I think it also depends on the climate....where we live it was used a lot in the 90's, and called "synthetic stucco." There were moisture problems associated with it, and people with these homes have to have a special stucco inspection prior to selling. People make a big deal about differentiating b/w this product and "hard coat stucco" which is not considered a negative. I know many people who have bought homes sided with Dryvit, and removed it. They typically use Hardi shingles or something like that. But, with all this said, I live in the humid SE, in other climates it may perform differently. Oh, and it isn't being used at all in new builds around here now.

I wouldn't use it - and I am also in the south. It is a real problem . . . they say it is limited to where it was not installed correctly but it was more often than not not installed correctly. Homes that are Dryvit just don't sell around here. We had a dryvit accent on our last home but from what I was told by the real estate agent, the dryvit didn't touch the ground so it doesn't have the same moisture problems.

What about a mortar wash over the brick? Gives you the look of stucco but without all the problems associated with Dryvit.

Thanks Nini--very informative. Our architect mentioned NC when he was talking about the problems with Dryvit.

Athensmom--just googled mortar wash images. I really like that look. The back half of the building was an addition and the brick on that part of the building looks significantly differently (to me). Would a mortar wash cover the brick on the building to make the brick look homogenous for lack of a better word?

Great idea BTW. I like it.

I lived in a home with Dryvit for 13 years and just sold it in January. Improper installation does have a lot to do with having problems and caulking and properly installed kick out flashing is a must. Moisture can get inside the walls from bad caulk joints at doors/windows and Dryvit is so tight of an install the water has no place to go and it will stay inside the walls and eventually can rot the OSB and framing material.
The problems with Dryvit usually don't come from touching the ground but from above.

I'm in the Chicago area and Dryvit houses seem to have a hex on them around here - no one wants to buy the ones that exist. There have been loads of problems with them here but only some of that is related to water infiltration. Birds, especially woodpeckers, and animals can get through it easily. Once a woodpecker drills it, squirrels, chipmunks and mice take advantage.

If all you need to do is get some brick that doesn't match perfectly but is close to blend, what about lime wash? Love the look and it might be "just enough" to cover any demarcation between old and new brick.

Of course, I am a painted brick fan and my sister has a painted brick house in Charlotte with no maintenance after 14 years (other than on the wood windows and so forth) so I am crossing fingers. What is your husband's objection - looks or maintenance?

The dryvit on my old house kind of freaked me out. When we switched out the light fixtures there was some sort of styrofoam inside the dryvit?? Plus I defended some dryvit cases as an attorney years and years ago in the heat of the dryvit litigation and there are some real, legitimate moisture problems. Frankly, after building, I wouldn't trust a contractor to "do it right" when it was not anything I could inspect/see the problems in.

Plus there are real disadvantages upon resale - perhaps that will persuade your husband?!

Stay away from it. NO insurance will insure you!!

robin0919...Dryvit does have it's problems but come on with that statement...I had Dryvit and had Farmers Insurance for 10 years before switching to American Family for 3 years and not a problem getting insurance at all....there are hundreds if not thousands of Dryvit homes in my area and many of them are over 7 figures.

Thanks Loto--appreciate input from someone that has lived with this product.

Dlm--I am 3 hrs south of Chicago. I had to google woodpeckers and Dryvit and laughed at the woman that wrote the blog in the link. Whoa, this would drive me crazy.

Athensmom--I love painted brick. I love you and Nini's houses. DH is just a painted house bigot and there is no convincing him. I would build a painted house if I could talk him into it, but on some things he just can't be reasoned with. On most other things, he lets me have my way...since he knows I do my research. So I will definitely look into your other suggestions, since the brick issue is indeed a cosmetic one of mismatched brick.

Robin--thanks for your comment :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

We did have a problem with woodpeckers too...seems they always wanedt to peck a hole on the highest and least accessible spot on our home.

LOTO, I've talked to insurance companies in this area and they will NOT insur. those houses. You might be able to find one but will pay thru the roof for it.

I've been told that a lot of corporate relocation services will not deal with houses that have synthetic stucco on them.

My house is some sort of synthetic stucco. I have never had trouble getting insurance. And I've never had any issues with the house. However, I wouldn't buy another one because of re-sale issues.

Dryvit is one of the oldest brands of EIFS but there are others (like STO) so it is best to avoid trade names unless you have selected the one brand you want to use.

This material is used successfully on commercial buildings all over the US and Europe. What US home builders seem to not understand is that they need follow the commercial specs: a commercial grade weather barrier, a proper drainage plane, proper flashing, extruded polystyrene, mesh, and hard coat synthetic stucco.

I have an old house which had 100 year old stucco which was cracking. We replaced with Dryvit. Many homes in this area have dryvit and there is no problem with insurance. My question is I would like to replace the window boxes with copper window boxes. Will the copper "drip" in time and stain the dryvit? We have copper flashing and a small copper roof on one side of the house, and that has not stained the stucco nor does it seem to stain the current dryvit.