Jobs in progress
                 updated July 6, 2012
   
                     Over 13 years of jobs in progress, update #124!  
             
Jobs in progress contains some 400+ pages. Here, you will find a wealth of information on the world's oldest building trade, plaster, both interior plaster, and exterior cement plaster, also known as stucco. Please check it out. A table of contents is forthcoming, like I did on the Stucco News.     

Stucco replaced in
Alexandria, Virginia

Our project starts as a 4th floor pop-up addition for Finn Construction. More...

The house had been re-stuccoed and the newer stucco was loose and failing. Metal lath was nailed over the old soft stucco with short nails, instead of nailing all the way into the block. It was easily pulled off with our bare hands. Also, the lath was painted, instead of galvanized for exterior use. Rib lath should never be used for outside stucco. For inside plaster the ribs should always be horizontal, instead of vertical. More...

AFTER: Stucco sure looks better than that durn siding. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.		BEFORE: Siding torn off, waiting for the real deal to be put on. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.

Stucco resurfaced in
Washington, DC
 capital of taxation without representation

BEFORE: Removing the copper downspouts, lights, etc. Please click here or on the pictures for more.	AFTER: The finished wall will never need to be painted. Please click here or on the pictures for more.

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More siding replaced with stucco. Photo shows the brown coat going on.	The cheerful finish color is "Birchtone" 479 from EXPO stucco.

A couple of stucco chimneys

6 year old synthetic stucco application was already failing. The low skilled people that put this on claimed it is real stucco. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.	Typical of a lot of new houses here in the Washington, DC area is this fake garbage. The basecoat is about 1/4", as opposed to 3/4", the industry standard. The finish coat material is a cheap looking, highly toxic synthetic finish made out of paint with plastic sand. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.
	This 10 year old stucco application was well done except for 3 details. Mecho points to where a kickout flashing should have been put on to prevent all the rot below. A scrap piece of sheet metal, even a beer can, would have prevented this rot. The top of the chimney had one of those water funnel metal caps that dripped water down the center of the chimney. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.

Patch and match
Stucco repair and plaster repair.

Large hole in this ceiling is finished in one day, using Molding plaster and lime. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.	Plaster is troweled smooth. This a thick, solid patch. BTW, this is REAL plaster--No sheetrock, no easy sand, no drywall materials. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.
10 year old addition was already leaking and rotting the windows due to no flashing over the windows. We flashed over the windows and matched the texture on the money. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.	Pebble dash patched and matched. The water damage was caused by no flashing over the windows. We cut out the stucco and put on flashing. Please click here or on the pictures to see how we did it.