Ground Moisture Stucco Damage
What you're
looking at here is ground moisture stucco damage. I've actually seen
moisture in the soil from the surrounding perimeter of a building get sucked
up as high as 36 inches.
It's hard to imagine moisture traveling up a
wall, instead of down the wall, but it can. Almost every case where ground
moisture stucco damage appears, the stucco will be buried beneath the soil.
The good news is, this usually only appears in older homes or homes
built before 1970. However, if you own an older home, this news won't make
you happy.
What Do You Do About Ground Moisture Stucco Wall Damage?
Well in most cases, absolutely nothing, you simply repair the damaged
wall area and wait for it to happen again, then start the process all over
again in a few years.
The only way I can think of to fix something
like this would be to remove the lower section of damaged stucco and install
a weep screed. This construction repair could be expensive and might lead to
other problems in the future if it wasn't done correctly.
The biggest
problem with this type of repair would be to find an experienced and
meticulous stucco contractor, because they will need to replace and repair
any damaged lathing materials like building paper or wire lath. They will
also need to make sure the building paper laps correctly and that the
existing building paper was in good shape.
In some cases, the stucco
in the lower 3 feet will need to be replaced.