Amaro Development & Construction

Beginning in the mid 80’s, many new homes were built with an exterior cladding which basically consisted of glued-on styrofoam board covered in a mortar-type coating. This process was called “Exterior Insulation Finishing System” or EIFS for short. The concept seemed to make a lot of sense and was easy to sell, so there were many homebuilders and home buyers who jumped on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, time was to prove that the wagon was headed straight to rot city.

People bought EIFS houses for a number of appealing reasons. One, it looked good and could be intricately shaped around windows and doors to give a European manor-like appearance, which greatly attracted the buyers of that period. It became somewhat of a status symbol to own a home with this treatment… for a while. Second, it was a great insulator. Imagine living in an igloo cooler. No doubt your energy bills would be cheaper and they were…. for a while. Third, EIFS was sold as being low maintenance. The mortar coating was created with a permanent coloring that would never need painting and required virtually no upkeep. And it didn’t… for a while.

Then came the sun and the rain and the humidity. It took about 10 years, but it was eventually realized that EIFS had some very serious flaws. Simply stated, EIFS did it’s job too well. Not only did it keep the hot and the cold out, it kept the house from “breathing” and when moisture was trapped between the styrofoam and the wood framing, the home began to deteriorate. As time went on, the structure of the house would not only rot, but attracted termites and soon became a serious problem which from the outside was undetectable until the damage was excessive. Windows and doors are usually the first to show signs of deterioration, then you may observe slight ripples on the face of the EIFS, which is actually the decladding of the material from the rotting substructure. Another sign are dark vertical streaks down the side of the house or blotchy mildew spots near the eaves or foundation of the house. Generally, chimney chases are the first to go but damage can occur anywhere or even no where. Every house is different depending of exposure to elements, architectural design, or unaddressed damage.

There are a LOT of misconceptions about EIFS. Here are the three biggest.
- “It’s not the product, it’s the way it was installed.” Wrong. It’s the product. - “Having it “cut back” will solve the problem. Wrong. This is called throwing good money after bad. - “Having a warranty bond will protect me if it fails” . Carefully read this warranty…. surprise!

Many EIFS home owners have made the wise decision to remove it, have the repairs made and reclad in brick, stone or siding. We have renovated over a hundred EIFS homes in the Birmingham area. If we can help you please give us a call at 205-296-6770 and we will be glad to answer your questions or give you an estimate.