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Total Home Renovations
EIFS Repairs
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So many houses have the same problems with their Exterior Insulation Finish Systems (EIFS). Most commonly,
EIFS crack around the structure's windows. Another issue arises when the EIFS has been installed
onto the house or building too low to the ground. Most insurance policies require EIFS to start 1 foot above
the existing ground. This is where we come in and make the appropriate adjustments
to ensure the client is compliant to his/her insurance policy requirements in the case of EIFS.
Read more about EIFS below:
Exterior Insulation Finish Systems ("EIFS") are a type of building product that provides exterior
walls with a finished surface, insulation and waterproofing in an integrated composite system.
EIFS is also known as "synthetic stucco" and "Akrilon", "Senergy", "Finestone", "Dryvit" or "Sto" -
popular EIFS brands.
EIFS is not 'stucco' in the sense of the word stucco. Traditional stucco is often called Portland Cement
Plaster, and is a centuries-old non-insulating material. Stucco consists of sand, Portland Cement, and water,
and is a hard, dense, thick, non-insulating material. EIFS is a modern, lightweight synthetic wall
cladding that includes foam plastic insulation and thin synthetic coatings. There are also specialty stuccos
that use synthetic materials but no insulation, and these are also not EIFS either.
A common example is what is called one-coat stucco, which is a thick, synethic stucco applied
in a single layer (traditional stucco is applied in 3 layers).
There is also an EIFS-like
product called a Direct-Applied Finish System (or DAFS), which is essentially an EIFS but without the
insulation - this product is also not EIFS either, and has quite different characteristics.
EIFS are proprietary systems of a particular EIFS producer and consist of specific components.
EIFS are not generic products made from common separate materials.
To function properly, EIFS needs to be architecturally designed and installed as a system.
There are a number of versions of EIFS, as described below. The most basic and common EIFS is called a barrier EIFS (also known as a traditional or conventional EIFS). Another type is called an EIFS with Drainage, which is a barrier EIFS to which a water drainage capability has been added.
A basic EIFS includes only the insulation and EIFS materials (coatings, adhesives, etc.).
Other types of EIFS may also include plastic edge trim, water-resistive barriers, a drainage cavity,
and other accessories.
The technical definition of "an EIFS" does not include wall framing, sheathing,
flashings, caulking, water barriers, windows, doors, and other wall components.
However, as of recently, architects have begin specifying flashings and sealants as
being a part of the EIFS scope of work, essentially requiring EIFS contractors to carry out that work as well.
History of EIFS
EIFS was developed in Europe after World War II and was initially used to retrofit solid masonry walls. EIFS started to be used in North America in the 1960s, and became very popular in the mid- 1970's due to the oil embargo and the resultant surge in interest in high energy efficiency wall systems (such as EIFS provides). The use of EIFS over stud-and-sheathing framing (instead of over soils walls) is a North American technique. EIFS is now used all over North America, and also in many others areas around the world, especially in Europe and the Pacific Rim.
In North America, EIFS was initially used almost exclusively on commercial buildings. As the market grew, prices dropped to the point where its use became widespread on normal single family homes.
In the late 1980s problems started developing due to water leakage in EIFS-clad home. This created a national controversy and numerous law suits. While not inherently more prone to water penetration than other exterior finishes, critics argue that barrier-type EIFS systems (non-water-managed systems) do not allow water that may penetrate the building envelope to escape.[1]
The EIFS industry has consistently maintained that the EIFS itself was not leaking, but rather poor craftsmanship and bad architectural detailing at the perimeter of the EIFS was what was causing the problems. The building codes reacted by mandating EIFS with Drainage on wood frame building and additional on-site inspection. Most homeowner insurance policies cover EIFS and EIFS-like systems.
In December of 2007 the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)released data showing that Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) outperform brick, stucco, concrete block and cementitious fiber board in both moisture absorption and thermal efficiency tests. These findings mark the completion of a two-phase study conducted over the course of two years.
The tests confirm that outboard insulation and vertical notch drainage used with EIFS provide a much more effective water resistant barrier than that of building wraps. Results show that brick and stucco actually demonstrated high rates for water and moisture absorption and retention in hot, humid climates. In short, EIFS incorporating four-inch polystyrene foam outperform other wall system materials under heat and humidity exposure.
The EIFS market continues to grow at about 10% per year, with the residential wood frame building market growing less rapidly than in the past. The amount of EIFS used in the USA annually is over 200 million square feet.
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