Stucco Failure: Insulation Delaminating
Hey everyone, looking for some sanity checks on a stucco/insulation failure on my house.
The house is older, but it was completely renovated 10 years ago with a rigid foam insulation system under synthetic stucco/EIFS. One and half-ish of the walls are completely fine, solid, and uncracked. However, the other two (and a half) walls are in rough shape.
The stucco itself is mostly intact and firmly stuck to the 1-inch rigid foam, but the foam has completely delaminated from the house sheathing. If you press on the walls, you can literally feel the stucco and insulation bouncing/flexing against the house. It’s clear they didn’t use enough (or any) mechanical fasteners into the studs when they put the foam up.
My home inspector checked it with a thermal gun from the inside and didn’t see signs of active moisture, but I want to be 100% sure before moving forward. He didn't seem like it was a urgent issue but I'd to nip it in the butt.
A few questions for anyone who has dealt with this:
Is this salvageable without a total tear-off? Can I drill pilot holes into the studs, use long EIFS/stucco screws with wide insulation plates to pull the foam back tight against the sheathing, and then patch the holes?
Is the patching nightmare worth it? I know I’ll need hundreds of screws to secure a bouncing wall. Will it end up looking like a permanent case of polka dots, or can an elastomeric paint job cover the patches well?
Can I redo just 2.5 sides? Budget is tight. If I have to tear down, can I strip just the bad walls back to the sheathing and leave the two perfectly fine walls alone?
DIY Moisture Testing: I want to buy a moisture meter and drill my own test holes to check the OSB sheathing behind the foam before I do anything. Do I need a high-end inspector kit, or can I modify a cheaper pin-meter with insulated extension pins so the stucco/mesh doesn't throw off the readings?
Appreciate any advice, product recommendations, or reality checks!