The project involved about 6500 sq ft of stucco work. The work included the replacement of the front roof flashing but keep the old flashing on the rear roof. Also one of the east wall on the rear building needed to be modified in order to provide better water protection between the front roof and this wall. Also, a bulk head was built to enclose the horizontal down sprout for better appearance. Basically we asked the stucco contractor to act as a general contractor for all these work plus caulking. We, as owner, would complete the gas pipe alteration, exterior electrical fixtures and roofing work that are required.
The work was done in two phases because of its size. The work was done professionally and the workmanship was first class. The crew members worked efficiently that the entire project was done in a month's time which was a lot faster than we expected.
We first met Toprock in November last year where we went through all the details as much as we could. The work was scheduled to be done in May of this year. Disputes did arise, possibly of this time lag, in several occasions that the contractor forgot what we have discussed. The main issue was that the contractor forgot all the metal flashing were to be finished by them though my roofing contractor had repaired the roof. Fortunately we have put down the specific requirements in the contract prepared by us and not the one prepared by the contractor. It is very important any owner should make sure that all the details are written in a clear and explicit way and not in any vague terms.
The other issue is about change of order. There was no firm solution on how to cover the horizontal pipe in the first place when we signed the contract. The solution only came when the work was started. The contractor charged a very high premium for such alteration in the first place but changed later to be based on the the actual labor and materials. The lesson is that as owner, we should finalize the design and get a concrete price before entering into a contract.
From the point of stucco work itself, this is really a good contractor. However, you have to be very careful if the stucco work need to be interfaced with other trade.
Although we have few issues, we would still consider that this is a good contractor to work with. They are responsible to their work and will try their best to do it right. They listened to your concerns. They provided you with a good schedule on when they will start the work. It gives you sufficient time and a reliable one to plan ahead.
Finally, we would like to show our appreciation to Cuma and his team for doing such a fine job. Thank you.
