Joseph Aspdin

Plaster describes the earliest interior coatings. It is a Greek term meaning to “daub on” and it dates back to 500 BCE. It was not until the invention of Portland Cement that exterior plastering, then called Stucco, was developed that could withstand the elements. A man named Joseph Aspdin, a bricklayer in Leeds, England, invented Portland Cement in his kitchen in 1824, when he cooked a mixture of lime and clay together. He named the product Portland cement because it looked similar to a stone he had seen on the Isle of Portland off the British Coast.

Stucco is essentially vertical cement on a building. It is strong and lasts a very long time. Stucco is prone to cracking from many reasons but is patchable and repairable. According to the Stucco Manufacturers Association, who has a statement on stucco cracking they are a normal part of the process. That being said, cracks are the most common failure we see. In our dry climate this rarely causes issues. When we do find problems, it is from water seeping behind the stucco and causing all sorts of moisture related issues.

New & Old

While remodeling in Boise Idaho we have run into many situations where stucco was either present and required patching or adding on. That which has never been painted is easier to work with. Achieving an identical look is nearly impossible but we are not afraid to try. Bottom line is that once the entire project is put back together, patches are rarely the focus of attention and blend into the big picture. In any regard, patching requires the skill and attention of a specialist. This is where our Stucco Contractor Roger Purcell comes into the picture.

Turns out there are several types of stucco products. The system we use is the cementitious one that is not much different than what Mr. Aspdin invented. We start with a well attached sheathing and attach a water resistant barrier, in this case a 60 minute Plaster Craft tar paper with staples was used. Metal lath and chicken wire are applied with pneumatic staples too. The mesh is pulled away from the structure slightly so it will be in the middle of the first coat AKA Scratch Coat. The edges are treated with all sorts of specialty webbed metal pieces until the process is ready to be coated.

Scratch Coat & Metal

Then a mixture of Lime, Portland Cement, and Sand which is carefully blended on site is applied with trowels that clings to the house and the metal. This is called a scratch coat. It is roughed up and left to dry and crack as much as possible.  In some areas a three coat system, the second being the Brown Coat is used but this takes additional time and is essentially an extra step that they can skip. According to Rodger the three layer process is rarely used any longer .

The next coat is the Top Coat, this is also where the texture is added. It is also a mixture of Lime, Portland Cement, Sand and possibly other materials to achieve a look. In our case we are adding paint color in it to finish out the process. In most situations the stucco is painted after the top coat has time to dry. The art is in the application and blending. Much of the texture is provided in the top coat product but it still requires the masters touch to make it right.

The other stucco looking product is known as Exterior Insulating Finishing System or EIFS. It is often refereed to as Synthetic Stucco and can have that look but it is not Portland Cement Plaster. It was developed in post world war II Europe and involves cladding with foam sheets that are reinforced with mesh (often fiberglass impregnated), then coated with a top coat that mimics stucco. In our area this system is used frequently on commercial buildings. It has had issues with moisture penetration and failures over the years which the manufacturers blame on the contractors. Roger agrees with the manufacturers of EFIS who say their product is superior and says “Since the horrific failures of EFIS in several parts of the country, insurance companies won’t insure contractors to install it”. “Rather they will but it is cost prohibitive” Roger installed EFIS for years without any issues.

Dryvit is a name brand of a material manufacturer they are also involved in the EIFS system. They boasts about the Green aspects of added exterior insulation system. I have not seen a residential application but I am told that they are out there.

We can handle your stucco home and anything that you might need to repair stucco problems. Whether creating an addition or or replacing windows in a stucco home, Levco has you covered. Here is an industry link to more information than you  ever wanted to know about stucco.

Structure

We, ” Levco” just encountered another situation where the handy man would not be a good fit. Did you ever get the feeling that the (fill in the blank) just didn’t feel strong enough to hold a few folks in the same place. Weird feeling, trust your gut.

I recall seeing a video of a post accident reconstruction. A newly constructed balcony had fallen off the second story of a home and killed a few people.

I have seen several poorly supported structures in my day but nothing quite like this one. To be truthful a guy could argue that things are under supported all day long. It isn’t until a real failure happens that someone gets to say…”I told you so”

Here in Boise we use building codes like most of the country. I would say we are keeping up with the Jones so to speak. According to Carl Madsen, a residential plan checker of the Boise City building department, building codes went into effect in the 1930′s.  I suppose that there will always be those that ignore the rules. There are homes that have either been built poorly, or remodeled poorly, everywhere here in Boise’s North End. The truth is that building science and building materials have advanced incredibly since then too.

What we found was a concrete slab that was undermined to create a basement addition. (At least that is what we think happened.) With no obvious visible means of support, we were looking at the underside of a slab that was poured on dirt.  Never mind the fact that the structure has withstood years of being the way it was, my gut instinct was to not go under there. I immediately knew this one required the assistance of my team.

Others that have seen the project wanted to demolish the structure and start over, still others wanted to do midnight repairs. I on the other hand was looking for a cost effective cleaver solution to a complex problem. The other caveat is that it would have to meet the requirements of safe and above board…In other words it had to have the building departments seal of approval, by that I mean (A Permit).

The owner was concerned that the home might be condemned. The real life situation is that they had no idea anything was wrong until a snoopy home inspector found the problem and made a small mention of it in their report.

