Wrapping up

Over a period of a little over a week, we got the house wrapped and ready for the stucco guys to come and encase it in three layers of mortar. A double layer of tar paper went on first, followed by what looks like chicken wire. The soffits (the underside of the roof overhangs) got enclosed in really stiff expanded metal. Corners had special wire structures put on so they would be straight and make for sharp right angles where one wall’s stucco joins to the adjacent wall’s stucco.

The west end of the house is complete with tar paper, chicken wire, and corner pieces

On a chilly morning, Tim bravely staples tar paper onto the house

This job was originally estimated by the stucco contractor to take “maybe three days” using his crew of six or so men. Our crew of three or so men only took a little over twice as long. Not bad at all, guys! Our main contractor, Kim, showed Luke and Tim the ropes and together they made a very nice wrap around the house.

Tim and Luke attach a piece of expanded metal lath underneath a roof overhang

The two-level ceiling over the south deck is covered with stiff expanded-metal lath. When all this is stuccoed, we will probably be able to attach any artwork such as posters to the walls and ceiling with magnets!

Before the first coat of stucco gets sprayed and troweled on, we have to put up the insulation and wallboard inside the house. The stucco contractor, Kevin, doesn’t want any banging on the exterior walls to shake them and cause damage to the curing stucco. Once the first coat is on, we can wait a long time (like months!) for it to cure before the next two are put on; Kevin says the longer the better. The material he uses is a special mixture that is absolutely guaranteed not to crack. That is if we want to spend an estimated $2,000 upcharge. At least it isn’t an additional $10,000!