I did a blog entry on Kickout Flashing a while back that I titled CSI. Scroll down to see it.
Well, here is my next chapter on Kickout... or the lack thereof...

This home is a 1000sqft bungalow, late 90s build in the Villages. Frame with vinyl siding. The vinyl has been improperly installed, with no water resistive membrane. That is a huge issue, in itself. But even with the correct membrane installed, the lack of kickout would have resulted in water intrusion. The membrane (commonly called House Wrap or Tyvek) is not designed to shed bulk water. So the flashing is essential. Now, some builders will tell you that Kickout is not required... well they are right... The code only states that it must be a water tight seal. We have learned over time that the best way to do that is with kickout flashing.

​Flashing is a permanent thing, whereas caulking and sealing will fail over time.  It has never EVER been code to funnel water behind a wall... 

Here is a little video that I made while at the property. I update FB much more often than my webpage, as I can do it on the fly... ​

I spoke with a General Contractor and sent him the video and pictures. His rough estimate is that a proper repair, to include the removal of the vinyl, installation of house wrap, and repair all the rotten wood (that we know will be at the windows and doors etc), install all the correct flashings, and then replace the vinyl... will be north of $30,000... may be as high as $50,000, depending on the amount of damage they find when they peel things apart... Yikes!

#doyoureallyknowwhatyouarebuying
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Stucco as an exterior cladding has been used for centuries. It is a fantastic exterior cladding when it is done correctly... but when it is not... 

So, what is stucco? Basically it is concrete. I could get a bit more in-depth, but that is what it boils down to. Today, we don't use a true 3step Stucco finish. What we use these days is called a "cementitious finish".... but everyone still calls it stucco. And, just like anything else, it has to be installed correctly and properly maintained. Over masonry, it has to be at least 3/8" think. Over frame it has to be at lest 7/8"! Maintenance wise, it has to be painted regularly and any joints etc sealed. Remember that your exterior paint is your raincoat.

Let's take a look at this 2007 Central Florida home. Besides being bigger than most (almost 4k sqft) it is very typical. The first floor is masonry and the top floor is frame. 

We will start on the lower floor and we will find that the paint is chalky and faded with multiple stucco cracks. We are gonna focus on these three because they show the issue the best. On the right side of the home, there are three cracks that are six or eight feet apart. But, the important part is that they are in the garage area. The garage does not have drywall or other interior finish, so it really tells the story. 

Now we can look at the frame upper portion... 

Remember that the better you caulk, seal, and paint... the better your house will perform!
AND
Interior paint and exterior paint... the only thing they have in common is the word Paint. Interior paint is lipstick, exterior paint is your raincoat!

#doyoureallyknowwhatyouarebuying