I had a homeowner approach me last night and asked me if I would box in their eaves. They want to basically soffit them back to the house, with stucco. I’ve done this before with siding or plywood that would be painted but never to support the weight of stucco.
The way I see it a fair amount of stucco would need to be broken to get a ledger board attached to the studs and blocked between this and the fascia, then lathed and stuccoed.
Any one have any pointers.
ML
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Replies
Pictures might be helpful. How wide is the span? Hip or gable roof? If it is not a hip roof, what are you going to do at the corners? Soffit vents?
Initially, I am not sure why you think you could not attach a ledger through the stucco--it is just going to sandwich the stucco to the studs.
1. Convince them a stucco soffit is a bad idea
2. Plan B, use Dryvit a or similar....
Gable roof.18" overhangSorry no pictures.Effis is an option. What the thickness of Effis, after the foam, cloth and 2 coats?It's 1 x 6 fascia that would get replaced at the same time. One reason stucco came up was to match the existing.Reason for breaking the stucco to tie in the lath with the existing ML
Edited 7/8/2008 1:03 pm by MSLiechty
i agree with aaron, there is no good reason not to attatch the ledger on top of the stucco, dont break the stucco.
the stucco itself once cured will have structural strength, it is the same as the plywood soffits you have done before only it has to hold the weight as you noted in your post.
piece of cake really, use at least 1/2" ply and do a good job of securing the frame and the ply.
Do you think there will be a tendency to crack where the horizontal stucco soffit meets the vertical exterior wall, since there woudl be no way to tie these two together.
thats a good question, i was focused on the structure and not the finish. you may indeed be better off to have some reinforcement in the corner, of course it would be much better to go ahead and add a new finish color coat on the entire structure after sandblasting and prep too.
if there were a crack or a seam much better to have it exactly in the corner and as small as possible. I think with careful detailing it can work to mount ledger on top of stucco, and still be less costly than removing/replacing stucco.
there may be some sort of corner piece of metal that could be installed at the transition to finish stucco to like stucco moulding for a door or window opening.
yeah something tells me they should sandblast and restucco so everything is consistent.ML
well if i would have known that in the first place , i wouldn't have reccomended installing ledger on top of stucco.
the obvious reasons not to break stucco are finishing where it was broken so it matches and compromising the exterior for water intrusion.
considering that i would remove stucco and wrap wire lathe over the transition from vertical to horiziontal. you wont have to worry about matching finish, it will all be new.
Man, spiders and wasps and the junk they leave behind will be a bear to clean off..are they OK with that aspect?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
Yeah not too much there that haven't come into contact with before.
Might need to hire a couple helpers to break all the stucco. Thats not something I'm looking forward too.The rafter tails will need to be cut as well so the fascia is plumb with the wall currently they are cut at a 90* to the plane of the roof.Thought about it a bit more. Could shot the blocking right to the existing studs 16" on center after the stucco is gone, and then face nail through the new fascia for attachment to the outboard side.
1/2" ply, lath and ready for stucco. Might try and talk them into soffitt lighting at the front of the house as well.
Should be a nice little job if they will agree to the price.ML
Have fun with that, not something I'd want to get into (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
why do you need to plumb cut the rafters, do you think it will look funny being square cut rafter tails with a closed soffit?
i much prefer square cut rafter tails to plumb cut, it requires a higher degree of craftsmanship to construct, thats why it looks better to a craftsman.
it makes it more difficult to fit in the pieces that will make the framing of the top of the soffit, but again, thats why it will look better.
I think the fascia on a rake just doesn't look right. Granted the compund miters at the corners take more work to get right....ML
to each their own, what really matters most is what the customer wants.
attach the ledger through the stucco, then use exterior gypsum board and synthetic stucco finish
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Can Dryvit be used on the horizontal? I belive Sto does not recommend it.ML
Is that on horizontal facing UP where water could penetrate it?The fake stucco's I have used have been extremely sticky so adhereing it overhead is no problem whatsoever.
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Edited 7/9/2008 10:33 am ET by Piffin
No it would be overhead. I don't think water penetration would be an issue.ML
What kind of finish on teh stucco?IIRC you can get fiber cement panels with a "stucco" finish..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Bill you know who makes those. just looking for a sand finish.ML
Hardi does I think
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http://www.jameshardie.com/homeowner/products_siding_hardiepanelSiding.py?search_zipcode=retailhttp://www.certainteed.com/CertainTeed/Homeowner/Homeowner/FiberCementSiding/Prodindex/WeatherBoards/http://www.norandexreynolds.com/Products/Alternative%20Siding%20Solutions/Fiber%20Cement.aspx
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Thanks Bill. I was just looking up that stuff.http://www.jameshardie.com/builder/products_soffit_hardiesoffit.py?openTab=jsnavLink4ML
Hardie and Certinteed both make a vertical cement board siding panel.
He would still have the proplem of matcing finshes and the transistion joint though.
The idea of adding a level soffit just doesn't seem that difficult...unless it's a very wide soffit. I's just suspend all the framing from the tail of the rafters and beef them up with a strut if I thought I was overloading them. I'd add frieze detail at the wall junction or create a rounded control joint.I probably wouldn't bother to nail the ledger against the house in any way. I'd add the fascia beyond the existing fascia and sister blocking along the tails to carry the new fascia. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Edited 7/10/2008 7:34 am by Jim_Allen
I know yours is overhead. I meant is the reason THEY don't recommend horizontal because they fear the water penetration?
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