Stucco Repair in Plymouth, MN

If you are looking for stucco repair in Plymouth, there is a good chance your house was built during the decades the city grew fastest. Plymouth went from 18,077 residents in 1970 to 50,889 in 1990 and 65,894 in 2000. That growth overlaps the years when Minnesota builders produced many stucco homes that later had serious moisture damage. The good news is that the causes are well documented, so we know where to look.

What the Woodbury study found

The City of Woodbury tracked every one of its 670 stucco homes from 1999 onward. By February 2011, 451 of them, or 67%, had failed and been repaired, on average 9.9 years after they were built. The city pointed to four primary causes: window leaks, missing kickout flashing, improper deck flashing and grade above the wood framing. Woodbury is not Plymouth, but the builders, methods and materials of that era were used across the metro. Those four points are where we start on any Plymouth home of the same vintage.

1. Windows

Water that gets past a window frame runs down inside the wall, behind the stucco, where nobody sees it. Typical signs are stains or soft drywall below a window inside, or cracks running from the lower corners outside. We check the sill and jamb flashing and the sealant joints, and we test the sheathing below the corners.

2. Roof lines that end at a wall

Where a lower roof edge runs into a stucco wall, rain pours off the roof right onto the wall unless a kickout flashing turns it away. Without one, the wall below often rots in a fan shape. Minnesota now requires kickout flashing whenever a home is re-sided, so it becomes part of any repair we do in that area.

3. Decks

A deck ledger bolted to the house through stucco needs flashing above it. Without it, water collects behind the ledger and soaks into the rim and sheathing. Since decks are common on Plymouth homes, we look closely at that joint.

4. Grade and landscaping

When soil, mulch, pavers or a patio slab sits at or above the bottom of the stucco, the wall wicks water upward into the framing. Raising garden beds over the years can create this problem slowly. We measure clearances and suggest changes to the grade as part of the repair.

How a repair goes

• Find it: probe testing at the four high-risk locations, with readings recorded by spot.
• Open it: remove stucco in the affected area to see the full extent.
• Fix the cause: new flashing at windows, kickouts, ledgers or grade, not just new stucco.
• Rebuild: replace damaged sheathing, install a weather-resistive barrier and lath, and apply new stucco in layers.
• Match: finish coat textured and colored to blend with the rest of the house, or a full recoat for a uniform look.

When sheathing comes off, Minnesota's re-siding rules require a building permit, replacement of rotted sheathing and framing, and inspections of the barrier and flashing before the wall is closed. We arrange those inspections with the city as part of the job.

Plymouth-specific planning

If your Plymouth neighborhood has a homeowner association, it may have rules about exterior colors and contractor hours. If you plan to change your color while we recoat, check with your association first. We can give you a written scope to send in.

Call (612) 482-6637 to talk through what you are seeing.

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