For many, a beach house can be an escape from the stresses of city life. For others, it can be a place to retire and enjoy the calmness that seaside living offers. Whatever your reasons for opting for beachfront living, there are other factors that you will need to consider; this leaves me with a question: Is Stucco Good For A Beach House?
A beach house is prone to the harsh elements of nature like wind, hail, moisture, and sunlight. You want to ensure that your exterior is protected. Stucco is not only tolerant of these elements but can provide an excellent sound barrier, ensuring that your peace and tranquility are not disturbed.
As with any product, there are some cons to using stucco. You want to ensure that you have satisfied your curiosity before taking the plunge. Let me fulfill that curiosity and enlighten you on the pros and cons and its comparison to other products on the market.
Why Choose Stucco For Beach House Exterior?
Apart from stucco’s excellent resistance to beach house living, it has made its mark in the industry. The appearance of stucco on beachfront properties dates back to the 19th century, when it debuted in North America and has since evolved from just plain whites to an explosion of color and texture.
In South Carolina, stucco is one of the most popular beach house materials for the exterior. This evolution has seen it become a material of choice in exclusive Southern California estates. Perhaps it is the Meditteranean feeling that the product offers, considering that it fairs well in Meditteranean and ancient Greece.
Pros Of Choosing Stucco
Stucco Is Versatile
Significantly few products can adapt and blend with other existing products, and stucco fairs well in this area. So irrespective of whether you want to cover up the stone masonry or a wooden frame home, stucco works its magic.
Stucco Is Easy to Apply
You can create any texture or effect by a simple application by hand. If you can imagine it, you can stucco it. It’s not only easy to use, but you can put your artistic skills to the test as you experiment with smooth, pitted, lace, swirl, or a combination of designs.
Offers Protection And Durability
You want to ensure that you consider the longevity of the exterior of your beach house. There is nothing worse than having to stress about your beach house exterior. With stucco, you know, you can sit back and kick off those shoes and relax for the next 50- 75 years after the application. All you need is to combine it with a suitable sealant, and you are good to go.
You can focus on relaxing, while stucco focuses on protection. You can rest assured it will protect the exterior of your home from the moisture fraught elements, harsh sunlight, hail, and rain that comes with beachfront living.
Stucco Provides An Excellent Sound Barrier
The number of required applications provides a shell around the house, which means it can provide warmth in winter and coolness in summer. Stucco is energy efficient and provides an excellent sound barrier with proper insulation.
Visible Aesthetics
No matter your reasons for choosing stucco, protection is not the only factor that makes it unique. It also adds to the aesthetics of beachfront living. Brick and wood are generally the look and feel of most beachfront homes. You want to ensure that you capture the true essence of beachfront living.
Many people are short-sighted about looking at the cost instead of the benefits. It will protect the property and become a conversation topic when entertaining.
Resistant To Molds And Mildew
With stucco, you do not have to stress about the appearance of mildew and molds as the product is mold resistant. It provides an excellent barrier against these elements.
Stucco Is Fire Resistant
The strong barrier that stucco provides makes it resistant to fire. In some cases, stucco has protected homes from fires.
Installation Is Quick
Although stucco does require a few coatings, it can take as a little as a day or two for installation to be complete.
Spoilt For Choice
Stucco is available in different colors and designs. Since it is easily accessible at most hardware stores, you can wake up to a new color exterior. Even if you get tired of the current color, you can give your home a few facelifts by color-coding.
As you explore the options of painting murals on stucco, you can consider turning it into a family activity. Get the family involved, and you can create a new stucco-style evolution.
Stucco Is Timeless
Stucco has been around since the 19th century and will continue to be around for more centuries to come. Manufacturers have thus far done a pretty good job in ensuring that it keeps up with the modern-day siding trends making the product appear fresh and less dull with minimum effort.
Increases The Resale Value Of Your Home
If properly installed, stucco can increase the resale value of your home. The look outweighs the appearance of other products. It adds charisma to your home.
Cons Of Choosing Stucco
Cracks May Appear
Although stucco adapts well to most beachfront climates, the southern California climate seems to be where stucco is prone to cracks. Water may appear underneath the application, which could lead to the rotting of the wood frames. Hence in these areas, you would need to be diligent to look out for the appearance of cracks and address them accordingly.
Also, if your home’s foundation is prone to shifting due to earthquakes, stucco might crack easily. The plaster can become brittle over time and not flex well with the harsh elements, especially exposure to excessive water.
Stucco Is Not Cost-Effective
One of the cons of stucco is the price tag; it is more expensive than vinyl and cement fiber siding.
Stucco Is Not Tolerant To Moisture
The tolerance of stucco to moisture can be restrictive. It is not as easy as brick or vinyl siding, especially if your home faces direct rain. Although it may repel water in certain climates, it is advisable not to use stucco for areas exposed to high rainfall. It is more suitable for sunny, dry climates.
Resurfacing Stucco Can Be Costly
Apart from the initial financial outlay of investing in stucco, resurfacing can also be quite costly. The flexibility of color choices is great, but you would still have to consider sandblasting to rid the exterior of the existing color so that it does not show through the new paint.
Cost Of Stucco
In January 2022, the average cost of installing stucco ranged from $9.40 to $15.54 per square foot.
Types Of Stucco Systems
You can use two stucco systems: the hard coat and the EIFS Stucco Systems. They are similar yet so different. I have tabled below some of the main differences;
| Hard Coat Stucco | EIFS Stucco System |
| Cement-based, which offers a rough exterior. | It consists of thin layers of modified material. |
| Can be susceptible to moisture | EIFS stucco has better water barriers and insulation. |
| It has an adhesive base, and the finish differs. | It has a foam insulation board and a base coat embedded with mesh. |
Conclusion
There are noticeable cons; however, the pros outweigh the cons. Despite the initial outlay of capital in the purchase, you can be confident in knowing that you will receive value for money. If maintained properly and you live in climatic conditions that are not excessive. Stucco can last an average of 50-75 years.
So take off those shoes, relax your feet and pour yourself a cocktail while you take in the beauty, peace, and tranquility of beachfront living, while stucco does the rest.
References
- https://www.doityourself.com/stry/pros-and-cons-of-stucco-homes/
- https://www.houzz.com/coastal-stucco-exterior-home-ideas/
- https://www.homewyse.com/services/cost_to_install_stucco.html/
