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I live in one of millions of older homes that have stucco applied right to the ground, like so:

Stucco to ground

There's really no way to retrofit a conventional weep screed here. Lowering grade is not feasible except in spots. Are there alternative designs?

Note that this is not as bad as it looks: the skip sheathing allows a lot of drying to the inside and except for two areas with overt leaks above, the wood is in good shape. In the leaking areas the sill rots as shown.

Bryce
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I would take an angle grinder and cut a 1" channel in the stucco right where it meets the concrete foundation. Then you can slip some new tar paper into the gap underneath the existing (probably deteriorating) layer. Should help a bit. It's also enough of a capillary break to stop the rising damp and will allow you to inspect for termites.

Long-term, the best solutions would be removing and re-applying the stucco (possibly not as expensive as it sounds) or applying a new layer of stucco over the existing layer, with a few inches of rigid foam between old and new.

iLikeDirt
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  • You may need a lot more than an angle grinder. I've tried cutting old stucco before. That stuff is seriously dense! Might have to go the concrete saw method. – DA01 Feb 25 '16 at 23:07
  • The rule of thumb I've heard is concrete takes 100 years to cure, 100 years to disintegrate. The stucco of a 1930's house is at maximum strength. – Bryce Dec 15 '17 at 15:30