Jobs in progress-updated February 16, 2003

Stucco replaced
Baltimore, Maryland

Stucco replaced Baltimore, Maryland Stucco replaced Baltimore, Maryland dormers.
What nice stucco. Click here to see a larger view.
Finish color is Aspen from La Habra Stucco,
and real portland cement and sand.
Click here to see a larger view.
My artistic signature here was the triangular details I made on these dormers. First I have a recessed triangle inverted. In the center is a triangle made of pennies. The pennies should darken some with age. 
The pennies were used to draw attention to
the dormers, which are so high off the ground, you can barely see them. Also, I wanted to do something unique.
Snowing on the outside, working on the inside stucco
Snowing on the outside, working on the inside. The whole house is tented with plastic and heated with 3 diesel fuel powered heaters. Work continues inspite of snow, rain, and freezing weather. Note the one by four in the foreground. These are set with a string line and the wall is straightened to these strips.
When the mortar sets up, we take the off and use them on the other wall. This method is old fashioned but it works.
The bottom has a 3/4" casing bead The mixing room, sand pile, etc. had a separate heater
A view of how we treated the bottoms.
The bottom has a 3/4" casing bead which supports the bottom, and defines a straight line. Sometimes, on old houses, we form the bottom with wood, and remove the wood form when the brown coat sets up. You can make a straighter line with the casing bead (plaster stop), but there is something to be said about irregularities and imperfections that lend the hand done charm that people want.
More about casing beads in a future update.
The mixing room, sand pile, etc. had a separate heater and was connected to the main tent. We built a two section high scaffold over the mixing room, to support a bridge to the top level. 
There are a few interesting details I would
like to photograph of this house, but right
now there is 24" of snow on the ground in
Baltimore, and about 16" here.
Please check back