|
Sto Case Study: Waco Family Medicine Achieving Big Savings and Bold Design with StoCast Wood
Other News
Subscribe to FREE newsletter
| Apr 22, 2025 |
For its major expansion, Waco Family Medicine incorporated 15,000 square feet of StoCast Wood, achieving the desired aesthetic while saving over $300,000.
Innovative Solutions Transform a Major Expansion on a Tight Budget
In 2022, Waco Family Medicine in Waco, Texas, set a major expansion into motion. Architect Michael Malone of HKS drew up plans incorporating a continuous wood plank system on the exterior to create the warm aesthetic envisioned by his client. They then put these plans out to bid. Once the bids started coming in, they quickly realized that this major expansion had a major budget problem as all the bids came back significantly over budget. Beck Group, one of the contractors who presented a bid during the initial round, decided to look for another solution to achieve the building owner鈥檚 vision and fall within budget. They contacted Kyle Barfield at Baker Triangle, one of Texas鈥檚 largest and most trusted applicators, to see if he could help.
Introducing Something New in the Lone Star State
Barfield had worked with numerous wood plank products and virtually every manufacturer. Having used Sto鈥檚 products for over a decade, he knew they were of exceptional quality and, equally as important, had a great sales and support team. So, he reached out to Kyle Lilly, a Sto Field Sales Representative with whom he had collaborated in the past. Lilly shared news of a new product that hadn鈥檛 been used in Texas yet: StoCast Wood.
StoCast Wood is a prefabricated resin-cast product that can be applied to any exterior cladding system to deliver a natural wood aesthetic. While the product was gaining traction nationally, the fact that it had never been used on a project in Texas meant the architect and owner couldn鈥檛 see an installation firsthand. To solve this, Barfield installed a 5鈥 x 4鈥 mockup wall, including a soffit and fascia transition, and invited the general contractor, architect, and building owner to see the product in person. The meeting was scheduled for March 2022. If StoCast Wood were chosen, the cost savings alone would be 20 鈥 25% per square foot compared to other proposals.
The Mockup Captures the Imagination, Wins the Project
The architect and owner were impressed with the mockup and loved the product! But they still had questions. What about the warranty? Would the product require frequent recoating? They wondered if this new product required more maintenance. It didn鈥檛. Furthermore, the entire system would be covered under a single warranty, as the StoTherm ci continuous insulation wall system was specified as the building enclosure system under StoCast Wood. This was a significant improvement over the earlier bids, which required multiple warranties 鈥 one for the rainscreen and another for the wood plank system.
Two days after the meeting, the project was approved. Work began in October of that year.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have pulled this off without Kyle Lilly at Sto. Their Field Sales Reps are so responsive! Anytime there鈥檚 an issue on a project, they are there on-site fast to help resolve it,鈥 added Kyle Barfield of Baker Triangle.
A State-of-the-Art Air and Water-Resistive Barrier System
Unlike StoCast Wood, StoTherm庐ci鈥搕he building envelope system specified in the new bid鈥搃s not new. It is a tested and proven EIFS with drainage and continuous insulation. It is a high-performance, energy-efficient wall system that integrates StoGuard庐 air and water-resistive barrier, EPS insulation, and drainage.
Once the StoTherm ci system was installed, the StoCast Wood would be applied directly over it. Using a notched trowel, Baker Triangle began by applying StoCast Wood Adhesive, a one-component adhesive used to install StoCast Wood in Sto engineered walls systems and over prepared vertical above-grade concrete, concrete masonry (CMU), stucco walls, ceilings, and soffits. They then laid the 6鈥漻6鈥 StoCast Wood planks, which are lightweight, flexible, and available in forty-five wood grain patterns.
The Perfect Finish
Over 15,000 sq. ft. of StoCast Wood was installed on the building鈥檚 exterior. Once the planks were in place, StoColor庐 Wood Stain in Alder was applied, giving the surface a natural wood appearance with a soft, matte finish. The stain perfectly complemented the building鈥檚 design and enhanced the warmth and texture of StoCast Wood.
鈥淭he resin planks (StoCast Wood) are a unique way of achieving the wood look and allowing someone to select, essentially, any color stain they could want for the finish color. That combined with its upfront cost becomes hard to argue with when we are talking about construction cost,鈥 commented Michael Malone, the architect.
Once the installation was complete, the client was thrilled with the results. They were so pleased they decided to integrate StoCast Wood into the interior of the building as well. They ordered an additional 2,100 square feet of product to be used throughout the building entry.
Ultimately, the project team delivered a fully engineered and tested assembly with a beautiful wood aesthetic for the cladding. Best of all, they saved the client over $300,000 on the project. What began as an over-budget project was brought under budget and achieved the desired design vision.
The success of this project demonstrated the versatility and value of StoCast Wood as a solution for creating high-end designs while maintaining cost efficiency. Waco Family Medicine now boasts an exterior and interior that reflects the warmth and professionalism of its services, all while staying on budget and on schedule鈥揳n achievement that will serve as a model for the future of projects in the region.
Project Details
- Location: Waco, TX
- Building Type: Medical
- Product(s) Used: StoTherm庐 ci, StoCast Wood
@StoCorp #StoCorp #building #offices #stoventec
For other relevant searches, you might want to try: