House Siding Water Damage

Stucco water damage solutions.

House siding water damage.

Preventing water damage behind siding takes a layered approach. Water can also seep in behind faux stone and other external walls around your home. The sheathing and framing sometimes need repairs too but that is less common. Let s look at the examples illustrated in the photos below all needed some type of siding repairs.

Unfortunately you won t be covered when normal wear and tear is at issue. Common locations for water leaks in siding are at the corners of the house anywhere two siding panels meet and around the windows where the siding abuts the trim. Plumbing faucets or pipes leaking over time causing damage to the walls ceilings or floors. Flashing tiles shingles or deteriorating parts on the roof that indicated signs of needed repair.

When clapboards or shakes are rotten or broken your home s siding can no longer do the job it s meant to do. According to the insurance information institute homeowners insurance may help pay for repairs if for instance your drywall is drenched after your water heater ruptures or an upstairs pipe bursts and water saturates the ceiling below. Most homeowners insurance policies help cover water damage if the cause is sudden and accidental. If these pieces aren t replaced or if regular maintenance isn t performed water damage and resulting wear and tear can occur.

The common methods for achieving this involves a combination of proper flashing trim caulking and layering of sheeting. Whether you have a burst pipe a leaking air conditioner or whatever else fixing that should be your first priority. My home was struck by lightning recently and the siding took a hit too. Preventing water damage behind siding takes a layered approach both literally and figuratively.

The repair is simple if you follow the details in the illustration above. Water damage caused by seepage coming in from cracks in the foundation or at the exterior of the house allowing water to enter your home. Here the biggest danger is water seeping in behind your siding and causing permanent damage to more vulnerable materials. It s the water that penetrates that causes problems because it likely won t get enough air circulation to remove the moisture and wood that has more than 20 moisture will rot.

Unsealed gaps in these spots. In most cases the original layer of building paper or housewrap at the bottom of the wall was enough to prevent water infiltration and damage beneath the siding. The sunroom here was built well. We tear off the damaged hardboard and replace it with fiber cement siding.

Before you even think of fixing your water damaged stucco make sure you fix the cause of the water damage.