What's Included
How stucco chimney repair is done in Lake Charm
Why the top of the chimney matters
Horizontal surfaces such as the tops of chimneys are particularly vulnerable to water, Preservation Brief 22 notes, and they sometimes need a change to their original design, like added flashing, to correct the problem. On a masonry chimney that top surface is the crown.
In section R1003.9.1, the Florida Building Code, Residential, describes a masonry chimney cap of concrete, metal or stone that slopes to shed water, carries a drip edge and has a caulked bond break where it meets each flue liner. If the crown on your Lake Charm chimney is flat, cracked or missing its drip edge, our team prices that fix on its own line ahead of the stucco.
Removing loose stucco without harming good stucco
Cutting out failed stucco takes sharp tools and a light hand. The brief warns plasterers not to break the keys of the surrounding good stucco by over-sounding while they remove the deteriorated material, because the sound stucco next to a repair is exactly what the new patch will meet.
On your Lake Charm chimney we remove only what has lost its bond, down to the lath or the masonry beneath, and stop at stucco that is still firmly attached. You keep as much of the original finish as can safely stay, and the repair area on the estimate matches the area actually removed.
Drainage at the base of the stucco
Stucco over framing is designed to let water that gets behind it drain out. Florida's code (section R703.7.2.1) calls for a corrosion-resistant weep screed placed no less than 4 inches above soil or 2 inches above paving, of a type that lets trapped water drain to the exterior.
Drainage details like this are easy to bury under a patch or a thick coat of paint. When we repair stucco at the base of a framed chimney wall on your Lake Charm home, our crew keeps the existing drainage path open and tells you if earlier work has blocked it.
Cleanup and a written record of the work
Stucco repair is messy work, with cut-out debris, dust and splatter around the base of the chimney and on the roof. Our crew covers the open work at the end of each day, protects the roof and plantings below and hauls the debris away when the job is done.
When the stucco repair on your Lake Charm chimney is finished, you receive a written record of the work we did, including the areas repaired, the materials used and the curing or painting notes that apply. It is useful for your own files and for anyone who inspects the chimney later.
