The Pros of Stucco

Architectural Design

• Stucco can be manipulated to look like many different designs and styles, architecturally. You cannot do that with brick, stone, wood or vinyl products. Harder siding and exterior products like brick and stone cannot be made to look like stucco or vinyl. But stucco can be shaped to resemble any other material, including those and wood, and painted almost any color.

Cost

• Stucco stacks up well against other high-performance cladding materials when it comes to the cost, according to "The Minnesota Green Affordable Housing Guide. Stucco runs approximately $3.41 per sq. ft., including installation costs. In comparison, brick can cost as much as $8.23 for the same square footage of material and installation. And wood, which some types can have less of a product life than stucco, costs as much as $3.58 per sq. ft.

Performance

• Exterior home materials and sidings need to be able to perform well in appearance as well as protecting your home from the elements. Stucco is one of the few materials that does not require painting or staining every so many years, unlike wood, for example, in order to maintain its appearance. Stucco performs well in protecting your home from the elements too, especially when installation is tailored to prevent water from getting between the stucco and any other exterior surface.

Product Life

• Replacing siding materials used on your home can be prohibitive in cost if you have to do it quite often for the life of your home. You need siding and exterior surfaces that have a long product life to reduce this expenditure over the long term. Stucco is one of three exterior surfaces that offer homeowners better bang for their buck in that regard, actually ranking only second to brick when natural stone is not a consideration. According to "The Minnesota Green Affordable Home Guide," stucco has a product life of 50 years or more, depending upon maintenance upkeep. That's only a product life difference of 25 years compared to brick and a 25 to 50 percent longer life than some wood products.