Stucco Maintenance

Doing stucco repair work for the last 4 years has been a real eye opener. One of the stark realities is that for the most part homeowners do not take good care of the exterior of their home. Why?

1. They do not know what to do. It is a little intimidating, "what if I use the wrong product, what if I make a mess or make the situation worse...!?"

2. The work can be dangerous. Pulling out the extension ladder to check the sealant on those 2nd story windows can be dangerous if you have not used it for a while and it's on the bottom of a pile in the garage.

3. It may require special tools. Some maintenance work requires special tools that can get expensive fast!

No matter what the reason the one thing I have learned is that... IT IS MORE ECONOMICAL TO DO MAINTENANCE THAN REPAIRS! Last month alone R&S did over 10k in repair work that could have been avoided with proper maintenance!

Call us for a free estimate to have your home maintained by a professional.

R&S Exterior Contractors

904-608-4123

R&S Completes First Home w/ New G-04-09 Stucco Requirements

We finished the first home with all the new requirements... including that TERRIBLE plaster stop and backer rod detial around the windows. This home is synthetic worm finish body and fine sand finish on the bands. It came out very nice. We use NP1 commerical sealant on the backer rod joint. PLEASE DO NOT USE CAULK it will fail and the window will leak!!! This home is being built by an engineer and he wanted a band on the top and a sill on the bottom so the sides were open... beautiful grey stucco w/ white sealant lines on both sides of the window. Good God Man! We used a chip brush and brushed color over the sealant. It looks good. I will post some pictures this week end. We always brown up to the top plate, and brown before adding banding, in this case we used primus and mesh to bond the band to the brown coat. Garanteed no cracks, no leaks. Now I have to worry about that "renewable sealant joint" all I want to know is who is going to renew it? And what happens when they dont? You got it... leaks.

The good news... we dont have to install the baker rod and sealant from here forward for now. The reality... as a building industry we have to develop alternate details.

How to feed your blog into your web site! ?!?!

This has been a challange for me! I finally got the feed in my site and here is the easy, free, service I used to do it. http://feed.informer.com/

It is easy to find online article on how to do all this social media networking stuff the problem is you have to know the techno babble buzz words to search for the answers.

I thought... stream your blog, embed your blog... on and on... if you want a list of directions to do this google or search "how to feed my blog into my web site" presto answers.

First-Time Home Buyers Can Turn Tax Credit Into Cash

This came to me through the NAHB E-newsletter. It got me excited because I believe this will create purchase oppertunities for first time home buyers market. Including two of my employees....

First-time buyers eligible for the $8,000 federal tax credit who apply for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration may soon also be eligible for bridge loans or cash advances that they can use for the downpayment, closing costs or other loan expenses pending receipt of their tax credit check from the IRS. The FHA change was announced this month by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. As many as half of all would-be first-time buyers do not have enough cash on hand for a downpayment and closing costs, according to building and real estate industry estimates. By advancing these buyers as much as $8,000 at closing, many more would be able to afford the purchase. Officials at NAHB say the bridge loan feature could double the total number of home purchases stimulated by the 2009 tax credit program to more than 300,000, depending on how many private lenders and state housing agencies participate. The new bridge loans and cash-advance features of the federal credit may not be available immediately through private lenders, mortgage industry leaders say. Among the key questions to be answered: Where will non-depository mortgage companies get the $8,000 in advance money to provide upfront to buyers? Although most major banks offer second-mortgage programs, the FHA guidelines stipulate that the tax credit advances cannot be secured by a lien on the property, but only by the tax credit to be received by the purchaser. In the meantime, would-be buyers who believe they’re eligible for the credit should shift into high gear shopping for a house — the Cinderella closing date of Nov. 30 is looming — even if they will need a bridge loan or a cash advance to complete the deal. The odds are good that by the time they’re ready to get a mortgage and go to closing, at least some local FHA-approved lenders will be actively in the market with bridge loans. (www.washingtonpost.com) Washington Post (5/23/09); Kenneth R. Harney

G-04-09 New Stucco Requirements Update as of 5-22-09

There was a very positive meeting at NEFBA today to discuss the implementation of the new code requirements from the G-04-09 Bulliten. I wanted to summerize the discussion for those intrested.

