Stucco and EIFS questions from Joliet and Will County
The questions Joliet Stucco & EIFS answers on the phone every week, written down. Prices quoted here come from the published table; area-specific questions live on each service area page.
Answered
- What is the difference between EIFS and stucco?
- Stucco is a cement plaster applied in three coats over lath, about an inch thick, hard and heavy. EIFS, sold under names like Dryvit, Sto and Senergy, is a foam insulation board glued to the sheathing, covered with a thin base coat with mesh and an acrylic finish. It looks like stucco from the street, sounds hollow when you knock, and handles water completely differently. Houses in Will County built after about 1985 with a stucco look are almost always EIFS.
- Can I just paint my EIFS instead of recoating it?
- Ordinary exterior latex over a chalking EIFS finish peels within a few winters because it does not bond to the chalk and does not breathe like the original finish. A proper recoat uses a bonding primer and a 100 percent acrylic finish made for the material. It costs more than paint per square foot and lasts three to four times as long.
- How often should synthetic stucco be recoated?
- Every 10 to 15 years in northern Illinois, sooner on west and south elevations that take full sun and prairie wind. The chalk test tells you when: wipe the wall, and if your hand comes away tinted, the binder has broken down and the wall is due.
- How much does it cost to recoat a house in Joliet?
- $3 to $5.50 per square foot of wall in our published table, which puts a typical two-story between $6,000 and $15,000 and a front-elevation-only house between $1,800 and $4,500. The full table with ten job types is on the cost guide.
- What time of year can you do the work?
- Finish coats need the wall above about 40°F for 24 hours, so the season runs mid-April through late October in Joliet. Inspections and most repairs run year-round. Fall slots go first-come and fill by early September most years.
- Do I need a permit?
- A like-for-like recoat or small patch on a house generally does not need one in Joliet or the surrounding villages. Replacing sheathing, changing cladding material or touching structure does. We confirm the category with the local building department before quoting anything that opens a wall, and we pull the permit when one applies.
- Does insurance cover EIFS problems?
- Sudden damage such as hail or a fallen limb, usually yes. Chalking, cracking, sealant failure and long-term water intrusion are maintenance or gradual damage and are excluded on nearly every Illinois homeowners policy. We document what we find either way.
- My inspector flagged the EIFS on a house I am buying. What do I do?
- Get a probe-tested moisture inspection, $450 to $850, with a written report inside your contingency window. Most Will County houses read dry and close on schedule; the ones that read wet get a repair priced from the published table so you negotiate on a number.
- Are you licensed?
- Illinois issues no state license for stucco or EIFS trades. We hold City of Joliet contractor registration and carry general liability insurance, and the certificate comes with the quote on request.
- Do you give free estimates?
- Yes. The quote visit, with meter and chalk readings on every wall, is free and you get a written number from the published table. The paid item is the probe inspection with a report, $450 to $850, which is what a wall with stains or a real estate transaction needs.
- How far from Joliet do you go?
- Our listed towns run from Naperville and Bolingbrook in the north to Frankfort and Mokena in the east and Shorewood and Plainfield in the west. Outside those but inside Will, Kendall or southern DuPage County, call and ask; we say up front if a trip charge applies.