The Exterior Façade

The word façade is commonly associated with the front, street facing side of the building, but for this post it includes all sides on the exterior; the brick, the siding, and the pieces/parts that cover the structural framing that are visible when you’re outside looking at the house.  None of my homes have had stucco exteriors, but that would certainly fall into this category.

When I wrote about Step 19 (Closing Exterior Openings), I described the importance of being in a position to work the inside and outside simultaneously.  So, as I’m getting ready for the rough-in (before insulation and drywall) on the inside, I’m making progress outside on trim, siding, brick, fascia, soffitt work and any other exterior work that would need to be completed before the painting can start on the outside. 

There was a time when I really had to think about the sequencing of all the different scopes on a construction project.  Now, the order seems more natural and second nature to me.  There’s more than one way to skin a cat and multiple ways to renovate or build a home.  The exterior façade sequencing is like everything else written on BSAPE.  This is simply how I do it. 

Fascia comes after the roof is done and the soffitt work can be completed after that.  Exterior trim around doors, windows, and corners need to be completed before masonry or siding work.  However, with a brick home, the soffitt needs to be done after the masons have finished because it’s easier to tie soffitt into masonry rather than the other way around.  On a building with wood, fiber cement, or vinyl siding I prefer to have the soffitt completed before the siding because (opposite to brick) it's more practical to tie the siding into the established soffitt in lieu of hanging the siding after.  Porch/balcony handrails get installed last (unless they need to be completed sooner for safety reasons.) 

The Cottage - Back corner before

The Cottage - Back corner after.