Home Repair forum - Cutting through a stucco wall?

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Cutting through a stucco wall?

uncle k

2006-04-29, 1:21 pm

Situation: All stucco townhome. Flat-roof garage has a 40" high
facade-wall around the perimeter. To gain easy access from a verandah to
the garage roof I could build stairs up, then down... or better yet, cut a
passage through the stucco.

Question: How? I'm trying to imagine the easiest way to cut a reasonably
clean passage, then come back and restucco the edges.

Should I score the stucco, then bust out that line with a chisel before
knocking the rest out with a maul? Cement blade for a circular saw?

I'm not sure what's inside the wall. It appears to be 2 X 6 construction,
with chicken wire over who-knows-what?

Thanks for any ideas.

Unc

SQLit

2006-04-29, 2:21 pm

"uncle k" <no_spam@all.com> wrote in message
news:fhM4g.14094$i41.12340@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Situation: All stucco townhome. Flat-roof garage has a 40" high
> facade-wall around the perimeter. To gain easy access from a verandah to
> the garage roof I could build stairs up, then down... or better yet, cut
a
> passage through the stucco.
>
> Question: How? I'm trying to imagine the easiest way to cut a reasonably
> clean passage, then come back and restucco the edges.
>
> Should I score the stucco, then bust out that line with a chisel before
> knocking the rest out with a maul? Cement blade for a circular saw?
>
> I'm not sure what's inside the wall. It appears to be 2 X 6 construction,
> with chicken wire over who-knows-what?
>
> Thanks for any ideas.
>
> Unc

Better call the HOA first. I will bet they will have kittens if they are
anything like the one I was in.

Cement or diamond blade would be the way I would try. Then gently remove the
part. Any vibrations sent back into the rest of the structure could result
in cracking later.

Once you cut the hole then the real problem starts. The structure was
designed to be solid now with it in pieces you may find that it needs more
structure to make it solid again.

m Ransley

2006-04-29, 3:21 pm

I meant 3 ft long apx 4" wide they are above windows on a 2 story brick
apartment building, I did not know it was such a big job to replace
them. Are they angled so they can not just slide out the old and slide
in new ones.

BobK207

2006-04-29, 3:21 pm

uncle k wrote:
> Situation: All stucco townhome. Flat-roof garage has a 40" high
> facade-wall around the perimeter. To gain easy access from a verandah to
> the garage roof I could build stairs up, then down... or better yet, cut a
> passage through the stucco.
>
> Question: How? I'm trying to imagine the easiest way to cut a reasonably
> clean passage, then come back and restucco the edges.
>
> Should I score the stucco, then bust out that line with a chisel before
> knocking the rest out with a maul? Cement blade for a circular saw?
>
> I'm not sure what's inside the wall. It appears to be 2 X 6 construction,
> with chicken wire over who-knows-what?
>
> Thanks for any ideas.
>
> Unc

a dry diamond blade will make short work of that stucco cut.......BTDT

demo'd & cut up a garage wall (8 x 20) into 12 pieces........2 - 20'
cuts, 5 - 8' cuts

in about 1/2 hr.

cheers
Bob

uncle k

2006-04-29, 5:21 pm

"SQLit" <sqlit@qwest.net> wrote in message news:zbN4g.14
>
> Better call the HOA first. I will bet they will have kittens if they
> are
> anything like the one I was in.

LOL. If I'm quick, they'll never know I did it, which would be much easier
on their nerves.

> Cement or diamond blade would be the way I would try. Then gently remove
> the
> part. Any vibrations sent back into the rest of the structure could result
> in cracking later.
>
> Once you cut the hole then the real problem starts. The structure was
> designed to be solid now with it in pieces you may find that it needs more
> structure to make it solid again.

Yep, I'm pretty sure I'll find that the wall is mostly hollow where the cut
will be. I'll find some way to shore it up, then smear Portland cement over
the evidence.

Thanks

LinkBot