Exterior Framing

Phoenix Business Group
Consumer Advocacy Services

Your stucco on any wall will need to be completely removed and replaced if any of the following four conditions are found.

The stucco is no longer connected to the stud wall. Kick the wall or hit it with a rubber mallet. Long vertical cracks often provide a clue that stucco has separated from the wall. If you kick the wall and it moves by over a half-inch (check around windows), something is probably damaged in the framing beneath the stucco. Vertical cracks at 1-inch intervals indicates cracks have occurred at every stud. This is cause to suspect loose stucco.
More than 10 percent of the horizontal length of the stucco wall is cracked. A crack spanning more than 10 percent of a stucco wall is like a run spanning more than 10 percent of a nylon stocking. The cracked wall has failed as a structural member. It can no longer provide lateral force resistance. Latex paint is made out of rubber and polymers which may mask cracks in your underlying stucco. If you are not sure where a crack ends, use a wire brush to remove the latex paint to allow direct inspection of the stucco beneath.
Windows or doors do not open or close properly or are very loose. Place your 4-foot level along the center of doors or windows that do not operate smoothly. Chances are you will discover that the wall around overly tight or overly loose doors and windows has bowed, racked or twisted. Bowed, racked or twisted walls mean that there are now eccentric loads causing bending in your stud framing. These additional forces were not present before the earthquake. The engineering terminology for the forces present on a bowed, racked or twisted wall is a "P-delta effect". A bending moment equal to the load (P) times the dimension of bowing or racking (delta) is now applied to the framing in addition to the load for which the wall was originally designed. You may need to add plywood paneling to resist this new post-quake bending moment.
Cracks are over 1/8-inch wide or are over 6 inches long over windows or doors. Let's run a simple experiment. Nail one 2 x 4 stud to a second 2 x 4 stud in a T pattern. Now, to simulate an earthquake, rock and roll the stud back and forth across the other stud for the duration of the initial shock in the Northridge earthquake. Then, every hour or so, pick the T up and rock it back and forth again across the T for another few seconds to simulate an aftershock. Lets do this for a few months, gradually increasing the interval between aftershocks. After a few months, try to pull the studs apart by hand. You will be able to do this because the rocking motion has caused the nail holes to grow larger than the nails. The connection will be much looser than it was before the earthquake. This will be true even if the studs are not cracked, split or damaged. When you see large diagonal stress cracks at door and window openings, the experiment with the 2 x 4 studs has alrea! dy o ccurred. The nail connections are loose and need repair.

Exterior wood paneling may mask damage. Where wood veneer is present, check the plumbness and check for bowing.

Masonry veneer should be checked for cracks in mortar or in the brick, block or stone.

Go back

Back to the Home page.

[ Real Property ] [ Consulting Services ] [ Owners ] [ Managers ] [ Realtors ]
[ Contractors ] [ Soil Engineers ] [ Inspectors ] [ Building Designers ] [ Appraisers ]
[ Structural Engineers ] [ Architects ] [ Lenders ] [ CPAs/Tax Preparers ] [ Public Relief ]
[ Friends & Families of Disaster Victims ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Insurance ] [ Property Insurance Services ]
[ Public Insurance Adjusters ] [ Attorneys ] [ Other Professionals ] [ Healthcare ]
[ HMO/Health Insurer Honesty & Accountibility Act ] [ California Senate Bill 1283 ]
[ California Consumer Health Care Council ] [ The Law ] [ Laws & Regulations ] [ Proposed Legislation ]
[ Links To Other Resources ] [ About Us ]