avoid Dryvit like the plague!
Nothing put problems and some insurance companies don't want to insure the home. I ran into that a couple years ago before buying my house. I did not buy the one we loved simply because of the Dryvit.

What most people don't realize, is most of the negativity towards stucco was propaganda put forth by various corporations and unions associated with brick and brick layers. It was a well manufactured campaign and effectively cut stucco off at the knees in residential.

Stucco can have problems. Stucco can also be a great great product. The key is whether it was applied correctly or not. If you notice, a large portion of commercial buildings are stucco or drivit. If the house is that old, I would have a knowledgeable person inspect the house for water and moisture issues. If it is in good shape, then you should have a fine house.

Stucco would be a reason for me to keep shopping.

I did residential appraising for 12 years. I wouldn't buy a stucco house.

Stucco is not a great idea for this area, but, most of the problems are from poor installation practices and maintenance. If it's older than early 90s it is probably not drivit. First I saw around here was 92,93.

Wow...I never realized stucco was that bad. This house has most everything we wanted plus a barn and 8 acres with about a 2 acre pond. But afyer reading all this, I think we will keep shopping. Thanks for all the help.

Before giving up on it, if you can afford it, have an inspection performed, making sure to emphasize your stucco concerns.

Stucco is not a problem for termites whatsoever. Now if what you are referring to as stucco is Dryvit, then yes that is a product that retain moisture and will definitely attract termites.

The house I live in now was Dryvit, before we closed I had the homeowner tear the entire exterior of the house off and replace it with Stucco, which is hardened concrete type finish. Dryvit has a Styrofoam backing that is normally 3/4 to 1" thick. Once they removed the Dryvit they ended up removing about half of the USB boards that was next to it because of mold. All in all, it cost them nearly $48,000 to replace the exterior of the house. I have been there now going on 11 years, and not one problem with the Stucco.

If the house you are looking at is Dryvit, the key thing to look for is to make sure that the Dryvit doesn't make contact anywhere with the ground. Me personally, I would not buy it if it was Dryvit. You will have a very hard to selling it down the road if you decide to move.

That is why I said is it real Stucco or Dryvit. Real Stucco houses have been around for centuries. I know of a bunch in Birmingham that are close to 80 years old and have never had a problem with moisture of termites.

So is the there a way to tell the difference between Dryvit and stucco? We really like the house, but I have been renting for 3 years trying to recover from a money pit house that I sold for a loss. I put tons of work into it aside from the money. The last thing I want to do is get back in that situation.

This is the real question,real stucco will breath like brick. If it us old,it may be real stucco. Synthetic stucco works if installed correctly, but it usually is not done right.

stucco is heavy and hard whereas drivit feels pretty light and softer when you tap on it. I would be more concerned about whats behind the 1/8 inch outer layer. I would avoid either if it uses wood studs.

I just went through a house buying experience. We looked at a dryvit/stucko house (not sure which) but decided against it. The issue for us was not is it in good condition, it was resale. If you ever want to sell, every potential buyer you may have is going to have this same type of conversation. Good luck finding the right house and working though the loan process. Its a pain even when everything goes off without a hitch.

I asked the listing agent what the exterior is and he told me it is EIFS. I looked it up and that is th acronym for exterior insulation and finishing system. I guess that's how they tell you it's Dryvit without actually saying the Dryvit name and scaring away customers. Funny how this particular web site praised this type of product for savings on power bills, but did not mention the class action law suits I read about on another site. As much as I hate to, I believe we will pass on this house.

Yep, Dryvit is just a name brand of EIFS.

Keep looking

I inspect EIFS homes and commercial buildings all the time and have for about 10 years.

EIFS is an excellent product, of which there are multiple manufacturers (Dryvit, ST, Masterwall, etc...). Different EIFS systems within that too. Tons of commercial EIFS applications that are in great shape all over the country, even in the south. Excellent weather resistive barrier system and really does help on energy conservation.

