Stucco for condos and tenanted buildings: planning around tenants

Who this is for

Condominium boards and their managers, landlords of apartment buildings, and owners and managers of plazas and low-rise commercial buildings with EIFS exteriors. Stucco & Co has worked on dozens of condos, apartment buildings and strata properties, and the pattern below is what we have learned works.

Start with a survey, not a quote

A managed building needs a map of its problems before anyone prices a fix. We walk every elevation, tap and press, photograph each blister, crack, failed joint and impact area, and note the likely cause of each. The result is a written survey with photos, grouped by elevation and by urgency. Boards use it for planning and reserve fund discussions, and it is the basis of any quote, whether the work is done this year or over three.

Decide the scope honestly

Most occupied buildings fall into one of three cases: sealant and spot repairs, which is the cheapest and should be done before anything else fails; resurfacing of the worst elevations with repairs on the rest; or a full restoration or replacement where the original installation has failed broadly. We tell you which case the survey shows and why, and we quote each part so the board sees where the money goes.

Phasing

Few buildings are done all at once. The usual plan is worst elevation first, then the rest over one or more seasons as the budget allows. Each phase is a complete job on its own: repairs, sealing and finish on that elevation, so nothing is left half done over a winter. We write the plan with the board and revisit it after each phase.

Notices and the schedule

Residents and tenants need to know what is happening, when, and what it means for them, in plain words. We give the manager a schedule to post and distribute: which elevations are affected on which dates, the hours of work, when balconies on an elevation are closed, where scaffold or lifts will be, and a contact for questions. We work normal hours, and noisy work is scheduled within the hours the building allows.

Access and protection

• Entrances stay open or are clearly rerouted with signage. Nobody arrives home to a scaffold across their door with no warning.
• Balconies on the elevation being worked on are cleared and closed during work hours. Residents get dates in advance.
• Parking near the work is cleared on a schedule the manager posts, and lifts are positioned to keep as many spaces usable as possible.
• Windows, railings, vehicles and landscaping are protected. Dust and splatter are controlled.
• Safety is ours: fenced work zones, WSIB-covered crew, $5 million liability insurance.

Commercial tenants

On a plaza, every tenant's door is their livelihood. We phase frontage so no tenant is blocked for long, keep signage visible, and schedule anything disruptive outside their busiest hours where the budget allows. Restaurant patios, loading areas and drive-throughs get their own plan.

The damage buildings get

Managed buildings have problems houses do not. Corners and columns get hit by vehicles and carts; we rebuild those with multiple layers of mesh so they are almost impenetrable. Graffiti and vandalism are recoated to match. Balcony edges and parapets take weather from above. Sealant on a large building fails on a schedule; a sealant programme every several years is the single best investment a board can make in its exterior.

Reporting

The manager gets progress updates and a single contact, Lars, from quote to completion. At the end of each phase the board receives a report: what was done, photos before and after, anything found that was not in the survey, and what to watch over the coming years. That report feeds the next phase and the reserve fund.

Budgeting

We quote in a form boards can use: scope by elevation, repairs separated from resurfacing, options priced where there are real options, and a clear statement of how hidden damage is handled. We can also help forecast what the exterior will need over the coming years so it goes into the budget rather than arriving as an emergency.

What a board should ask any contractor

The same questions a homeowner should, with two more: show us a report from a building you phased over more than one season, and tell us who the residents call during the work. Our guide on choosing a stucco contractor has the full list.