Nothing on This Old House's East Boston project house seemed in worse shape than the stucco siding. Years of harsh winters had left giant cracks and gaping holes in the masonry surface. Making it worse was the ivy working its way into the cracks, opening a path for water to get behind the stucco. A complete replacement would have come in at $50,000.
Instead, after the ivy came down, a masonry crew patched the worst sections with new stucco over wire lath, then filled remaining cracks with caulk. Tom's crew cleaned the entire surface using grinders fitted with wire wheels. Then painters applied a primer and two tinted layers of an elastomeric coating--basically a thick acrylic paint--which helps tie everything together and give it a smooth finish. The repairs cost $10,000.
What They Saved: $40,000
Repair rather than replace | We canvassed dozens of industry pros to catalog ways you can wrestle your renovation costs back down to earth. (more) A 4-phase plan for getting the kitchen you want at a price you can afford. (more) An architectural designer aims to respect his home's heritage and simultaneously embrace its new parts. (more) |
