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Post by thracian on Sept 2, 2017 18:04:20 GMT
I'm getting ready to put my house on the market and look at new houses. I just noticed one that looks great (at least online). It has a stucco exterior. My sister says stucco has issues. I am wondering what other people's experience is with it. Thanks!
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Post by hop2 on Sept 2, 2017 18:10:57 GMT
Some modern stucco systems can have issues. Each system is different and will have it's own set of pros and cons. If your house is in any way going to be receiving impacts on a regular basis then it might not be for you. (think kids with balls/bikes running kids every day) then it might be an issue for you. But for the general use most Stucco systems wear very well in a residential setting. It's not like your house will sustain hits from wandering shopping carts daily. Also most Stucco systems can be patched more easily than vinyl siding.
If you otherwise like the house then go and take a look at it and see how well it's wearing around the edges. Personally Stucco wouldn't necessarily turn me off, unless it was a very poor system.
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Post by anniefb on Sept 2, 2017 18:18:20 GMT
No personal experience but stucco (aka monolithic cladding) has a terrible reputation here in New Zealand after years of leaky homes problems/claims. I would never buy a stucco house because it's vulnerable to cracking and moisture problems. Might be ok if you live in a really really dry climate but I certainly wouldn't choose it if you have a lot of rain.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 2, 2024 13:10:36 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 18:25:43 GMT
We are in N Tx. My DH owns a glass installed co. Stucco leaks! In his experience anyway. I'd never own a stucco faced house.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 2, 2017 18:39:06 GMT
I think there was a period of time in the late 80's- early 90's where there were a lot of problems with stucco exteriors in our area. Apparently condensation could form between the stucco and the vapor barrier causing problems with trapped moisture which created mold problems and structural rotting from the inside of the wall out.
We looked at a stucco house of that vintage and there were extensive issues with mold due to that and also because most of the windows didn't have the proper flashing around them to prevent water from running down under the stucco and the wood was rotting inside the wall. Since the seller wouldn't come down any more to offset the expense of correcting the problems, we passed on that house. Once the issues were recognized with stucco from that era, changes were made to prevent it from happening. I think we were told anything before 1985 is okay as is anything after sometime in the 90's.
We ended up buying a different house in a different area (also stucco exterior, but built in 1982) that didn't have any moisture problems. I grew up in a 1920's stucco house that had no issues with the exterior whatsoever. I remember my dad changed out the windows in the 1970's in that house but never had to do anything at all to the stucco.
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 2, 2017 18:42:48 GMT
Our neighborhood has a new section that has all stuccoed homes. My friend lives in them and loves them. Three of my neighbors also have stucco and are trying to persuade us to do it to ours. I'm on the fence. Haven't heard anyone complain of leaks. The stucco companies here just go right over the existing wood siding.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Sept 2, 2017 18:45:34 GMT
I have 1920's vintage stucco on my shed dormer. No issues.
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,734 
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Sept 2, 2017 18:47:46 GMT
I've always lived in a stucco house and never had issues. But we don't have a whole lot of wet extreme weather in Los Angeles.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
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Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
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Post by carhoch on Sept 2, 2017 19:40:02 GMT
The house we had in Mobile AL was stucco we never had a problem with it .
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,478
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Sept 2, 2017 19:43:22 GMT
It seems like 80% of the houses in So Cal are stucco. I don't know of any common problems here. I have no idea how it wears in other climates.
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Post by seikashaven on Sept 2, 2017 19:43:50 GMT
Personally I don't like the look of stucco. It's a cheap alternative to siding here and I dislike the slap dash look of it in some of the newer communities here. YMMV
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Post by delila on Sept 2, 2017 19:52:57 GMT
I've lived in North Texas over 30 years & have owned 3 stucco homes. One was built in '70's with NO issues at all. I recently built 2 homes on my property, both stucco & NO issues what's so ever.
I love the look of stucco & to me my home stays cooler built with stucco vs brick.
delila
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Post by psoccer on Sept 2, 2017 19:54:01 GMT
We have stucco. It is pretty common in California. No problems, and easy to clean.
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Post by scraplette on Sept 2, 2017 20:07:58 GMT
Are you talking about stucco, a traditional material made of cement, lime and sand?
Or a newer exterior, like name-brand Dryvit or generic EIFS, Exterior Insulation Ifinish System?
Dryvit was the product with headline making lawsuits. It often wasn't because the product was bad but because contractors tried to cut corners and save money by substituting pieces in the system.
They are not the same although they might look like it from a distance. Climate, location and age play a factor in which is best - and of course workmanship. The real estate agent should be able to tell you which it is. Mixing them up would be like confusing aluminum and vinyl siding.
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Post by bc2ca on Sept 2, 2017 20:08:40 GMT
It seems like 80% of the houses in So Cal are stucco. I don't know of any common problems here. I have no idea how it wears in other climates.  You'd have to look high & low to find a house that isn't stucco here. If it isn't common in your area, there may be a reason (weather?) or it may be that other materials have always been readily available and used. I know someone that moved from the east coast and insisted on a brick house and was refusing to budge until she saw how few choices were available here. She ended up in a stucco house with a faux brick details at the front. SaveSave |
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Nanner
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,976
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Post by Nanner on Sept 2, 2017 21:24:26 GMT
We just bought in a new neighbourhood and many of the houses are stucco. Our whole cul-de-sac is stucco. I love the look of it.
