Fire repair and hardening in Northridge, Los Angeles County
Stucco Repair and Exterior Work in Northridge
Stucco crack repair, moisture testing, new paper and lath, and a noncombustible finish for Northridge houses, with LADBS lath inspections handled by Fernhill.
Stucco moves to the front of the list on a Northridge house once the plaster shows cracks wide enough to catch a fingernail, or bulges that sound hollow when tapped. Those are signs that water may already be behind it. Cement plaster is a good fire barrier while it stays bonded and whole. Once it has split, it lets moisture rot the framing and gives embers a gap, so the wall gets fixed before windows or paint.
Testing behind the cracks
The size of a surface crack says little about the damage underneath it. We sound the wall with a mallet to map hollow zones, run a pin meter along the cracks and around each opening, and open a small test patch where the readings climb. Inside that patch we can see the condition of the building paper, the lath and the sheathing. A wall with dry, firm layers can be repaired at the surface. A wall with rot or rusted lath is cut back to the frame, and the scope shows how much of each.
Rebuilding the layers in order
When a section comes off down to the studs, the framing is repaired first and the sheathing replaced where it has softened. Over it go two layers of water resistive barrier, then galvanized lath fastened to the studs, with casing bead and weep screed set at the edges. In Northridge, LADBS inspects that lath before any plaster is applied. After approval, the scratch and brown coats are placed and allowed to cure, then the finish coat is textured to blend with the surrounding wall.
Work we take on in Northridge
Every service on this list is offered here. The exterior and fire work comes first, then remodeling and new space.
Book a walk-through in Northridge
Send the address and what you need. We reply about a visit and a written scope.