When the housing boom hit the Southeast back in the late 80s and through the 90s, EIFS homes became the big thing for a while. Residential builders started using EIFS when they were not really aware of the fine details and cautions one should take with the product. As a result, a lot of really bad construction occurred and lots of home has severe water issues. NOT from the product itself, but eh installation, application and construction details. Architects even got in the mess by bad design.

With the rise of residential EIFS, there were not many industry standards in place. Construction of EIFS homes did not takeinto account water intrusion like they should. After lots of issues, in the mid 90s the EIFS Industry Manufacturers Association (EIMA) set out some guidelines (some of which my father-in-law helped design). Termite coverage carriers also had a hand in designing some details tool. The result was a guide that dealth with all openings (windows, doors, etc...), all penetrations (decks, pipes, vents, lighting), caulk joints, control joints, proper fastening of insulation board, flashings, trim, sealed and backwrapped above grade, other details, etc... These guidelines fixed 90% of the issues.

The 10% left are due to windows that fail, sealants that fail--allowing water into the CLOSED wall system, and workmanship issues.

Our wet, hot, humid climate in the SE only exacerbated the already bad issues with details and installation. EIFS homes out west do not have as many problems, even if constructed without the newer guidelines.

Interesting note: Commercial EIFS builders who had worked with the product for decades started building residential in the housing boom.. Their homes have very few issues in comparison to the residential flux of builders. It was all about product experience and knowledge...and details. Also commercial building are not built like residential design homes...not all the intricate elevation facades and roof line intersections, plus they use commercial grade windows and door typically--designed to self flash and self drain commonly.

There was a huge class action suit in the mid to late 1990s, that dealt with these guideline issues from manufacturers to contractors. Dryvit for one paid a lot of money to reclad and repair homes. We were involved with around 250 homes in that class action just here in B'ham...last lawsuit finished up in the mid 2000s.

Unlike brick that has an airspace and through wall flashing with weeps, when water gets into a backwrapped and closed at/above grade EIFS system the water has nowhere to go. So it deteriorates the sheathing and framing and causes unseen and unknown damage sometimes for years. Picture this: you put water in a styrofoam cup, put a styrofoam lid on it, caulk it up, and leave it outside for a year. Chances are you'll still have water in that cup a year later.

The biggest problem with EIFS: Once water gets into an EIFS system from non-EIFS components (flashings, doors, windows, decks, etc...) it is very hard for the water to evaporate quickly or get moved to the outside. IT is 99% a failure of another product, not the EIFS itself...unless the workmanship on the EIFS was terrible. A large EIFS wall with no windows or penetrations is very very hard to make leak (assuming it was installed correctly with proper joints per the guidelines). Introduce a window (which windows leak, no matter what kind or what cladding is ona house) and now you have a potential source.

If an EIFS home has quality windows and doors, proper flashing and caulking, is maintained...it is a great cladding.

On termites: There are very little issues with termites on an EIFs system that was properly back-wrapped and sealed to the substrate 8" above grade (per EIMA guidelines). Pre 1994- 1996, it was common for EIFS to be run below grade...also common for EIFS to be left open at the bottom below grade. Perfect opening for termites to enter a house UNNOTICED by termite inspectors or homeowners. Then again if the house was properly treated for termites that would help. Excess water though in a wall system will attract termites though, so EIFS that is not bult per the guidelines can be prone to infestations. But so can all the stone work on houses too--same issues with EIFS--leaks, rot and termites galore.

A well built EIFS home is nothing to walk away from, if and only if, the construction details are performing. EIFS got such a bad reputation (deservedly so since all the issues) that lots are gun shy. Often you can get a GREAT deal on an EIFS home, and then do a total reclad with the savings and still come out good. I have a buddy that has bought several EIFS homes and then reclads and flips them for nice profits.

I know you are walking away and I don't blame you...just wanted you and others to have a full understanding of EIFS issues. If you ever have any questions, let me know. I'm a certified EIFS and Building Envelope Inspector, Licensed Home Builder and General Contractor.