Stucco Scope of Work: What to Include When Bidding Commercial Projects

Most stucco change orders are not arguments about the work — they are arguments about whose scope it was. A clean scope of work, written before bid day, is the single cheapest insurance policy a PM can buy. Here is the line-item checklist we use when we write proposals, and the items that go in the inclusions and exclusions sections.

Project basics (top of the SOW)

• Project name, address, owner, architect, GC
• Plan set reference (architectural sheets, structural sheets, spec section)
• Total square footage of wall by elevation
• Stucco system: three-coat hard-coat, one-coat fiber-reinforced, or EIFS — manufacturer and product line if known
• Finish type and color (with sample reference)
• Schedule reference: start date, brown-coat milestone, finish-coat milestone

Inclusions — labor and material line items

1. Weather-resistive barrier (WRB) — Grade D paper (two-layer) or approved alternative
2. Self-furring metal lath — 17 ga or 3.4 lb/sy hot-dipped galvanized
3. Casing beads, weeps, expansion and control joints — list quantity, gauge, and color
4. Window and door perimeter accessories — casing bead, foam closure, sealant joint backing
5. Scratch coat — Portland cement plaster, thickness per code, raked horizontal
6. Brown coat — Portland cement plaster, screed plumb to thickness
7. Finish coat — cement-based or acrylic per finish spec
8. Color and texture — integral color, sample mock-ups, or factory-finished acrylic
9. Moist cure — between coats per ASTM C926
10. Scaffold — install, maintain, and remove (specify height limit and tie-in scope)
11. Sidewalk and pedestrian protection if applicable
12. Job-site cleanup — daily perimeter sweep, dumpster scope (specify "shared dumpster" or "stucco dumpster")
13. Mock-up panels and sample boards
14. Submittals — manufacturer cut sheets, color samples, control joint layout, shop drawings if EIFS

Exclusions — what to explicitly call out

Half of stucco disputes come from grey-zone items. Make these black-and-white in the SOW:

• Caulking and sealants at window/door perimeter (by sealant sub or stucco sub — pick one)
• Painting of cement-based finish (often a separate painter scope)
• Window flashing and pan flashing (typically by window installer or framer)
• Roof-to-wall flashing and kickout flashing (typically by roofer)
• Foam architectural trim — included or by separate trim sub?
• Concrete tilt-up patching of form ties, blowouts, or honeycombing
• Sandblasting or pressure washing of existing concrete substrate
• Lead-based paint encapsulation or asbestos abatement
• Permit fees and inspection fees
• Engineered shop drawings (EIFS only, typically)
• Overtime or shift premium
• Hoist or material handling beyond manual lift to scaffold

Schedule and milestone language

Specify the work-in-place milestones the stucco scope is tied to:

• Substrate ready for lath (framing inspection passed, rough plumbing/electrical complete)
• Windows installed and flashed before lath
• WRB / lath inspection date
• Brown coat completion by elevation
• Finish coat completion by elevation
• Punch and walk-through

Insurance, bonding, retention

• Minimum insurance limits and additional insured / waiver of subrogation language
• Bonding requirement (P&P bond required Yes/No, threshold)
• Retention percentage and release schedule
• Lien release schedule (conditional/unconditional, progress and final)

Quality requirements

• ASTM C926 compliance for application
• ASTM C1063 compliance for lath installation
• Acceptable cracking criteria (cosmetic hairline acceptable, anything wider repaired by stucco sub)
• Mock-up approval by architect prior to elevation start
• Final walk-through with punch list completion timeline

The five inclusions GCs miss most often

1. Mock-up cost — set the expectation that a mock-up panel is part of the bid
2. Substrate preparation — sweeping concrete, removing form-release residue, etc.
3. Layout coordination with other trades — control joint locations aligned with structural lines
4. Owner's representative walk-downs — number of formal punch walks
5. Warranty period and scope — workmanship vs. material; one year minimum

Talk through your scope before bid day

If you have a project coming up and want a stucco sub to review your draft SOW, we do this for GCs we work with as part of pre-construction. Call (818) 888-8554 or use the GC contact form.