SEMCO Solution: Fashion Designer’s Residence
From covering immense slab walls to correcting sloping roof decks, see how X-Bond helped transform fashion designer’s beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills.
Summary
When internationally famous New York fashion designer purchased a new home off Sunset Boulevard, high in the fashionable Hollywood Hills, some aspects of the home didn’t meet his high standards: namely, its stone floors and exterior walls. Seeking a more modern look for his contemporary residence, the renowned designer turned to SEMCO.
SEMCO was the obvious choice for the project, as we’ve been providing efficient and successful engineering and service solutions to the City for over 18 years.
Exploring Alternatives
The home featured two expansive walls – 15×20′ and 25×30′ – made of black absolute granite – an expensive material – and travertine stone, neither of which met the designer’s conceptual vision. His first thought was to use ARDX gray concrete, but this option was not feasible due to the product’s thickness.
Complete demolition was another option, but a costly and time-consuming one, requiring the following:
- Architectural/engineering drawings for permits (estimated time 10 days).
- Check Approval (up to 2-3 weeks).
- Stone Removal (estimated 2 weeks).
- Stud Replacement (estimated 3 weeks) *as needed.
- Cement Board Installation (estimated 1 week).
- Waterproof Membrane Installation (estimated 4 days).
- Stone installation (estimated 2 weeks).
- Inspections, municipal approval, HOA approval (3-5 weeks).
- Constraints of removal of demolition debris due to location of property on narrow winding mountain road.
With a projected demolition timeline of 12-15 weeks, this option was quickly abandoned.
Strategy
The engineers faced three main challenges with this residential renovation:
- Creating a consistent surface on immense, 25 foot walls.
Solution: Using a scaffolding with three men on top, three in the middle, and three on the bottom allowed the engineers to apply a smooth, even coat of X-Bond.
- Creating a solution for the silicon-caulked wall seams.
Solution: When the sun hit the walls, the silicone seams got warm and expanded, creating a vein-like appearance. To remedy the problem, we cut out the silicone and filled it with SEMCO’s X- Bond Seamless Stone.
- Leveling a sloped floor.
Solution: To correct significant sloping in the floor surface, SEMCO’s X-Bond system was used to bring the floor up by four inches, while ensuring a secure, molecular bond to the existing slab.
Solution
A total of 12,000 square feet of SEMCO’s Seamless Stone was installed throughout the designer’s home, including the exterior granite walls, the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, hallways, pool deck, house exterior, and white marble bathroom. SEMCO engineers also grinded down improperly sloped roof deck drains and built them up using X-bond, ensuring proper water flow.
Success
Not only has the fashion designer since added seamless stone to two downstairs baths, a downstairs kitchen, and inside fountain, he has also inspired several celebrity friends and close family members to choose SEMCO for their surface and remodeling projects.
Project Information
- Preparation: SEMCO Nu-Lift Cleaner and Stone Soap
- Floors and walls: SEMCO X-Bond Seamless Stone, Polished Bond and ADA Safety Floor – Phantom color, sealed with Satin Stone
- Project size: 12,000 sq ft
- Project year: 2016
CONTACT SEMCO today to see what we can do for you!
