Greetings!
There’s what looks to be a good deal on a house here in my area. It’s a little Cape Cod, built in the 40’s, with what the RE agent says is “formed stone”. It appears to be some sort of molded cement siding. However, it’s looking pretty dark and dingy. It’s the primary reason the house isn’t selling (and hence why it’s being offered at a good price). I’m not fond of it either. The house would really benefit from some new, tastefully painted siding. Am I crazy for wanting to remove this stuff? Is it really tough to do so?
Thanks
Replies
It's probably laid on metal lathe if it's light weight stuff (not setting on a stone seat). Shouldn't be too hard to remove. You might consider pressure washing first. It might clean up.
Thanks for the speedy reply.
>> It's probably laid on metal lathe if it's light weight stuff (not setting on a stone seat). <<
It's hard for me to say if it's light weight or not. It looks like it would be heavy, since it appears to be made of brick mortar. Relative to actual stone, perhaps it would be considered light weight. Is there a relatively easy way to tell?
Is there a relatively easy way to tell?
If it is 'cultured stone' (lightweight concrete cast to resemble natural stone), it is not as thick as a traditional stone veneer. So, often you can tell by opening a window and looking at te thickness of the exterior wall. On a 2x4 wall, that's about a 1/2" of interior finish, 3 1/2" of stud, around another 1/2" for the exterior finish plus 2 1/2" of cultured stone. That's in the neighborhood of 6-7" thick, where a brick or traditional stone veneer will be around 9-10" thick.
Knowing that, some of us who use cultured stone will use foam underneath to add "depth" to the wall (or, for fancier effects on the wall). So that test is not foolproof. The next place to look is on the corners. Cultured stone is cast in molds, and the corners are a specialty item, so you are more likely to see identical corner peices on a corner than any other place on a wall.
You have to be very careful pressure washing cultured stone. Some of the manufacturers only color the outside of the concrete. That means that the color coat is very shallow. Pressure washing the color off the stones might lighten the color, but not in the way desired <g>.
That being said, some times changing the trim color can help brighten a house, but without photos, that's more of a guess.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Thank you for your helpful reponse! I was wondering about possible problems with pressure washing; it's good to hear someone else express similar concerns. If I buy the place maybe I can find an obsure little section (behind the garage maybe) where I can scrap the surface a bit and see how deep the color penetrates.
Maybe apply a smooth stucco coat over it.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Ed,
>> Maybe apply a smooth stucco coat over it. <<
That's an idea. Thanks!
You're not in Baltimore, are you? Dear lord, they shoulda just gone ahead and veneered that whole city with Formstone.
Any way of telling if the veneer is original, or a later application? If it's a later application, did they hack up a lot of the trim to make the veneer fit, like cutting windowsills right off? Is there any moisture damage caused by the venee
Where in NC?
I've got a friend in Kernersville, has a 40s-50s ranch sided with Perma Stone. I think it would be a bear to remove and reside. Windows, doors, soffits, might get into more than you bargain for. I'd definitely hire a good pressure washer first. I kinda like it with the right style house. Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Thanks for your reply!
>> Where in NC? <<
Greensboro, which is not far from Kernersville.
>> I've got a friend in Kernersville, has a 40s-50s ranch sided with Perma Stone. <<
"Perma Stone"! Excellent. I haven't heard that name before. New names and phrases are good, because I can then use them for web searches to gain more info.
>> I think it would be a bear to remove and reside.... <<
I'm thinking that too. At least for a non-professional like me. But I'm starting to warm up to this stuff. The more I ride by this property, the more I think I can make it work. But this particular house needs some sort of tasteful trim or something to set if off.
Thanks for your reply!
>> You're not in Baltimore, are you? <<
No, I'm in NC. There's not a lot of this stuff here in my area, but once you've taken note of it you usually notice it here and there.
>> Any way of telling if the veneer is original, or a later application? <<
Not sure about that either. The RE agent doesn't know anything about it, and I haven't spoken to the owners. It looks to be a pretty decent job though.