Calculations

Although my Architect, Tom Trutna has a degree in engineering, he is a practicing Architect not an Engineer, in other words he knows his stuff. To be technically correct the City wasn’t going to take the word of an Architect that the structure was fixable. This is when we brought in the big guns.

Scott Soule of Core Engineering. Scott met me at the site and we looked the entire project over. He reassured me that we were on the right track and gave his blessings to the plans. He also provided the six page report with calculations-o-plenty to back up what he and Tom had concluded earlier was the proper way to remedy the problem. (Ala- Alice’s Restaurant)

The good news is that it only took six pages of calculations, some glossy photos, and a few trips to the city to get approval but by golly that is what makes this job interesting. With the addition of several structural beams, lots of supporting columns, and some concrete anchors, we had the problem licked in a few days. Content clients, and a safe structure, who could ask for more. Is this the makings of legendary service? Perhaps. The point is we did the right thing for the right reasons.

If you, or someone you love is concerned about a structure or need reassurance that everything is going to be OK, please let us come evaluate your particular situation. There is nothing more satisfying to me than making recommendations based upon sound advice from my team of remodeling professionals.

Can we fix everything? No. Can we fix most things? Ya-sure, you-bet-ya. It all goes back to our mission statement

Finishing with a mag

Levco has been  asked to diagnose concrete problems with regularity. Whether it is foundations, slabs, or other, concrete,we are seeing the same issues  consistently.  I have researched the issues and  gathered the information needed to understand the more common ones. We also have extremely knowledgeable resources to assist on the less common issues.

First of all there is a clear difference clear between cement and concrete. Cement is the material that is considered the binder that causes concrete to form “Concrete is the hardened version of Cement.” Portland cement also known as a hydraulic cement, is made from mined materials that are combined and baked at high temperatures. It is then dried and ground into a fine grey powder. The reaction  occurs when water is added. The reaction is exothermic, in other words it dries by way of chemical reaction and can actually dry underwater. The list of problems is long but  group nicely into several categories.

Cracking: Often caused by poor sub structure preparation. This could be from shifting soils, improper reinforcement, or other unknown forces. It is often said that there are only two types of concrete…”That which is cracked, and that which will be cracked”

Surface Blemishes: This includes damages by salt deicing applications, over finishing when installed, and damage caused by cold weather during installation (over hydration of the mix). Effervescence is another surface blemish caused when water passes through the concrete and carries dissolved salts and minerals that evaporate on the surface leaving unsightly mineral deposits.

Disintegration or failure: Too much pressure causing crushing or over stressed materials. This could be caused bu poorly mixed materials or a weak batch. (Often seen in home mixed materials)

At Levco, we have learned that it is rarely worth it to pour our own cement. For one, the large suppliers only like to serve the subcontractors. Secondly, the subcontractors with experience do a better job, I feel that it is one of those things that needs to be done frequently to be great.

Once a problem has been identified we occasionally need to do a destructive analysis to determine the severity of the problem.

Crumbled Concrete

Case Study: This issue arose during preparing a concrete slab in an old one car garage that we were evaluating for tile overlayment. Our installer was grinding things flat when he noticed that the concrete was disintegrating below his grinder. Worried he called a pow pow with his mastic sales representative myself and Diane the project manager. It just so happened the owner arrived in time to meet with us. After tapping on the slab we noticed a distinctly hollow sound over much of the slab. It became obvious that there was substantial deterioration and that no substance would make up for a proper slab. Surgical removal of portions of the slab was not practical so the decision was made to remove and replace the slab.

Fresh cement

Carefully cutting 4″ away from the edges we removed the remains of the slab and discovered that it had no substructure in other words it was built without reinforcement on the dirt. It also crumbled onto sand and stone as we hit it with the jack hammer.

My suspicion is that the freeze thaw cycles of the past 80 years ruined it along with the suspicion that a light mixture of cement was used.

In replacing the slab we dug down an additional 4″ added drain rock then a layer of 3/4″ road mix and compacted it then a layer of moisture barrier and doweled in 3/8″ re-bar supported to dwell in the 4″slab as described in building science.com. We used a cool product called Schluter Ditra mat as a substructure to the floor tiles as a isolation membrane for an installation we can stand behind.

We had to break out the pumper truck for this foundation project we did in Boise, Idaho for a client.

See more information about this on our Laumann project blog

Truck Repairs

To access the downstairs, Levco needed to add stairs right where a large original foundation wall was. Our plan was to use the concrete chain saw to make the cuts ourselves. Diane assessed the situation and it became clear that a gas powered device used inside no matter how much ventilation is used is dangerous.

Cutting Concrete

We contacted A-Core our specialty sub contractor that used truck mounted hydraulic saw to do the dirty work. After a brief interruption for truck repairs the job was completed and the stairs were installed.

New Stairs

Gaining access to the basement meant no more ladders and time to clean up the place.

Alley delivery

we keep the heat in and allow for proper drying prior to building upon it. Fortunately we have pretty good access to this project and pumping concrete was not necessary. there were however lots of trips with the wheel barrel.

We were also fortunate that we could stay one step ahead of the game and pour our concrete while we were working in other areas of the home.

Stem Walls

Mountain View Concrete did all of the concrete on this project. We used hay to keep the soil moisture and mud down for those days that warmed above freezing. we used insulated blankets and although concrete drys through  a chemical reaction , if the water in freezes during the drying process bad things happen.