Stucco repair costs in Cleveland

Cleveland's houses are old. Nearly half the homes in the city, 47.5 percent, were built before 1940, Census estimates show. Many have now lived through more than 80 winters off Lake Erie.

Where you live in the metro changes the stress. East of downtown, the National Weather Service's primary snowbelt covers eastern Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. In the winter of 2002-03, Cleveland logged 95.7 inches of snow while parts of Geauga topped 150. Snow piled against a wall melts on a sunny afternoon, soaks the bottom few feet of stucco, then freezes again that night. That's where crumbling and flaking can start, so keep drifts and plowed piles off the wall when you can.

Stucco has deep roots in the inner-ring suburbs. A Shaker Heights walking-tour guide says the 1924 demonstration homes there were built of stucco, brick, stone, wood, slate and copper, and that English-style houses lean on stone, stucco and brick.

If you live in Shaker, the city's Architectural Board of Review looks at all exterior changes, re-siding included. Check with the city before you change a texture or a color.