Stucco repair costs in New Orleans

In New Orleans, stucco started life as a raincoat. The city's Historic District Landmarks Commission says builders traditionally put it on at the time of construction, over soft "lake brick," to protect it. In the 20th century it spread to wood-framed houses in the revival styles. Lake brick erodes when it's left bare, and HDLC's guidelines say most chain walls, especially soft lake-brick ones, should have a protective stucco coat.

That history shapes the rules. HDLC reviews every change to exterior masonry and stucco in its districts, and it doesn't allow synthetic stucco, or EIFS, on any building rated Significant or Contributing. Its reasoning is about water: EIFS doesn't breathe, so it can trap moisture in the wall, turn soft brick to powder and rot wood sills and framing.

Trapped water feeds a second local problem. Formosan subterranean termites reached port cities like New Orleans after World War II in wooden cargo crates, the city's termite board says, and they're now the area's main structural pest. Their carton nests store water, which helps a colony live off moisture sources above the ground. A wall that stays damp behind cracked stucco is that kind of source, so fixing the crack and drying out the wall are one job.