mark_goal Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 i am looking to bid on a stucco home about 16 years old. The home has a single horizontal hairline crack in the stucco, about 4' ft off the ground. This crack runs about 60% of the house; the other 40% has windows etc, & the stucco is not cracked. There r no cracks in the inside walls. The bankrupt homeowner says it is real stucco (as opposed to synthetic stucco). I am a attaching some pics showing the crack. Any opinions if this hairline crack is a serious issue? what is the cause? I hear houston has soft clay soil, so wondering if it is settling of the house? Can crack be fixed? wondering how i should proceed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_goal Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 bump. no comments?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Hey there and welcome. It looks like the seam where they placed some "plywood" or tyvex while they were building it. I'm not sure about the installation pattern on the _outside_ but I know that when you install sheetrock on the inside the pattern should be "offset". If I'm right then one might have redo the exterior... but I'm not sure as I've only done interior sheetrock installation.It just looks might straight to me. Too straight. Something might be fishy... But again, I'm not sure. Someone else on here will probably know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_goal Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thanks! I am hoping someone here with stucco expertise will also comment on this single horizontal crack.If they think it is serious & requires a stucco redo, then i might not bid on the property.I have always owned brick homes, but i wonder if crack in stucco can be filled with material & a "decorative band" can be made over the crack? since it is a single crack & as u noticed - pretty straight. But that may be just covering up some serious problem/s with the property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Yeah... I would think that any defect that is this straight on the outside of a property is suspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Have you considered an inspection by a structural engineer? Might be cheaper in the long run than well meaning but uninformed opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgallagher Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I dont see any expansion joints. They should no more than 12' apart and at all windows and doors. The crack looks like it is consistent with a plywood joint. This would suggest that the bottom and second course of plywood wasn't blocked behind it. This has allowed the plywood to expand and contract, thus the failure of the stucco that sits on top of the plywood.If they failed on these basics of installation, no telling what else was screwed up. Run don't walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 bump. no comments??that column shown though sure makes me think corev...synthetic stucco.EDIT: looking at the 2nd pic...definitely synthetic. plus look closely at the gutters in the same pic....they aren't touching the fascia...ROT will occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brickfence Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Perhaps it is a cold joint in the stucco? The contractor stuccoed 4' high all around the house because the scaffolding wasn't on the job. He then came back and finished the job when the scaffolding arrived? That is just a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Did you bid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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