the paper back lath. If that is what they used.