Robb Robichaud with AGS Construction on stucco the popular types and their differences

BrokerIPTV: Today we are talking with Robb Robichaud, the general manager of AGS Construction and Robb, welcome to the show.

Robb Robichaud: Oh, thanks very much.

BrokerIPTV: Thanks for being here. I want to talk about stucco, EFIS, and OCS. It seems to be a big topic when buying a house and so many homes in Colorado have some form of stucco on the outside. First, can you tell us the difference between the three?

Robb Robichaud: Well, EFIS, E-F-I-S, stands for Exterior Insulation and Finishing System and OCS is, it is usually called hard coat; it is a one coat system and the difference between them is EFIS is styrofoam, put on the house, and then stucco over it. They are supposed to add another insulation factor to the house. The OCS, one coat system, is a hard coat system and it is cement on paper, on diamond lathe or lathe and then the stucco base coat goes on and then a finish coat goes on. So, those are really the differences.

BrokerIPTV: Is one better than the other?

Robb Robichaud: I prefer hard coat. It is more durable and less problems.

BrokerIPTV: And when you mean less problems, is it because we don't have the ability for water to get behind the insulation on an EFIS system versus a hard coat system?

Robb Robichaud: Yeah. That's mainly the problem with it and also it is an initial installation. With EFIS, it is... you have to be bonded and it is really a very delicate product to put in and it has to be done correctly.

BrokerIPTV: Yeah.

Robb Robichaud: And that is the problem said[Inaudible] 0:01:28.8 a lot of people run into.

BrokerIPTV: Now, correct me if I am wrong, but 10, 20, 30 years ago when a lot of homes were built, was EFIS the primary system and which they used?

Robb Robichaud: No. It was hard coat.

BrokerIPTV: It was hard coat. So, when did EFIS kind of sneak its way in?

Robb Robichaud: It was probably about 25-30 years ago. It is for the insulation factor.

BrokerIPTV: Right.

Robb Robichaud: And that was a selling point, but then in all essence it only adds about 8% to the insulation factor of a house.

BrokerIPTV: Really? So, 25 years later, how many homes are you seeing that has water behind the insulation that you are redoing because it wasn't properly maintained?

Robb Robichaud: Last year we did about 650 jobs and out of that I would venture to say that it was probably 350 to 400 that had EFIS on it that had serious problems and they ranged anywhere from cost factor from maybe 5000 dollars damage all the way up to 120000 dollars worth of damage.

BrokerIPTV: How much more does it add in cost to do hard coat?

Robb Robichaud: Really not that much. It is more time consuming.

BrokerIPTV: Easier to maintain?

Robb Robichaud: Much easier to maintain. Probably the most important factor of all the maintenance is caulking, which is around windows, doors, light fixtures, handrails, any scene... anything that penetrates towards the stucco.

BrokerIPTV: Robb, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Robb Robichaud: It is a pleasure.

Posted on October 12, 2008 12:16:53 by Blog Author