Winter may be coming to an end, but with New Mexico’s accompanying freeze-thaw cycles, your home may have left-behind damage that’s easy to miss. The overnight freezing temperatures can freeze moisture, which then thaw with daytime sun, freeze overnight again, and repeat for months — this can in turn damage vulnerable junctures of the roof, walls, and other home infrastructure.
Because of how this cycle can go unseen, it’s important to inspect your house and roof at the end of winter and onset of spring, to make sure you catch potential issues before they worsen into a headache that’s more expensive, more time-consuming, and much more of a problem.
Let’s look at the details:
Why spring is the time for a stucco inspection
It all comes down to the mechanisms we just discussed above with the freeze-thaw cycle.
In a vacuum, this cycle sounds quite innocent — water becomes ice becomes water again — but the issues arise in how the thawed water can potentially seep into cracks and pores in materials and then expand when it freezes again. Particularly when repeated, this can trap moisture and stress the stucco exterior of your home, both creating new pockets of damage and worsening existing damage.
The intense UV exposure of Santa Fe and New Mexico overall can also exacerbate some of these problems, putting additional strain on exteriors.
Altogether, spring ends up the ideal time to assess these exteriors because it lies between the stresses of our winter freeze-thaw, but before the summer heat and monsoon season arrive.
Spring stucco inspection checklist
So, with that in mind, what specifically should you be looking for during a spring inspection?
New cracks or expanding hairline cracks
When conducting this assessment, start here.
Walk the perimeter of your home and note any cracks that are new or that appear wider, longer, or deeper than before. Pay especially close attention to the area around windows, doors, corners, rooflines, and any seams or transition points between materials — basically, the junctures of the home’s exterior build, which are most vulnerable.
Luckily, the occasional minor hairline crack can be normal and not a cause for concern. But cracks that show growth can signal larger issues that you want to address as soon as possible.
Flaking, chipping, or surface delamination
Check for stucco that appears to be peeling away, crumbling, or blistering. Anything that shows separating from the wall should be noted.
When this happens, it may indicate moisture has been trapped, from there repeatedly expanding and contracting throughout the winter and stressing the stucco exterior in the process.
Staining or discoloration
Take note of any dark streaks or uneven coloration here. At the same time, staining under roof edges and/or around penetrations can indicate a moisture problem from the freeze-thaw cycle.
As a tip, here are some ways to distinguish between normal, natural weathering that comes with time and sun exposure, versus water damage discoloration.
Normal weathering appears:
- Even and gradual across larger areas
- Fading in such a way that’s consistent with sun exposure
- Dry to the touch
- Without bubbling, softness, or surface breakdown
Stains that can be indicative of moisture damage are often:
- Dark, patchy, and/or concentrated in one area
- Streaking downward
- Irregularly shaped
- Cracking, bulging, or flaking and soft
High-risk areas
Other than the above appearances to make note of, you should also pay special attention to particularly higher-risk spots of your stucco.
These include windows, doors, and trims, which can all be extra vulnerable. Check for caulking that may be cracked, plus gaps, softened edges, or any separation where stucco meets other material.
After, check the wall base. This can be at risk if landscaping or soil is too close to the stucco exterior. When this happens, it can trap moisture instead of letting it drain, damaging lower stucco at the wall base from the freeze and thaw.
Similar to the wall base, you should assess the intersection of the roof and wall as well. This juncture can be a potential weakness from seams and heavy moisture activity, as can drainage areas for those same reasons.
Interior areas
Lastly, don’t forget to check the inside of your home too, which can give clues to any damage from moisture intrusion. Any bubbling paint, interior staining, or drywall damage can be a sign, as can new musty odors.
When is stucco damage cosmetic versus in need of professional attention?
This is really a key question that’s worth educating yourself on; obviously it’s better safe than sorry so, when in doubt, it’s best to call local stucco professionals, but there are ways cosmetic damage can appear that’s minor enough to not worry about.
Cosmetic damage tends to appear as such:
- Very fine hairline cracks in isolation
- Minor color variation
- Light surface weathering
On the flip side, these are similar signs that should alert you to the need for professional intervention:
- Widening cracks, or repeated cracking in the same area
- Flaking and bulging
- Staining accompanied with moisture retention
- Separation around windows, doors, rooflines, and other seams
- Any sign of water getting trapped inside
Bottom line
The importance of a spring inspection really comes down to New Mexico’s environmental and seasonal factors, with the springtime perfectly sandwiched between the freeze-thaw cycle of winter and the UV and hot sun of summer.
The freeze-thaw is one of the most common causes of stucco and roofing damage in our part of the world, which is what makes this annual inspection so critical; catching cracks and other signs of moisture damage early allows you to address these concerns head-on before they escalate into something much worse (and more expensive). At the same time, doing so helps extend the life of your stucco — and just keeps your home looking good!
Hopefully your springtime inspection comes away clear, but if you do find signs of more pressing damage that should be looked at by a professional, don’t hesitate to give Santa Fe Stucco & Roofing a call!