Courtyard Villa Walls
 

I was talking with a good buddy today who lives in a Courtyard Villa (Villa Berrea). He told me that he believed the walls separating the villa yards are made of reinforced styrofoam and covered with stucco. Can that really be? Maybe we should have stopped after two Yeunglings.

Belly laugh!


And to be on topic, I only had a half glass of alcohol free wine.

Actually they are made of hard cheese.

Good possibility.
 

I have seen foam boards and panels used as a base and then covered over. Maybe something other than stucco.

Tell him to have a few drinks and then run head first into the wall and let us know the results:bigbow::bigbow:

You're sitting on concrete covered styrofoam when in the theaters.Its very strong.

Between the individual CYV yards is PVC fencing, like below.

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/usavinyl/the-s...-8-wide-13.gif

For the past few years the back property lines have been separated using concrete block. The blocks are just like normal cinder blocks but the outside has been blasted to give it a rough exterior, just as this.

http://www.brianmillettmasonry.com/images/splitfa.jpg

After the blocks are stacked, the wall looks like this.

http://www.thevillages.com/homes/vls...shx?pid=112350

The CYV walls are constructed in different ways. Some may be what your friends described. Many homes and commercial buildings are EIFS construction. Google it and you will see that, yes, it is as your friend described. We have lived in an EIFS home befora

The typical wall between villas is indeed PVC. I believe the block walls (called split face block) are usually between the villas and any adjoining private residences. Precast concrete walls are typically used between the villas and the main thoroughfares.

As to whether the concrete walls are made with a Styrofoam center it is possible but probably not likely. Having spent 30+ years in the construction industry I have built many, many buildings using what we called tilt panel construction techniques. Some of the walls were comprised of an inner and outer layer of concrete with rigid foam insulation in the center. With all of the wall ties and reinforcing these walls were just as strong as a solid concrete wall with the added benefit of the insulation. Insulation in an exterior wall does not make sense unless the manufacturer of the wall panels is trying to hold down on the overall weight of each panel. Stucco would not survive being transported and installed without a tremendous amount of cracking.

My CYV outside walls are concrete sections set between concrete slotted post beams 6 foot tall and 6" wide. Live on corner lot so two sides are concrete and PVC panels. The fell very solid with slotted top cap panel. Very well built IMO.

If those are concrete blocks, why is there a seam running straight from top to bottom? We have the exact same wall in TG separating us from the CYVs behind us, and you can see right through that seam. I always assumed they were panels.

Lovely backyard, John.

That is a control joint (similar to the saw cut joint in a floor slab) to control minor cracking from settlement and expansion/contraction.It is cut with a saw after the wall is up.

Thanks Mulligan and John! Good information is one of the reasons I love this blog!