JKA was hired to investigate water intrusion in the stucco wall of a wood frame condominium building in Oakland, California. 

The neighbor’s strategy to create a rapidly growing plant screen utilizing bamboo created an unanticipated problem.

JKA’s investigation revealed that the bamboo had grown both in front and behind the stucco cladding, its shoots finding the space behind the stucco weep at the base of the wall and extending up three stories. This invasion caused water intrusion and decay, which impacted the structural integrity of the wall. The bamboo’s forceful growth displaced the stucco by as much as 1¼ inches, resulting in the detachment of the stucco from the substrate and exacerbating cracking throughout the wall.

JKA’s scope of repair included:

• Replacing decayed wood framing and structural plywood.
• Rain-screen stucco system utilizing a silicone coating waterproofing weather barrier system (to mitigate future damage to waterproof envelope).
• Properly spaced stucco control joints
• Sheetmetal flashing below the weep screed at the bottom of the wall, acting as a blocking mechanism to any future potential bamboo growth.
• A root barrier and a concrete V-ditch adjacent to the lot line.