Hi all, we are thinking of buying a new home and there is a section on the exterior of the front of the house that has stucco. I personally don't mind it, but i'd rather have brick. my wife absolutely hates it and thinks its cheep. the stucco this builder is using isn't the kind that's made of plaster or concrete and then they paint it. its a kind where the color is all the way through. i'm not sure what its made of, but i guess they put color in the mix so that if a little piece falls off, it won't show the white underneath. generally, is stucco on the exterior of your house considered a cheep substitute to brick? how does it hold up 20 years later?
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Colouring the stucco is quite normal as it keeps it maintenance free. You'll see another thread here discussing stucco but from my perspective it's great stuff. Whether it's regarded as cheap looking or not probably depends on how it was done (some of the swirly stuff can look a bit odd to some) and personal perspective. The houses I've seen painted are only painted when the owner wants a different colour but it's not something you do without knowing you just changed the carefree aspect of stucco.
My house and those around me are all over 70 years old and stucco and they are still just fine. Done right (meaning it's not cracking, heaving, staining) it is a long lasting finish which is why it is seen so much in some areas. I think Western Canada seems to use it a lot more than other areas. It's actually more rare to see a solid brick house here.