An iconic aspect of Santa Fe construction also is its most problematic. Deep-set windows in thick walls with bull-nose stucco are a recipe for structural failure. Yet we persist.

Indeed, an original architectural covenant for tony Las Campanas was that glass pane must be at least four inches deeper than stucco plane. Presumably, homeowners there can afford upkeep and repairs.

Santa Fe’s Territorial Revival style evolved from Eastern newcomers building in the city in years before imported materials delivered by the railroads were available. The style was not so much fond memories of back home as it was practical necessity.

Brick-coped parapets slowed melting adobe bricks protected by mud. Windows set to the outside with painted trim was an Eastern throwback, but they also shed water away from the insides of walls.

Beginning my carpentry career on my third day in Santa Fe 37 years ago, it was the only market I knew. Ten years later, when first attending an International Builders Show, it became apparent the City Different also meant building differently.

Take flashing windows, for instance. It’s a technique of lapping strips of flat material. Starting at the bottom, it’s tucked under the window’s bottom lip. The bottom strip extends past the sides of the window, then layers are laid over them along both sides and extend past the top. The final layer “flashes” over the sides on top.

The window is then protected from moisture that gets behind siding and cladding. Explicit flashing instructions and diagrams are provided by window manufacturers. And none of them look anything like Santa Fe windows and walls. When suppliers are asked what’s best for our construction style, looks are blank and shoulders are shrugged.

The problems start at the bottom. Tucking building paper under window lips is easy, but when stiff material gets to corners, it must be cut to extend past the sides. Then side pieces are also cut in corners. Cuts in corners are failure points.

Forensic building experts like Santa Fe’s Chris Alba say the best solution is custom-built sheet metal pans with welded corners to protect walls in deep-set windows. He’s right, of

course, but they’re expensive, aren’t code-required and are virtually unused.

Most responsible builders do the best they can, although framing subcontractors typically install window flashing and then stucco subcontractors install building paper needing to integrate with framer’s flashing. General contractors hope for the best from trades bearing no responsibility for failures over time.

It’s a real issue. On a gut remodel of an apartment complex 20 years ago, with 40-yearold structures, we saw the evidence. South- and west-facing windows bore the brunt of prevailing rains and showed rotted framing under many windows. So, what’s a homeowner to do? Caulk it.

The advent of rubbery elastomeric stucco coatings, a product with tenacious stickability, has helped. But still, over time, and sometimes not very much time, a crack will open between stucco and window frame. That’s where the caulk goes.

But not just any caulk and not applied by just any caulker. Caulking pebbly surfaces can be an ugly mess. Keeping the nozzle hole as small as possible with a sharply angled cut is key. One might think clear silicone is best, but it’s never my recommendation. I send homeowners to tile stores like Coronado Paint & Decorating.

Bring a stucco chip sample or, if the color is known, a stucco chart, and match the caulk color. Be sure to buy the sanded version, not smooth, and apply carefully.

Don’t be tempted to apply caulk to stucco cracks thinner than a dime in the surface of walls. It never looks good, and hairline cracks are harmless and normal.