Stucco Inspection in Phoenix

Three kinds of people call us for an inspection. Buyers who need to know what they are walking into before the inspection period closes. Homeowners who have noticed something and do not know how worried to be. And snowbirds coming back to a house that has been sitting empty since April.

Either way, you get a straight assessment. What is cosmetic, what is urgent, and what each item costs to fix.

Call 602-228-5012

Buying a house with stucco?

A general home inspector will note visible cracking. What they usually will not tell you is whether that cracking is normal thermal movement or a symptom of something structural, or whether there is moisture sitting behind the wall.

That distinction can be the difference between a $500 item and a $15,000 one, and it is worth knowing before your inspection period runs out.

We look at every elevation, check weep screed clearance, go hard at window and door perimeters, probe anything that seems soft, and give you a written summary you can take into the negotiation.

Valley-specific things we pay attention to: homes from the 2004 to 2007 build wave, where speed sometimes beat detail. Flat-roof homes with parapets. Anywhere landscaping or a paver patio has been built up against the wall after the fact.

Coming back for the season?

If the house has been closed up since spring, it has been through a full monsoon with nobody looking at it. Wind-driven rain, a failed irrigation line spraying a wall for months, a broken scupper. None of it announces itself.

A walk-around before you settle back in is cheap insurance, and October through December is our quietest stretch, so scheduling is easy.

Already live here?

Call us if you are seeing any of this:

• Staining or discoloration running down from a window or roofline
• Soft or spongy spots when you press on the wall
• Bubbling, blistering or peeling paint
• White chalky residue, which is efflorescence and means water is moving through the wall
• Cracks that have widened noticeably since last year
• Stucco sitting within a couple inches of soil, gravel or a patio slab
• Drip irrigation or a sprinkler head hitting the house

Those last two are the ones people ignore longest and regret most.

What we check

Surface condition. Crack mapping by type and width, delamination, texture and coating failure.

Water entry points. Window and door perimeters, penetrations for hose bibs, vents, lights, conduit and solar, roof to wall junctions, parapet caps.

Drainage detail. Weep screed presence and clearance above grade and paved surfaces. This is a very common Valley failure, usually because landscaping, gravel or a patio got added years after the house was built. More on weep screed

Irrigation. Where drip lines and sprinkler heads are throwing water, which is a leading cause of damage at the base of Valley walls.

Moisture. Probing and meter readings anywhere something looks off.

System type. Traditional three-coat or synthetic EIFS, which changes everything about how repairs get done.

What you get

A written report with photos, findings sorted into urgent, monitor and cosmetic, and cost ranges for each item. Plain language, not a list of terms you have to look up.

If we find nothing serious, we will say that too. Not every wall has a problem.

Common questions

Do you charge for inspections?

A quick look at one specific problem is free, and that covers most calls. A full documented inspection with a written report, which is what buyers usually need, is a paid service. We will tell you which one you need when you call.

How long does it take?

An hour to two for a typical single-family home, depending on size and access.

Can you do it before my inspection period ends?

Usually yes. Tell us the deadline when you call and we will work to it.

If you find problems, do I have to hire you?

No. The report is yours. Plenty of people use ours to negotiate with a seller and never call us again, which is fine by us.

When is the best time to have this done?

May or June, before monsoon season, if you are being proactive. That is when sealing anything open actually prevents damage rather than repairing it.

Is this the same as a home inspection?

No. A home inspector covers the whole house and notes stucco issues in passing. We only look at stucco, which means we can tell you what a crack pattern actually means and whether there is moisture behind the wall.

Book a look

Call 602-228-5012. If you are on a contract deadline, say so and we will prioritize it.