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Stucco as roofing?

| Posted in Construction Techniques on August 13, 2003 01:20am

OK, I’ve seen a trend recently and I’m wondering if I’m missing the boat again, but when did stucco become a roofing material? What I mean exactly is I’m seeing stucco applied to the roofs of bay windows.

On one particular job, a new home ($300,000), there’s is a roof overhang over the bay windows complete with fascia that covers half the bay window and the other half of the roof done with stucco. There is no trim on the fascia and the stucco is against it with no flashing visible.

Is this proper? I’m of the opinion that covering the roofs of bay windows with stucco is a problem waiting to happen. I feel, and was taught, to treat a roof separate from siding. You flash the roof to the wall and then you side over it.

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  1. sungod | Aug 13, 2003 07:46am | #1

    Stucco is never any good horizontal!  It collects dirt, it rains, then its stained and dirty looking.  If there is only paper lath and wire, it will leak too.  Saw lots of balcony railings made of wood frame and stucco in Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades and Venice, Cal.   Those that had a metal cap or something other than stucco paper had no problems.   With regular lath paper the top plate would swell and cause a horizontal crack near the top

    1. nino | Aug 13, 2003 09:16am | #2

      The applications that I've seen are the angled roofs to bay windows about 45 degrees from vertical. I've seen at least 4 houses where this has been done.

      On 3 of them, I couldn't tell you if there was any flashing done, but on one I know for sure that none was done.

      1. COH | Aug 13, 2003 10:10am | #3

        Poor idea. A triumph of cost control over good detailing. A guaranteed future leak if ever there was one. I have seen this detail on window sills and it always develops into a problem. You are absolutely right in questioning this detail. I used to do a lot of construction forensic work and this was always one of the starting points of problems. A review of these details would make a good forensic article in FHB.

        1. nino | Aug 14, 2003 01:34am | #4

          When you say cost control, do you mean a cost savings?

          I can't see how using stucco instead of properly roofing the bay windows costs less.

          On the $300,000 new home I mentioned, there already is a roof that overhanges the bay windows. I think it would've been very easy to just extend that roof fully over the bays instead of half way.

          My other question would be, why is it that just we see this as a problem? You would think local suppliers would warn against stucco being used this way and building inspectors would say something on new homes about this detail.

          1. sungod | Aug 14, 2003 01:56am | #5

            "My other question would be, why is it that just we see this as a problem? You would think local suppliers would warn against stucco being used this way and building inspectors would say something on new homes about this detail."

            The code says nothing about it, so why would the Inspector be concerned.  Local suppliers only sell what you want, they are not Instructors.  Maybe the Plastering Institute Book will mention it.

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