A crack running across the house at the second-floor line. Bubbled paint under a window after a summer of storms. Entry columns that look tired next to the neighbor's freshly painted ones. Those are the stucco repair calls we get from Wellington homeowners, and our residential stucco service covers each of them, from a single patch to a full re-stucco. For the broader picture of stucco systems in the Village, read stucco in Wellington. Everything else we do for your home is on the Wellington page.
Where Wellington house stucco cracks
Wellington homes are mostly concrete block with cement stucco, built across the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s in planned communities. Each era has its own weak points, so it helps to know where to look on yours.
The floor line on two-story models. Many two-story houses here have a block first floor and a wood-framed second floor. The frame moves with humidity and load, and the block does not. The stucco that spans the joint cracks in a long horizontal line. Caulking it hides it for a season. A lasting repair cuts the crack out, sets the joint correctly and rebuilds the coats.
Window corners. Diagonal cracks that step out from the corners of windows are the most common repair on any block house. In Wellington, a lot of homes swapped their original windows for impact units, and the stucco return around each new frame was not always rebuilt and sealed well. That is where water gets in first.
The base of the wall. Sprinkler heads aimed at the house keep the bottom courses wet. Look for flaking paint, a white powdery stain or stucco that sounds hollow when you tap it with a knuckle.
Raised bands and trim. The decorative bands around windows on 1990s and 2000s models collect water on their top edge and crack along it.
Stucco repair price or re-stucco price
Should you patch or redo the whole wall? That decision comes down to how much of the wall has failed, not how it looks from the street. We tap each elevation and mark the hollow areas before we recommend anything. Typical starting points, confirmed after we see the house:
- Patch repair of cracked or hollow stucco, texture matched: typically starts around $13–$21 per sq ft.
- Spalling repair (concrete popping off over rusted steel), chipped to steel, rebar treated, rebuilt: typically starts around $22–$34 per sq ft.
- Re-stucco of a whole elevation down to block, three coats: typically starts around $14–$23 per sq ft.
- Columns, arch changes and a smooth finish on the front are priced per job after a site visit.
About these prices. These ranges are starting points based on typical South Florida projects. Your final price depends on the condition of the property, access, the materials or system specified and the full scope of work. We confirm every number after we review your project in person or from the drawings, and the price in your signed proposal is the one that applies.
When roughly a third of a wall is failing, re-stuccoing that elevation usually costs about the same as chasing patches, and it leaves you one uniform surface. How a patch is cut, built and blended is on the stucco repair page.
Can't tell if your wall needs a patch or a re-stucco? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll tap it, mark it and give you a clear answer.
Columns, arches and the front elevation
The front of the house is where most Wellington owners want to spend. Three requests come up again and again.
Entry and porch columns. Columns crack at the base, the cap and along the corners where the bead (the metal edge under the stucco) has rusted or the coat was thin. We cut back to sound material, replace the bead and rebuild the profile so the column looks straight again. See stucco column repair.
Squaring arched openings. Arched heads over the front windows and entry doors date many Village homes, and plenty of owners square them for a cleaner look or to fit a new impact window. We open the wall, reframe the head or rebuild it in block as the drawings require, and rebuild the stucco around the new shape. That work needs a permit. Details are on squaring off arched openings.
A smooth front. Some owners skim only the street-facing side smooth and leave the sides in knockdown. It works when the transition lands at an outside corner, and we will tell you where it will and will not look right.
Your HOA and the Village permit
Planning to change the look of the house? Most Wellington subdivisions have an architectural review committee, and a change of texture, color or window shape goes to them before work starts. You submit the request, since it is your property, and we prepare the sample board, the photos and a short written description of the work. A like-for-like patch normally needs no approval.
On permits, J. Perry & Sons pulls them itself and follows every Village and County requirement. Inside Village limits that is the Village of Wellington Building Department. A few addresses with a Wellington mailing address are unincorporated and go to Palm Beach County. Re-stucco over new lath, stucco on an addition and any opening change need a permit. We do not do engineering. We build to the engineer's drawings and bring in a licensed engineer when the work needs one.
Send a photo of the whole wall and a close-up of the damage through our project form, and we'll get back to you with a free estimate range the same day.
Staying home while we work
You do not need to move out. The work is outside and runs one or two walls at a time.
- We walk the house with you, agree on which walls, and mark where cars, grills and patio furniture need to move.
- Windows, doors, pavers and plants near the wall are covered in plastic and drop cloths.
- The first days are loud: chipping out failed stucco and mixing. After that, the coats go on and cure quietly.
- Cement stucco cures before primer, so painting follows the stucco instead of overlapping it.
- We need water and power from the house and a spot in the driveway to mix.
Summer storms push the schedule around. We plan applications for the morning, cover fresh work before the afternoon rain and keep coats a day apart so each one cures.
Workmanship warranty on every job; materials carry the manufacturer's warranty. Terms are in your written contract.
Wellington homes and nearby areas
If the work is on a building you manage rather than your own house, see commercial stucco in Wellington. Homeowners near the Village can also read residential stucco in West Palm Beach and residential stucco in Boca Raton.
ZIP codes we serve in Wellington
33414, 33449, 33467.
Prefer to send photos or plans? Send us your project
Questions from Wellington homeowners
Do I have to be home while you work on the stucco? No. Once we have walked the house together and agreed on the scope, the crew only needs access to the walls, water and power. Most owners go about their day as usual.
What will it cost to fix the cracks on my house? Patch repair typically starts around $13–$21 per sq ft of damaged area, spalling repair around $22–$34 per sq ft, and a full elevation re-stucco around $14–$23 per sq ft. Columns, arches and a smooth front are priced per job after a site visit, and you get a written line-item estimate. Final pricing is confirmed after we review your project.
Will my HOA let me square the arched windows? Most committees review the elevation, the texture and the color. We prepare the sample and description for your submission, and approval is the committee's decision.
Why does the crack at my second floor keep coming back? It is usually the joint between the block first floor and the framed second floor. Surface caulk does not stop the movement, so we cut the crack out and rebuild the coats across a properly detailed joint.
Can you match my existing knockdown or sand finish? Yes. We make a sample on a hidden spot of the same wall, let it cure, compare it in daylight and adjust before the repair. Paint completes the blend.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.