Robert Lamoureux: Stucco for lower maintenance

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Question No. 1

Robert,

I, as many others have said, love your column in The Santa Clarita signal. I was a subscriber for many years and basically you had recommended back in summer of 2011, Harry Hoffman of mobile screen shop, for any screen door replacements. He came out and replaced our sliding screen door with the dog grill for a great price. I guess he has retired since then, is there a screen door guy you recommend? If there is that would be great but if not I understand and thanks for all the tips and information in your columns over the years.

Richard from Canyon Country

Answer No. 1

Richard,

Thank you for being a loyal reader. I have another screen company that I use and am happy to refer. Stephen from All Screens, phone is 661-713-5779. If you have any south facing windows you might want to talk to him about Sun Screens, which reflect 90% of sun heat.

Also another item I recommend since you’re asking about screen doors, is the invisible screen. I have one of these and love it, but do recommend that only a high quality one be used, since they are high function. I tried a less expensive model from a big box store at my home, and ultimately had a pro install a high quality one.

Good luck.

Question No. 2

Robert,

My name is Vivian, I’m on the BOD of an HOA and we have a building with wood siding. As an HOA we are very tired of the maintenance of the siding, painting every five years and the expense that goes with it. I’ve read many times where you’re an advocate of stucco.

I’ve attached pictures of our building. Can you please tell us if stucco would work for us?

Vivian

Answer No. 2

Vivian,

Great pictures. Absolutely, stucco would work for your association.

I’ll refer a stucco company if would like, and you then can speak with them about ideas. One of the things I would recommend is taking all the trim boards out and replace them with Styrofoam plant-on material. This can be installed in place of the wood, covered with a light sand finish, then it will have the appearance of wood trim, at a distance. The field of the stucco is going to be one color and trim another as a contrast, in most cases.

The stucco will not need to be painted for a minimum of 15 years following install, unless there are issues such as irrigation damage or other factors, but I encourage you to be sure that all potential issues are repaired prior to any stucco install. The contractor can guide you on this, and the stucco will look clean for many years. If some of the owners like the siding you can still incorporate that along with the stucco, but reduce the amount in order to reduce the maintenance costs. These are all a matter of taste, but definitely a money saver over many years’ time, if you go with stucco.

Good luck.

Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].

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