When planning other renovations alongside EIFS, a few things need to be taken into consideration. Some renovations are directly affected by the stucco, such as windows and soffits, while others such as landscaping may be directly in the way of the stucco application. Knowing this in advance can help you avoid costly delays and more particularly, costly fixes down the road.

Windows
Many homeowners will look at replacing their current windows with “Energy Star Qualified” windows simultaneously with EIFS when bitten by the “Green Bug.” This is actually the perfect time to do so. Once your wall is coated with a thermal barrier, your windows may become the source of greatest heat loss on your home. Window replacements NEED to be done BEFORE replacing your siding. In order to properly maintain a countinuous weather barrier, the EIFS applicator will need to tie their transition membrane directly from the trowel-applied weather barrier onto the window frame itself. Once the stucco is applied, this is no longer a possibility without removing a section of EIFS from around the window and patching it. This would require refinishing of the whole section of the wall surrounding the window so that the patch is not noticeable – which can be quite expensive.

Soffits
Soffits should be removed prior to EIFS installation. The new wall cladding should extend up, beyond the soffit, and the soffit should be re-attached directly into the EIFS. You can tell when the homeowner was too lazy to do this because the raised portion of the accordion-fold soffit contains no EIFS behind it. Aside from this aesthetic disturbance, it may also potentially allow rain to penetrate up and behind the wall with a gust of wind. Some homeowners have opted to fill this gap with backer rod and caulking, which although still not technically correct will cover up the problem.

Landscaping
Landscaping should be completed AFTER your cladding replacement. The applicators need to place scaffold around the walls they are working on, and the scaffolding will need to rest on planks (per WSIB regulations.) This means anything under the planks is being effectively “squished” for a few days; however, there is some flexibility on where the scaffold (and planks) sit with the use of scaffolding outriggers. Let’s not forget the mess rasping insulation leaves — any previously planted vegetation will receive a light dusting of styrofoam, whereas anything planted afterwards can cover the styrofoam. This isn’t so bad — loose styrofoam is a great soil fill material as it is hydrophobic and allows for better drainage.

The Bottom Line
You may want to save a little more so as to proceed with all the renovations together, in the correct order as they compliment one another well. By replacing your windows BEFORE EIFS you’ll double your “Green” efforts and ensure your windows may be properly tied into your new weather barrier (just don’t forget to cover them when installing EIFS!). Replacing or atleast temporarily removing your soffit will allow for a countinuuous cladding and help keep rain out of your wall. Lastly, nothing goes with a new cladding like landscaping to drastically change the look of your home and make it really stand out. All your neighbours will wonder how you a built a new house so fast and professionally.