Stucco in Central Virginia

When it comes to exterior remodeling and home improvements, more and more homeowners are choosing Stucco. When properly applied, Stucco is maintenance free, durable and an elegant upgrade on every home.

Stucco is available in a variety of systems to suit every application regardless of the construction methods used to build your home. Wood frame homes, block homes, even steel framed residential structures and barns can have this durable exterior applied.

Some of the benefits of using Stucco on your home

Applying Stucco and EIFS (Exterior Insulated Finishing System) is normally done by experienced applicators. However, with a little practice, a modest investment is the proper tools, and expert coaching from a Frugal DIY Pro, Stucco is do-able yourself at a tremendous savings over contractor prices.

What is Stucco?

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Traditional Portland cement plaster (stucco) is a time-tested exterior finish. It consists of Portland cement-based materials and sand, mixed with water to form a workable plaster. Portland cement, the same material that is the basis for the hardened properties of concrete used to build highways, foundations and skyscrapers, provides strength, durability, and toughness in Stucco.

1 or 2 Part Systems   Mixing the right amount of Portland cement, sand and water is simple if you follow the correct formulas for your particular application. This mixture, called Portland Cement Plaster, can be used as the finish coat or a base coat to which a pre-mixed finish is applied. A consultation with a Frugal DIY Pro will help you determine which method and system is best for your application and desired goals.

Textures   There is a variety of finish textures that can be achieved with stucco. When using a one part system of Portland Cement Plaster, the type of trowel, or brush, and skill level in its application will determine the texture. When utilizing a two part system, the pre-mixed finish coat can have a variety of aggregates in the mix which will make it easier to provide a more consistent texture.

It's not easy, but it's do-able   Applying stucco to your home is not an easy task. There is a lot of hard physical work involved, from beginning to end. Stucco requires setting up scaffolding, which you can either rent or purchase for not much more than the cost of rental if you know where to get it. (And Frugal DIY knows!) Since you'll be working on scaffolding, Stucco work requires a certain measure of safety knowledge and precautions that must be adhered to in order to assure your safety while doing the work. Nothing can ruin your day more than falling off a scaffold. We'll show you how to work safely right from the very beginning.

One of the reasons you want at least 2 people working on the stucco is for safety, and to maintain a "wet edge" while applying the stucco. If you start a wall of the house, you want to make sure that you can finish it all in one day without leaving an edge other than at a corner. We can help you plan your job, and offer full-time assistance when necessary to make sure it's done properly for the best results.

If you'd like to read more details about Stucco, we suggest and utilize Parex brand products. Visit their website at Parex.com.

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Case Study
Elegant Stucco at half price!

Frugal DIY worked with a homeowner in the Charlottesville market originally to help them select the right Stucco system and to wade through the process of selecting a contractor. Frugal DIY and two other contractors provided prices on the same set of specifications. When all was said and done with the selection process, the homeowner decide to tackle the job themselves with our on-site coaching.

Once a list of materials and proposed schedule was established, we ordered scaffolding that the homeowner decided top purchase rather than rent. By the time the job was done, it was actually cheaper to buy than to rent the scaffolding! And, when it was done, they sold the scaffolding at a great price for the buyer and made some money in the process!

The first day, a Saturday, we set the scaffolding up on one side of the house and went over safety procedures. We ended the day by removing the existing vinyl siding, which went very quickly. We started the next day and applied 1 inch EPS foam board to the entire side, then sanded it with a proper rasp in preparation for Stucco on Monday.

This project basically became a weekend project, other than removing old siding and applying foam which the homeowner quickly learned and did in the evenings during the week. In about 3 months time, the house was complete and looked amazing! While Frugal DIY's price and two other prices to do the job were around the same $21,000, Frugal coached the homeowner through the project at a total cost of $13,200! That's a savings of almost $8,000!

This is not a very popular do it yourself project, unlike replacement windows or decks. It's a lot harder physically, and takes a unique person that can quickly develop the skills necessary to do a quality job. While not easy, it is do-able! And, if doing it yourself is not for you, we'll be glad to submit our bid along with helping you get a few others to do the job for you. When we do this, we can still save you significant money by having you do some of the less difficult tasks like cleanup (which there is plenty of!) and feeding our workers material as they work.

 

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