For details on the program, visit: http://www.homeenergyontario.ca/
A more detailed guide will be available in the “Advanced” section at a later date.
UPDATE: The people behind the Retrofit Rebate Program saw the huge potential, and to further encourage home owners, raised the rebate by 25% to $3,750. Exterior Insulation Rebates.
An EIFS weather barrier is the same as putting building paper around your house, isn’t it? You can just slap it on and you’re safe, right? Yes… and no. Yes, it is a weather barrier which will keep moisture away from your substrate. No, it’s not the only component of a well constructed weather barrier. EIFS has gone through the fire of criticism and condemnation, and come out the other side stronger than any other cladding. It has undergone so much research and testing that it is now correcting faulty building methods in all other sidings as well as professionals’ understanding of their homes. A full weather barrier incorporates not only the weather barrier itself, but also caulking, flashing and window-tie ins in their respective location to keep water at bay.
Around any penetration in EIFS which may move (eg. hose bib, wiring, electrical meters) or openings which may expand and contract at different rates (eg. windows and doors) you will need caulking and a backer rod. Dissimilar materials expand and contract at different rates, causing rigid materials between them (such as a basecoat) to crack and leak water inside. Low-modulus caulking will expand and contract significantly before tearing, making it an ideal material for these gaps. However, caulking will only properly move when adhered to only 2 surfaces, therefore a closed-cell backer rod is required between the gap to provide a third surface, to which the caulking will not stick. It is recommended to caulk between the EIFS and other surface before applying the finish coat, as the caulking will not properly stick to finish coat.
Low Modulus Sealant Adhered to 2 Surfaces and Backer Rod
Look around at homes in your neighbourhood next time you’re out — how many windows have flashing over them? Water running behind claddings, then into the window frame is one of the most common causes of moisture problems in homes. Installing “kick out” flashing over a window will “kick out” any intruding water before it enters the window frame, preventing it from traveling any further down the substrate. Flashing needs to be installed starting behind the weather barrier, extending beyond the window frame, with a minimum 3/8″ drip edge (+ return) and sealant on the underside. It’s a good idea to get a color close to your stucco wall or trim (you likely won’t match it exactly) to blend in and minimize any aesthetic disturbance.
An additional step recommended by EIFS manufacturers (though rarely installed by applicators without proding) is window tie-ins using EIFS tape. EIFS tape covers from the outside weather barrier, across the window opening/framing and into the interior to completely seal the substrate, window frame and interior drywall from water intrusion. It is usually supplied as a peel-and-stick membrane (like duct tape), minimizing the time it takes to install and lower the chances of improperly installing it. It is worth asking who will do this as it is not normally within a stucco contractor’s scope of work.
Traditionally, it was uncommon to see flashing and window tie-ins on homes, and caulking (and the previous two) were never done by the EIFS applicator. More and more however, the burden is being placed on stucco applicators to completely seal the wall. Nobody likes asking for their cheque, then being told they’re expected to do more work that wasn’t included in their original scope and pricing. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect the applicators to take care of this step as part of their work — as long as it is clarified in advance so that they can include it in their price.
On renovations and other non-new construction, the potential for hidden problems (read: costs) is always there. This holds particularly true in renovating your siding, where you never know what condition your substrate is in. Does this mean you should avoid the issue altogether? No. As they say: Kill the monster while it’s small, before it has the chance to become a full grown problem.
Replacing old Siding
You may be looking at EIFS for a multitude of reasons; saving money on your heating bill, damaged siding, or you may just be looking for a more modern look. A good portion of homes built in the 70s, 80s and even 90s used unattractive and incorrectly installed vinyl or board and batten siding. These days, not only is the siding considered retro and shows signs of aging, but in most cases it wasn’t properly sealed and may be covering serious rot and mold. The fact is you don’t know if the subdivision builder slapped the walls together as quickly and cheaply as possible, at a time comparable to medieval age in terms of knowledge about weather resistance.
Stucco Substrate Condition
In replacing your siding with stucco, you will be forced to take a good look at your substrate and it’s suitability for synthetic stucco siding. Any instance of mold or rot will need to be replaced before the trowel-applied weather barrier can be applied. The substrate is required to be free of surface contamination, including (not not limited to); dirt, form release agents, efflorescence, oil, chalkiness, and cracks greater than 1mm. Even in situations where the substrate is fine, it may not be approved to have EIFS applied over it. EIMA defines a suitable substrate as: “gypsum sheathing in compliance with ASTM C 1396 (formerly C 79), glass-mat gypsum sheating in compliance with ASTM C 1177 (Dens-Glass Gold® or BPB GlassRoc), and gypsum fiber panels in compliance with ASTM C1278 (Fiberock® Brand, Aqua Tough™)” and certain manufacturers such as Durabond have products for exterior grade plywood (which also acts as lateral bracing). Felt paper or building wrap is no longer recommended because it requires mechanical attachment, which penetrates the weather barrier, allowing moisture in. Certain substrates such as exterior-grade drywall (gypsum sheating) may also require lateral bracing between studs. Lateral bracing is used to prevent excessive horizontal movement and assist in absorbing wind loads transferred to it from the stucco wall. When in doubt, you may want to have an engineer look at your walls so as to avoid having your siding crack down the road. A final note is that most EIFS manufacturers require less than 1/4″ deflection per 60″ span (L/240) — a feat that a good portion of construction projects wouldn’t meet if measured.
Retrofiting Stucco with Brick and CMU
With brick and CMU (concrete masonry units), your sheating and cladding may not need to be touched at all. Brick contains an air gap between itself and the substrate — usually covered in a building wrap. This means that while you may need to level the brick face with basecoat to properly adhere the styrofoam, you need not worry about replacing the substrate, adding a drainage layer or the stucco causing moisture problems. Along the same lines, CMU construction can not rot or support mold growth and usually acts as a partial weather barrier (note: they usually have poly installed between the masonry and interior drywall.) In this case, the styrofoam may be applied directly to the CMU. Even on brick and masonry, it is a good idea to to have the drainage channel to prevent water from becoming trapped behind the EIFS cladding; and they still need to comply with sheating requirements (free of dirt, form release agents, efflorescence, oil, chalkiness, and cracks greater than 1mm.)
Overview
It’s important to realize that whatever is currently on your house will have an impact on how any siding replacement proceeds, and stucco is no exception. It is a good idea to have some extra money budgeted and an agreement with you stucco contractor as to what will happen in the event you run into unsuitable substrate. Stucco Contractors rarely do sheating replacement and you will likely need to find a general renovation contractor to do this before they can proceed. You will also need to have a large bin on site to dispose of your old sheating and substrate, or specify this as part of your general contractor’s job. In the case of applying stucco directly over brick or masonry, you may even be able to save some money because there’s one less layer to be applied.
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.
