Arizona New Home Construction Series, 2022 - Drywall & Stucco

Hi everyone, I'm Sheri Spirit and welcome back to my new construction series. Episode four is all about the wall covering. On the inside of the home we're going to talk about drywall and on the exterior of the home we are going to discuss stucco. So let's go take a look at what those coverings are. This first picture is actually a home we were building back in 2013 and I would make daily stops to see the progress and I walked in and there were there was drywall everywhere. It was a little overwhelming, I'm not going to kid you, but the one nice thing about seeing how your house is built and knowing what's in the walls is very helpful. So we'll start off with the messy photo and then we'll get into the good stuff. Then we get into just a room that has the drywall hung. So they cut where your outlets are and your switches, they cut that out when they put the drywall up. Your openings for can lights, any ducting, that is all cut out in the drywall stage. The next several photos are of the drywall being finished as they've taped the seams, they've put their drywall mud on to fill all the joints and it just gives you an idea of the different rooms and the looks in that stage. Corners are what we call a bullnose and these are rounded corners 90 on your 90 degree walls and they're protected by a bullnose corner guard which could be metal or plastic and then that is filled in with joint compound to make a smooth transition but it also protects those corners. As you can see in these photos there is a orange membrane that you see on the wall and the brand name of this is Schluter-KERDI and it's a pliable sheet that applies waterproofing and a vapor barrier to those walls so that they can directly apply tile to those walls and this is really good for that because you know you never want to have water penetration into your wall, specifically a wall that you can no longer see behind because you've got tile on it. Now let's talk about texture. The contractor is going to take joint compound or drywall mud and thin it down to the consistency of pancake butter. They take that and they put it into a sprayer and they spray that onto the drywall which gives it a splatter. Once that splatter has enough time to set then they will take a a knockdown knife, kind of looks like a squeegee in a way, and then they drag that across the splatter to give it that knockdown texture on the wall. This pattern creates a more subtle look than some of the heavier textures and it's a look that we normally see in our homes here. Once your texture is done and dried the next contractor to come in is going to be your painter. They're going to paint all of your walls and then once the walls are painted then they're going to come in and they're going to paint your doors, any molding trims, your ceilings. If you're doing a two-color paint system they'll paint your ceiling after they've painted your walls and this is what your texture looks once it's painted. You may like a white wall and another option to use a white wall is to paint your your doors, your framework, baseboards, and crown molding a bold or dramatic color. This particular builder did exactly that and it really gives the home a rich feeling. I had a client who actually opted for this as their walls were all white and they liked this bold color. Now let's talk about the stucco. In the first photo you notice that they have OSB on part of the exterior of the home and then in the second photo you'll notice the black paper that you see on the other side of the studs. Here you can see the weep screed which is just below the finished floor level around the house. The weep screed is a metal seat that has small holes in it. The holes allow any water that may get behind the exterior to drain out. This keeps the exteriors of your wall from holding water. In the next several photos you'll see that the lathing foam has been installed. The foam acts as an insulation for the building and is the base for the stucco application. Lathing metal, which looks like chicken wire, is the final piece of the lath assembly. It acts as the base for the scratch coat or brown coat, which is what we call the stucco, to cling to. Without the metal the stucco would simply fall off the structure. It is very important that metal is stapled to the studs and is fairly tight. If it's loose it will lead to pockets in the stucco and cracking. I had to share this video with you as they are installing a gas fireplace on this patio which is huge and the future buyer is going to have a beautiful view of the golf course. So what exactly is stucco? Stucco is your exterior finish for masonry or frame walls usually composed of cement, sand, and hydrated lime mixed with water and laid on wet. Stucco has been used for centuries and it remains a popular choice for residential siding today. Properly applied stucco will have a useful service life of up to a hundred years and it provides a strong firewall rating. Once the stucco has dried the builder will come in and paint the exterior of the home. They will wait a little while, they will check for any cracks, and then they will seal those cracks as you can see in these pictures and then they will paint the home a second time. As we finish up the exterior of your home the last item to be added will be either a brick or stone accent. Thank you for watching this episode in my new construction series. I hope that it was helpful to you and if you have any questions about the process leave your comments below and I will be happy to connect you with a professional. As always please like, subscribe, and ring that bell to be notified of my next video. Have an amazing day!