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Post by chaosisapony on Sept 2, 2017 21:42:38 GMT
Stucco is extremely common here in California. I have lived in stucco homes and know many people that live in stucco homes. It has never caused any problems.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,467
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Sept 2, 2017 21:56:02 GMT
Another CA stucco girl. We didn't do the rough stucco tho. We did a smooth stucco more like a mediterranean look. It's all cracked and that's ok with us. We wanted the house to look aged and have character. In fact, after being here 10 years, we used concrete stain and wiped it over the stucco and into the cracks to make them stand out more. Absolutely NO chipping or large chunks have come out. If stucco is done correctly, it will last a really long time.
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Post by katlady on Sept 2, 2017 22:05:04 GMT
Yup, just chiming in to say that I've only lived in stucco homes. It is very common in So. Cal. Probably because of our arid climate and lack of rain.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Sept 3, 2017 2:40:42 GMT
We have a stucco house, and we live in northern MN. It has great energy efficiency. Cool in the summers, keeps heat in, in the winter. No problems with leaking around windows, or anything. It's a rough texture stucco. We had an addition put on about 10 yrs ago, so that section of the house has newer stucco. Again. no problems. yes, it chips and cracks. But it's not a big deal.
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Post by smokeynspike on Sept 3, 2017 6:20:48 GMT
Most of the houses where we lived in CA had stucco, my in-laws have stucco in Eastern WA, and most of the new construction here in UT has at least part stucco too. Although where I grew up in Western WA, stucco was not common at the time. With the wood industry most of the houses had wooden shingles. I wouldn't think twice about a stucco home, as long as it had other design elements too. I like the new trend where they have several types of different siding so that it isn't all blah, the same type.
Melissa
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Post by cawoman on Sept 3, 2017 7:28:52 GMT
Another Californian. I have only lived in Stucco houses in both southern and northern CA. I've never lived in a house that leaks. Thank goodness.
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mimima
Drama Llama
Stay Gold, Ponyboy
Posts: 5,022
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Post by mimima on Sept 4, 2017 1:55:22 GMT
Where I grew up, stucco was common and worked well. Where I live now, it is a recipe for disaster due to mousture caused mold issues.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Sept 4, 2017 1:59:17 GMT
We have stucco and I like how our house looks. It's a late 70s house. We have stone on the first floor and stucco upstairs and around the living room and all over the back of the house.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,478
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Sept 4, 2017 2:25:05 GMT
Driving around today I realized that most if not all commercial building are also stucco in my area of So Cal.
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Post by mom26 on Sept 4, 2017 2:45:01 GMT
I hate stucco because it's a pain to paint. With that said, I've lived in my stuccoed house for 24 years. In the heat, humidity and copious rains of Florida. We've had zero problems related to the stucco siding.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 4, 2017 2:49:18 GMT
I hate stucco because it's a pain to paint. With that said, I've lived in my stuccoed house for 24 years. In the heat, humidity and copious rains of Florida. We've had zero problems related to the stucco siding. That's one of the big pluses with it, you (almost) never need to paint it. It's fairly maintenance free in that respect which is why people like it. |
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Post by mom26 on Sept 4, 2017 2:52:56 GMT
I hate stucco because it's a pain to paint. With that said, I've lived in my stuccoed house for 24 years. In the heat, humidity and copious rains of Florida. We've had zero problems related to the stucco siding. That's one of the big pluses with it, you (almost) never need to paint it. It's fairly maintenance free in that respect which is why people like it. True, but the paint does tend to get moldy and flake here in these Florida humid climes. Takes a while, but when you do need to paint, it's a pain. That said, in 24 years, we're only on our 3rd time to need to pressure wash and paint. It does last for a good while, that is true. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 4, 2017 3:00:19 GMT
That's one of the big pluses with it, you (almost) never need to paint it. It's fairly maintenance free in that respect which is why people like it. True, but the paint does tend to get moldy and flake here in these Florida humid climes. Takes a while, but when you do need to paint, it's a pain. That said, in 24 years, we're only on our 3rd time to need to pressure wash and paint. It does last for a good while, that is true. I live up north, and the house I grew up in was stucco built in the 1920's and it had never been painted. My parents bought that house in 1970, mom sold it in 1985. The house in live in now is 30+ years old and stucco, and it's holding up great. I don't foresee needing to paint the stucco anytime soon. The ugly trim and front door, probably, but not the stucco.  We lived in our old house for just over 20 years and I'd guess we had to paint the masonite siding at least four times while we lived there and now it's due to be painted again (my brother lives there now). Scraping that wood siding is a bigger PITA than pressure washing any day of the week! |
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Post by thracian on Sept 4, 2017 14:49:39 GMT
I'm glad I asked! I appreciate all the responses. I live in Utah and it's not super common to see only stucco. There are many houses with a combination of stucco/brick, etc. This particular house was built in 1949. I'd probably be more comfortable with a combination, but I won't automatically rule it out. Thanks again!
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You'd have to look high & low to find a house that isn't stucco here.
