DASHING ALL THE WAY

      Yesterday the excavator dug trenches for the addition and garage footings and the retaining wall for the bamboo.

Concrete was poured in preparation for the foundation and fireplace.

   When I stopped by Hawthorne today, between errands and meetings, I was reluctant to leave because so much was going on and I hated to miss out on any of the action.

The mason and his crew were speedily laying brick, 

and, though the stucco guy was busy throwing dash, he was game enough to let me try my hand at a few tosses.  










I must say, stucco work is WAY more difficult than it looks.  Lewis, here in the photograph, is perhaps the last of a dying breed here in this city.  He learned his trade from his father and he told me he was certainly the youngest person he knows of in this line of work.

    Our house here on Hawthorne requires a LOT of stucco repair and I'm glad we found him. 

STUCCO REPAIR CONTINUES

   

   Last week the man we contracted to do the stucco work prepped the house for the stucco by attaching metal mesh to the sides of the house.

Yesterday he applied the scratch coat and part of the brown coat.

The north side of the house is where the electrical box will be mounted to the plywood surface.

   The final coat is the dash coat. We will have what is called heavy dash .   I'm eager to see the finished job.   

THE STUCCO COMES TUMBLING DOWN

    In order to make necessary stucco repairs and build a spot for a newly located electric box, a large section of stucco had to come down. 

Next, the original siding was removed and saved for the screened porch area.

Finally, we put up plywood to which the new stucco will be adhered.