ATLANTA PEST, TERMITE & WILDLIFE CONTROL COMPANIES

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EIFS or synthetic stucco

Exterior Insulation & Finish Systems (EIFS) use synthetic materials to cover exterior home walls.  EIFS is relatively common in the metro-Atlanta area.  It was popular with builders, because it looks like real stucco, is easier to install than real stucco, and has better insulation characteristics than real stucco.  However, EIFS can absorb and hold moisture much more readily than can traditional hard coat stucco.

EIFS issues. Hard-coat stucco, which is porous and made of cement, allows moisture to travel both into and out of the wall.  EIFS is designed to block the flow of moisture.  In a well-designed and well-constructed house where the EIFS ends at least six inches above ground level, EIFS-related issues are limited.  However, water can get into the EIFS and the wall behind the EIFS, due to construction defects; damage, such as that caused by woodpeckers; or dried, cracking caulk on window seals.  Once water is in the wall or in the EIFS itself, it leaves very, very slowly.  The water causes many problems and can be difficult to detect until it is too late to prevent damage.

Water can rot structural wood, which causes permanent damage to the structural integrity of the home.  If the damage is bad enough, the structural wood must be replaced.  Also, water can rot wood windows and wood framing.

Water inside a wall encourages termite problems in three primary ways.  First, since termites need water to survive and prefer rotting wood, a home with damp, rotting wood is much more likely to be infested than a home with dry wood.  In some cases, subterranean termites can actually create an aerial colony in the damp wood above ground.  Second, water trapped inside the wall may eventually flow all the way to the ground and diminish or eliminate the chemical barrier put in place to keep termites out.  Third, because EIFS is often installed all the way to the ground, it provides a pathway for termites to tunnel into the home and prevents visual detection of an active infestation.

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