A homeowner in Sandy, Utah had several leaking windows, they tried replacing the windows back in 2002 to fix those leaks, but some of those windows continued to leak and they started to have other leaks. They met with us in 2002 to get a bid for window and stucco replacement but chose to go with another contractor at the time. When they got ready to do this a second time they knew they wanted RAM Builders Stucco & Exteriors to do their exterior so that it was done right.
They hired us to oversee the replacement of some of the windows and one door. We made sure they were flashed right and installed the door pan for the big sliding patio door on the back of the home because the window and door replacement contractor before didn't know what a door pan was. We tore off stucco only in the areas where it needed to be removed, we left the stucco where it would not be an issue for keeping out water based on the architecture of the home. Custom metal flashings were installed where the stucco met the concrete porch, the head of the garage overhead doors, and at the top of the stone wainscot.
Probably the most difficult flashing to install but the most important was the flashing that tied into the back patio door pan and flashed the cantilevered deck. This is never dealt with correctly and it is a puzzling detail, but we have developed a way to flash these types of decks. On the windows that had been replaced in 2002, some of the nail fins had been removed, we installed custom metal flashings at the tops of these windows and pulled them to install window pans to compensate for the nail fins being removed.
The new moisture barrier consisted of one layer of Tyvek DrainWrap and one layer of 60-minute building papers and was carefully tied into the new custom metal flashings and window and door flashings. 20 gauge wire lath was placed over the new moisture barrier, then a fiberglass-reinforced base coat that is freeze-thaw resistant was applied over the wire lath. This was allowed to cure for 7-10 days, so the base coat had plenty of time to dry out, which caused the base coat to shrink and crack. Then to prevent the cracks from coming through the new stucco finish (everyone hates stucco cracks, and while cracks don’t mean your stucco is failing cracks are an eyesore), a fiberglass mesh was applied over the cracks so the cracks in the basecoat won't telegraph through the new stucco finish. Then the new acrylic base coat was applied over the mesh reinforcing layer. This homeowner will never deal with the eyesore of having cracks in their stucco.
Where the stucco was protected or didn't have much exposure we keep the stucco in place, did isolated removal of the stucco so we could install flashings, then we patched the basecoat where it was removed in isolated areas to do repairs, and then meshed, skim, and recoated these walls to match the walls where the new stucco system was installed. We did this work in December and January, we work year-round, oftentimes homeowners don't want to deal with the tarps and placing heaters inside the tarped areas because this creates noise, but the upside of doing the work in the winter is the temperature can be controlled so the basecoat does get a great cure, and the landscaping is dormant and less impacted by our work.
Positive: Professionalism, Punctuality, Quality, Responsiveness
Contacted Ram to bid on stucco work for 8 replacement windows and to fix leaks on some windows replaced 12 years ago. Also wanted to change exterior color. Based on Shaan's recommendation, we expanded scope to do 80% tear-off/replace and 20% re-skim/color. Bid proposal and change orders were highly detailed and professional. Despite scheduling change due to window manufacturing delay, RAM crew executed the project with no work interruptions. After tear-off, numerous issues with previously replaced windows and original water barrier/stucco installation were identified. RAM was able to handle all of these issues since they do all forms of exterior work. They re-installed and re-flashed older windows and fixed several roof flashing issues. They installed new double layer water barrier and 3 coat stucco system using high quality materials. Final result was flawless. The crew (4-10 depending on project phase) was very professional. They were on time every day and worked to dark. Some tenting/heating was required due to cold weather. This was handled routinely with no overall schedule delays. Foreman was absolutely top-tier - very experienced and accommodating of our requests. Owner made frequent site visits and was always accessible by phone.
