What Exactly Is Stucco?

Stucco is a building substance used in construction that is very similar to plaster. The stucco is applied to the exposed wood and exterior block surfaces of your home while the compound is still wet.

In the past, stucco was made using a combination of water, sand, and lime. Flash-forward to modern times, however, and stucco typically ditches the lime in favor of Portland cement. When combined with sand and water, it causes the stucco to harden much more quickly.

Once dried, stucco is intended to help protect your home’s exterior from potential hazards like hurricanes, fire, and moisture damage, namely, that which can harm both your property and your health.

When stucco is properly applied, it hardens and bonds to the outside of your home.
In doing so, it creates a dense outer shell that not only looks appealing but also protects your home.

The problem, however, comes whenever stucco is installed incorrectly. This can be the result of a construction company or homebuilder trying to cut corners in order to save money and time.

When this happens, the dense outer shell can develop cracks prematurely. As you can likely imagine, this allows moisture to pass behind the stucco and damage anything underneath it.

Many times, homeowners don’t realize that any damage has occurred until it’s too late. What’s more, this continual damage can go on for years, causing catastrophic damage to your home’s interior construction and core.

Not only that but by the time many homeowners realize there is a problem with their stucco, their home has become a serious health hazard. In some cases, the inner wooden structures can warp or rot.

Mold can also form, leaving you with more than just the risk of potential structural damage. Of course, this brings other problems, as well. One is trying to get the original stucco contractor to even admit that they are responsible for the shoddy work to where they will agree to make it right.

And the other problem is the monetary amount that’s needed to make all of the necessary repairs to get your residence back to livable conditions.

What Causes Stucco to Become Defective?

After stucco is applied in its wet form, it needs to dry. But as it dries, it also shrinks. And sometimes, tiny cracks can develop, causing the finish to become porous.

Contractors use control joints to help mitigate these tiny cracks, while corner beads and lattices help bind stucco around corners and windows. The back of these beads and joints are designed to be open, so that water can safely seep behind the stucco.

Since any qualified home builder is aware of the potential for cracking, they might use special mixtures with additives that are meant to make a stronger barrier in the stucco to combat moisture.

Studies, however, prove otherwise. It’s been shown that using special mixtures and other questionable construction methods only causes the stucco to be less effective, thus weakening faster and opening up you and your home to potential health concerns.

So whenever stucco is applied using these questionable, improper methods, the wood or block behind the stucco absorbs excessive moisture, potentially causing damage to your property, such as wood rot and various health risks, like mold, insect infestation, and bacteria.

What You Can Do

Fortunately, hiring a qualified construction defect lawyer who is well-versed in defective construction can assist you in getting the compensation you deserve. For better or worse, there are many instances of homebuilders taking shortcuts or improperly applying stucco, so the right attorney can ensure that the correct steps are taken to file a lawsuit against the original contractor.

Moreover, you don’t have to wait until your home is severely damaged to take action. If you notice that there are defects in your property’s stucco, don’t delay in contacting a trusted lawyer with experience in handling defective construction.

Your family’s health and wellbeing are of the utmost importance. The sooner your construction defect lawyer files the necessary paperwork, the sooner you can be made whole and ensure the safety of your loved ones.