Woodpeckers are always looking for food, and they will peck a hole in your exterior stucco in the springtime. When they realize there are no worms or ants inside your wall, they will move on to another spot.
Small birds such as sparrows or swallows will spot the hole and go into the hole and pick the foam out, to build a nest inside the wall cavity. This hole will cause damage to your entire elevation if not repaired. This occurs due to water infiltration at the breach, saturating the foam. Come winter the water-logged system expands as it freezes and pushes the coatings away from the foam. This causes giant blisters and in some cases entire elevations to fail. If left unchecked these little holes can lead to major problems from substrate rot to interior water damage and mold.
The cheap fix is to pump polyurethane into the hole, grind it back, add a mesh, base coat and finish coat. This patch will become thicker than the wall itself because its layers do not integrate with the underlying system. The result is a “bull’s eye” bulge, which will only last for 1 or 2 years, and you’ll be at risk for patch failure and further surface and potential structural damage.
The correct fix will cost anywhere from $250-$450 per hole, which is much cheaper than fixing an entire elevation (the eventual result of not doing anything or performing cheap fixes). We cut a 1’x1′ square and replace it with new foam, a new moisture barrier if necessary, and then grind the finish coat back on the existing wall about 3 inches apply a 5oz mesh, scratch coat and finally a finish coat. In the event the wall has been imprinted with carbon (pollution) or has been bleached by the sun, we guarantee a minimum 90% colour match or better. with the proper procedures followed.
Done properly the result will be a seamless patch that will last the life of your wall system.
