A Las Vegas Home
The Exterior (continued)
Stucco
The exterior walls of most Las Vegas
homes are clad with stucco. Stucco is a mixture of Portland cement, lime and
sand. These days, rigid foam insulation board with a reinforcing mesh forms the
base for the stucco application. A layer of water-resistant paper is applied
before the wire mesh to prevent water from reaching the wood framing. The first
coat, a water-proof "scratch coat", is applied over the wire mesh and is
scratched to form ridges that help to secure the subsequent "brown coat". A
final finish coat is the applied.
It is normal, but not necessarily
acceptable to find cracks in a stucco finish. There are two main causes of
these cracks. Firstly, stucco is wet when applied and dries over time and this
causes some shrinkage. Secondly, some settling is to be expected in new
construction. Expect to find hairline cracks at the corners of windows and
doors. As a general rule, if you can fit a nickel into the crack, it's time to
call the builder. Smaller cracks are considered normal but should be patched
nonetheless
Some builders apply stucco over the eaves leaving no exposed
exterior wood, creating a very low-maintenance home.
Windows
In Las Vegas, power bills reach their peak during
July and August when air conditioning units are working their hardest. The
heat entering through windows can be the most significant factor in your
electrical bill. A nice shade tree can provide some protection but if you're
moving into a newly constructed home there is little chance of that. Most new
homes these days windows consist of a frame made of vinyl or aluminum, with two
sheets of glass (double-glazed) that are sometimes coated and separated with
air or another gas such as argon. Double-glazed windows have a sealed space
between two panes of glass to provide an added layer of insulation. Compared
with a single pane, double-glazing can cut heat loss of the window nearly in
half. A gas like argon will provide better thermal performance. Clear glass
allows lots of heat to enter in the summer and heat to escape during the winter
while low-E (low-emissivity) coatings add more insulation value to the window
by blocking some heat from the sun. The materials used in the window frame can
also affect energy efficiency. Vinyl is preferable to Aluminum but if you have
chosen a vinyl frame be sure that it has welded corners for
stability.
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