Is every side of your house cracking, sounding hollow or showing old patches? A full-house job covers every exterior wall at once: either a re-stucco that replaces failed exterior stucco on your existing home, or new stucco on a new house or addition. It sits under residential stucco and the main stucco hub. If only one wall or a few spots are bad, stucco repair is the better route. If you only want a different look, a smooth stucco finish skims over what is sound.
When a whole-house re-stucco is the right call
- Hollow stucco, cracking or staining on three or four elevations.
- Repeated patches that keep showing up next to each other.
- Stucco was applied thin or without proper curing, and it's crazing (fine web cracks) and chalking everywhere.
- You're changing windows, doors, rooflines or openings and most walls are being opened anyway.
- A new addition has to match a house with an old texture.
- A new house or ground-up build needs its first coating.
Doing all the walls at once costs less per square foot than going elevation by elevation, and your house ends up one color, one texture and one cure age.
Wondering if your house needs the full job or just repairs? Call (561) 556-7509 and we'll tap every wall and tell you where it stands.
Full-house stucco cost in South Florida
| Scope | Installed range |
|---|---|
| Re-stucco, scratch, brown and finish coat | $14–$23 per sq ft of wall |
| Whole single-story house, typical wall area | $25,000–$40,000 |
| Smooth skim over sound existing stucco | $7–$10 per sq ft |
| Heavy knockdown or lace ground down, then skimmed | $9–$13 per sq ft |
| Two-story house | Add scaffold or lift cost, roughly 10–20 percent |
| New-construction house or addition, three coats on block | $7–$10 per sq ft of wall |
| New-construction house or addition, three coats over lath (frame) | $9–$13 per sq ft of wall |
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.
The whole-house number covers demolition of failed stucco where needed, bonding or lath, all three coats, texture, cleanup and the permit. Paint is separate. A single-story house with a larger footprint, many gables or lots of corners runs to the top of the range, and a simple rectangle sits near the bottom. A new house is priced on the plans by substrate, because new block and lath over framing carry different rates.
How a full-house job runs
- Survey. We tap every elevation, check the block and lintels, and note every window head, sill and roof-to-wall joint.
- Permit and approvals. We pull the permit, and submit samples if your HOA needs to approve the texture or color.
- Protect and scaffold. Windows, doors, plants and pavers are covered, and scaffold goes up on one or two sides at a time.
- Demolition. Stucco is chipped or ground to sound material. Where it was applied over lath, failed lath and paper are replaced.
- Cause fixes. Rusted lintel steel is treated, sealant and flashing are replaced, and a missing weep screed or casing bead goes in.
- Bond and scratch. On block, a bonding agent goes on and the scratch coat follows. On lath, paper and new lath go first.
- Brown coat. Floated flat with a darby (a long, flat float) so the wall is true. This coat decides how the finish looks, so we don't rush it.
- Finish coat. Applied in your chosen texture, one wall at a time, so lap lines stay hidden.
- Cure and paint. Cement stucco cures 7–14 days before primer. You keep the colors you choose.
What to expect on the wall afterward
What should your finished wall look like? A properly cured cement stucco wall is uniform in color before paint, free of lap lines and flat under raking light. Every stucco house shows a few fine shrinkage hairlines in the first season; they're normal and are closed by the elastomeric coat or sealed at the first paint cycle. Corners and window edges should be crisp and straight, and every window should have a sealed joint at the frame. If anything looks off at the final walk, we mark it and correct it before the job is closed out.
The finish you pick for the whole house
Want a new texture? A whole-house job is the moment to change it. Smooth gives a modern look and demands a perfectly floated base. Sand float is the safe default. Skip trowel suits Mediterranean architecture. Knockdown is forgiving and easy to keep up. Dash and orange peel are less common on full houses. Unsure? We put sample panels on a wall so you see them in your own light. Our guide to the cost of a smooth stucco finish for a whole house covers that route.
Want to see sample panels on your own wall before you choose? Call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project and we'll set up a free visit.
Permits, engineering and your HOA
J. Perry & Sons pulls the permit on a full-house job and follows every city and county requirement, including inspections of lath where required. We do not do engineering; we build to the engineer's drawings and coordinate a licensed engineer when the work needs one, for example when opening sizes change. If you have an HOA, we provide sample boards and a scope description for your submission.
Climate details that change the job
CBS block. We clean and wet block so the scratch coat bonds, and we tackle moisture from window and roof flashings first.
Coastal homes. Near the coast we use galvanized or PVC lath and bead, and stainless or coated fasteners.
Summer scheduling. Afternoon storms interrupt wet coats. We start early on each wall and cover the day's work before the weather turns.
Hurricane season. A house with open scaffold and no finish coat is not a good place to be when a storm is forecast. We plan the sequence so walls are closed in stages.
What your estimate lists
- Wall area by elevation and the finish named
- Demolition scope and haul-away
- Lath, bead and fastener types
- Openings, windows and columns noted
- Permit, scaffold and cleanup
- Primer and paint, included or excluded
- Workmanship warranty terms
Workmanship warranty on every job; materials carry the manufacturer's warranty. Terms are in your written contract.
Related: Portland cement stucco, how to choose a stucco contractor, stucco crack repair vs re-stucco.
Coat-by-coat schedule on a whole house
On a full re-stucco the calendar is set by the coats, not by how fast a crew can trowel. This is the sequence we follow on a typical single-story home:
- Strip and inspect. Old stucco comes off down to block, and we check lintels and tie beams for rust and spalling before anything new goes on.
- Accessories. New weep screed at the base, casing bead around every window and door, corner aid, and control joints on long walls.
- Scratch coat. Portland cement base applied and scored, then kept damp while it cures for a day or two.
- Brown coat. Floated straight and true. This coat cures longest, about a week, so shrinkage cracks show up before finish rather than after.
- Finish coat. Smooth, sand float or knockdown, worked one full wall at a time so no lap lines show.
- Paint. After the finish cures, a primer and elastomeric coat such as Sherwin-Williams Loxon or SherLastic seals the house.
Rushing the brown coat cure is the most common shortcut we see on failed jobs, so we print the cure days on the schedule we hand you.
Prefer to send photos or plans? Send us your project
Full-house stucco FAQ
How long does a full-house stucco job take? A typical single-story house takes a few weeks of working days, plus cure time between coats and before paint. Weather in rainy season adds days. We give a schedule in the written estimate after the survey.
How much does it cost to re-stucco a whole house? $14–$23 per square foot of wall, or $25,000–$40,000 for a typical single-story house before paint. Two-story homes add scaffold or lift cost. A new house or addition runs $7–$10 per square foot of wall on block and $9–$13 over lath. Final pricing is confirmed after we review your project.
Can I live in the house during the job? Yes. The work is outside. Expect noise at demolition, and keep cars and furniture away from the walls.
Do I have to repaint after re-stucco? Yes, unless you choose an integrally colored finish. The stucco cures first, then gets primer and paint, so painting is a separate step.
How do I get an exact price? We walk the house, tap each elevation and measure the wall area, then send a line-item estimate with the finish, the permit and the schedule. Call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project.
Free estimate — call (561) 556-7509 or send us your project. Licensed Florida general contractor CGC1540699. Serving Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.