There are many reasons why stucco is frequently specified throughout the Sun Belt, especially in the hot and humid southeast. Few finishes handle that brand of heat and moisture as well as stucco, an exterior wall system prized for its long-lasting performance.
To supercharge that performance for 15 years or more requires a finishing step many veteran builders swear by. Without it, even stucco is vulnerable to needless wall system mold, rot, mildew, and other costly moisture problems.
Just ask Alex Deeb. He and his two brothers own and operate Deeb Companies, one of Florida’s oldest home builders at 91 years and counting. The New Port Richey-based firm is a shining example of builder versatility, excelling at land development, site construction, and commercial and residential building, not to mention property management, building restoration, and a self-storage business. The do-it-all operation has a well-practiced eye for spotting opportunity and making the most of it in a sustainable, community-friendly manner.
Upscale Aesthetic
Case in point: The Reserve at Hunters Ridge, the company’s two-year-old 158-unit luxury senior living duplex community, just north of Tampa in Pasco County. “The county decommissioned an old sewer plant next to one of our senior living apartments,” recalls Deeb. “We purchased the old plant and demolished it. We crushed up the old concrete and recycled it as a road base, winning an environmental excellence award.”
The warmth and natural beauty of stucco makes it a natural for an upscale aesthetic. Deeb’s big concern is stucco permeability. A waterproofing agent is usually recommended to safeguard stucco’s low-maintenance characteristics.
Hunters Ridge is a long-term investment for the Deebs, so maximizing net operating income is critical. “We build rental units to own and manage. Minimizing maintenance expense is always a goal,” explains Deeb. “We know what painted stucco and vinyl siding are like. We wanted something better.”
Expert Advice
For that, Deeb turned to a long-time friend, Robert Koning. Koning, a nationally respected authority in exterior wall systems, often gives testimony in water damage litigation cases. His Stucco Institute serves as a central clearinghouse for stucco best practices nationwide.
Koning’s advice to his friend? Trust the DRYLOK Sealed Cladding System.
Koning knows this 40-year-old system has withstood nearly every weather challenge imaginable, including hurricanes. Today, according to Koning, the system is the only code-approved, tested, and warrantied (a 15-year transferrable warranty) system for exterior cladding in all climates—including coastal Florida, a benchmark test for exterior waterproofing.
Delivered as Promised
The wall system for Hunters Ridge called for two coats of Portland cement-based exterior plaster (stucco) to locally sourced concrete masonry units to a half-inch final thickness. After curing, two coats of DRYLOK Extreme Masonry Waterproofer were applied to about a 17 dry mils thickness.
“In Florida, most products do not perform as advertised,” Deeb says. “We hope to get at least 15 years out of this system. It’s been two years now and it’s delivered as promised.”
It’s a promise Deeb likes. “I plan on using the DRYLOK system on our next project in Spring Hill.”
Learn more about how to supercharge stucco cladding harsh weather resilience on your next project.
