!!!WARNING FOR BUYERS !!!

EIFS Siding

Now, let me show you a significant defect found in our Syncon Homes' product.  

The defect is related to the relationship between the foundation, the bottom of the wall structure, and the siding system used by Syncon Homes.  The siding is called EIFS, which is an acronym for "External Insulation Finishing System."  It's a system where stucco is placed over foam board insulation that is then attached to the sheathing on the wall in a variety of different ways.

According to the EIFS Industry Manufacturers' Association (EIMA), the bottom of the interior wall (sole plate) is to sit directly on the foundation so the EIFS siding can lie immediately adjacent to the foundation.  It allows the siding to do its job and protect the interior wooden wall components from decay, water intrusion, vermin infestation, and air infiltration.  Click here for a direct link to their full installation instructions from which the following picture was taken:

However, Syncon Homes failed, around the vast majority of the house, to install the siding in this fashion.  They did not put the wall's structure fully on the foundation to varying degrees.  Most often, the sole plate and sheathing projects beyond the outside edge of the foundation, which pushes the siding away from the foundation and leaves the sole plate and sheathing exposed.

The uncovered interior wall components places them in direct contact with the weather.  Air easily passes through the cracks and into the walls.  Perhaps this is the source of the drafts we've felt coming through the electrical outlets and switch plates.  It makes sense. 

It also snows here, so what happens as the snow piles up against the exposed areas?  What happens when rain is blown during our high winds into the side of the house?  I don't really need to say that it's not a good thing, do I?  Water in contact with wood leads to many things that don't need to be in the walls of a house.

Other questions also come to mind involving components inside the walls.  I won't address them here, but you can imagine what they might be.

Here are some representative pictures of the problem around the house:

We just have a question.  Does the sole plate in this picture look like pressure treated wood designed for weather exposure and for use as the base of the wall that's in contact with the concrete?  We don't see the systematic indentations that are apparent on pressure treated wood.  

We also wonder if we're seeing some mold growth, the black material adhered to the wood.  If that's what it looks like on the outside of the wood, we dread seeing what's going on inside this part of the house.

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Each one of these pictures shows areas that are exposed to the elements.  This installation not only runs contrary to the instructions of the EIMA, but it is just plain unacceptable.  Obviously, there is something wrong.  

How about another view . . . This one was taken inside the house through an opening cut into the drywall.

We pulled back the insulation so the different components could be seen.  The bottom line is that the picture shows how the incorrect assembly of the wall, in relation to the foundation, has left a void that will let lots of bad things get into spaces where they don't belong.  The picture is representative of the situation around the vast majority of the home.

In the end, it will lead to higher energy costs (heating/cooling) through air infiltration, vermin infestations through the unprotected openings, and premature deterioration of the exposed components for the homeowner, at the very least.  How can any reasonable company expect anyone to live with this legacy of their workmanship, especially when it's present around the vast majority of the home?

Finally, this begs the real issue.  How can this problem be fixed?  How can the foundation v. framing v. siding be made to look as described in the EIMA publication?  The only way we can see it done is to tear down the walls.  Of course, the roof won't stay up if the walls are torn down, so it would go too.  It's needed to correct whatever problem is present that led to the situation in the picture, be it a foundation that's not square, sill plates that were laid incorrectly, or a combination of these problems.  It's a situation that needs to be investigated to determine the true cause.

Now that we think about it, maybe the real problem begins with the way the foundation was poured.  We do know that the contractor who installed our patio told us that it was difficult to get it square in relation to the house.  He claimed that the house wasn't square.  If it is true, it would cause a problem with everything that goes on top of it.

Once the foundation issue is investigated, here's a code that directly addresses the issue.  It comes directly from the 2003 International Building Code.  That is the code that was in effect when construction began on our house.

The important words in section 1906.1.1 is "shall."  There is no option but to comply with the section.  The forms "shall" result in a foundation that conforms to the construction documents.  In this case, we seriously doubt that the plans for the house were designed with a trapezoidal room.  It's more than reasonable to expect that the house and rooms are supposed to be square, which would have allowed the sill to sit where designed and the siding to be installed according to the EIMA.  

Since it appears that something is wrong, and if it turns out that things are not square as per the "shall" section, a significant code violation would exist in the very basic structure of the house.  These codes are established for valid reasons, so bad things don't happen.  Perhaps it's the bad things we are experiencing with this home that the codes were written to avoid.  It makes sense to us, but it's something that needs to be investigated before a violation can be confirmed.

So, what are we left with?  We're left with absolutely, positively, nothing if the walls and roof need to be torn down to get to the foundation and resolve the subsequent problems.  Let's face it, it will no longer be a house.  

BTW, we have checked a variety of other non-Syncon Homes houses around the Carson Valley (Minden & Gardnerville areas) to see if their EIFS siding was assembled in the same fashion as this Syncon Homes house.  In all of the homes that we checked, absolutely, positively, without any question whatsoever, and in all cases, none of them were as pictured above.  All of them had their EIFS siding extending below the frame and sheathing and it was directly abutting the foundation in all cases.  The interior of the wall was fully protected as described by the EIMA and shown in the EIMA publication and picture in this section.  

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Lemke and the Hanlys should be ashamed!