Building Envelope Failures - “Under Scoping of Projects”

Building Envelope is a term reserved for the foundation, roof, walls, doors and windows. When evaluated together the HVAC and insulation must be considered as well. Our company has been involved in a number of unique building envelope failures over the last few years. These projects have been exciting and very challenging to work on. As restoration specialists, one of the biggest challenges is to help the customer (Bldg Mgmt. or Owners) understand the complexity of the problem. (This is usually done in the backdrop of other contractors minimizing or under scoping the project either out of ignorance or from a perspective of trying to gain a strategic advantage.)

In my opinion, the best way to properly scope a complex job is to bring together a group of subject matter experts who can evaluate the building components, develop test failure theories, then scope the project accordingly. This team building approach of subject matter experts usually renders the best results.

If your goal is to permanently fix the building, be careful not to “under scope” the project!

Stucco Curing – It’s not about the paint, or is it?

Stucco veneers are often in failure at the initial stage of application.

Stucco is a masonry product designed to create some level of protection to the exterior façade of a building or home. Additionally, stucco veneers sport various textures to enhance the architecture of the structure.

One failure condition that we often see in Florida is the premature failure of the exterior stucco / cladding system due to improper curing. Frequently builders who are pressed for time on new construction projects will push the painter to paint the stucco too soon. Many paint manufacturers will also promote “hot stucco primers’ which can be applied to the surface ostensibly to speed up the construction process by allowing the painter to coat the stucco walls prior to a full cure of the stucco – and – while the chemistry is at an elevated PH (of 9 or higher), thinking that this solves the problem, but actually it creates another. The major problem with this scenario and the one that most builders or owners forget, and the painters don’t think about, is “the ultimate hardness of the stucco”. PH is important, but don’t confuse PH neutralization with hardness. It takes approximately 20 days for stucco to cure properly. It also takes an equivalent amount of time for stucco to harden (absent additives) which is even more important for the long term durability of your exterior building envelope.

What do you think...

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to my new blog! Thank you for visiting and I hope you’ve had a chance to browse through our new website. This is just the first phase of the site and we will be continuously adding content. We intend for our site to be a real resource of information on multiple subjects revolving around the construction industry.

So, this is my first experience “blogging” and I plan to post topics every other week or so to discuss issues appropriate to our industry. We will create a forum to solve building and maintenance problems for Estate Home Owners, Commercial Building Owners and Condominium Owners and Managers, as well as other professionals from this sector of the building industry. I also urge you to submit suggestions for topics you feel require a ‘SOLUTION’.

Thanks again for visiting.
Craig