Here are the main points as I understand them:

1. The memo stands as it is. That means it is code.
2. Due to the expressed concerns of the builders it is my understanding that Mr. Goldsbury is going to ask the field inspectors to ease back on the detail calling for plaster stop, backerrod, and sealant around the windows. This not any type of retraction of the memo - the memo stands. It is does seem safe to say it will provide some relief to help us work toward a smooth implementation of the memo and possible alternatives to the renewable sealant joint detail.
3. It is my understanding that: there is a meeting scheduled next month for the Florida Builidng Officals where this detail will be on the agenda, NEFBA will have a representative at the meeting to reflect the concerns of the builders if needed. (This type of representation is a great reason to join NEFBA!)
4. The G-04-09 allows prevision for alternate details on page 2. It is my understanding that any alternates will need to follow intent of the memo, and they MUST be on the building plans submitted for review at the time of permiting.
5. The primary intent of the plaster stop and backer rod is a renewable sealant joint. There seems to be no major contention that it needs to be made with plaster stop and backer rod. It is however left to the builder to provide an acceptable design.
6. There are other details on the memo that R&S has discussed with the building officals, they do not seem to be creating the same level of questions as the renewable sealant joint issue. But if you have any questions post them on the blog and if I dont know the answer someone will.
7. There are several builders I know of working on general concept details for initial review by Mr. Goldsbury's office. It was mentioned as a possibility that a set of acceptable alternate details could be collected be provided to NEFBA members as a service. Remember they would still have to be presented on the plans by the archetect of record. Is that somthing you would be intrested in? This is not somthing that was decided at the meeing it was mentioned and I think it is a great idea... what do you think? Please let me know...

I would like to thank Executive Director Daniel Davis, President of the Board Glen Laton, and the Northeast Florida Builders Association, for hosting the meeting as well as Tom Goldsbury for taking time from his busy schedule to attend.

NOTE: R&S Exterior Contractors News Blog, or R&S Exterior Contractors is in no way a representative of the COJ Building Department, nor NEFBA. All of the observations from the meeting expressed here are completly the views of the author and are intended to be a service for informational purposes only.

New Stucco Requirements on First Coast

The Duval county building department has released a new set of requirements for stucco installations. R&S has been implementing most of these procedures as standard practice for years, they are all with in the guidelines of the 926 and 1063 ASTMs. The biggest questions from builders and contractors currently is concerning details around the windows and doors. R&S has been able to attend a meeting with the building officials to gain clarification on key issues and possible solutions to problems that may come up due to these changes. We will be developing a set of window and door details to help clarify the options the building department will approve.

Here is a link to the new bulletin http://apps1.coj.net/pw/BIPost/entryresults.asp?ID=519

Dryvit Lightweight Finish Contains Recycled Material

This article comes from NAHB

Following its successful appearance at the New American Home during NAHB’s International Builders’ Show in January, Dryvit’s Mojave E Finish is continuing to draw attention around the country.
The lightweight, premixed 100% acrylic-based coating offers superior crack resistance; it contains 8% post-consumer recycled glass.
Mojave E Finish demonstrates better performance characteristics than standard elastomeric finishes with Outsulation systems and other approved substrates, such as stucco.
The product’s improved flexibility enhances crack-bridging on walls, resulting in fewer callbacks and a lower bottom-line cost. The E Finish product line earned a U.S. patent for its unique formulation and lightweight properties.
E-finish has the same volume and covers the same area as the standard five-gallon bucket of Dryvit finish, but actually weighs 40% less. It also offers superior workability and, because it is lighter, it reduces applicator arm fatigue during installation and saves on fuel and transportation costs.
The finish is available in standard and custom colors. It can be applied over other properly prepared substrates such as exterior masonry, stucco and precast or cast-in-place concrete.
Also suitable for interior applications, Mojave E Finish can be applied by trowel or with a hopper gun or pole gun-type sprayer.
One pail covers approximately 120 square feet. Used in combination with other Dryvit products with recycled content, it produces the most environmentally friendly, energy-saving wall cladding in the industry, according to the manufacturer.
With its U.S. headquarters in West Warwick, R.I., Dryvit is a member of the National Council of the Housing Industry – The Leading Suppliers of NAHB.

ANSI approves NAHB Green Building Standards

3-18-09 The National Green Building Standard, is accepted as the first green building rating system to be approved by ANSI. Would you like to know more? Click Here

R&S Approved by JSEB!

3-18-09 R&S Exterior Contractors has been accepted into JSEB - this will allow us to bid on city projects that are set aside for JSEB as well as larger city projects that call for a percentage of JSEB participation. Click here to learn more about JSEB.

Gene Pruett earns Green Building Professional Designation

3-6-09 Gene Pruett has completed the NAHB Green Building Professional Certification Process we will receive our official certification letter shortly. Click here to learn more about the Certified Green Professional.

R&S Exterior Contractors becomes a city approved contractor.

2-20-09 R&S Exterior Contractors has been accepted on the City of Jacksonville's approved contractors list. This approval means the city has reviewed our business and construction practices and approved us to do business on city managed projects. We are also applying for approval to be on the Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business (JSEB) as well as the Section 3.

Stucco Repair Questions Anyone?

For my first blog post I simply want to state the purpose of my blog. I am a licensed general contractor in Florida. My company R & S Exterior Contractors has a primary focus on stucco and stucco repairs. I want to use this blog to share new or relevant and helpful information about stucco or the stucco industry, i also wanted to provide a venue for people to ask their stucco questions.