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Converting a Real stucco with stacked stone to a brick front
(raiden) wrote in message om...
We found a house that we really liked last week and it matches our
criteria. There a couple of questionable things about this house.
This house has a real stucco with stacked stone front and concreted
siding on the sides and back. This house is built in 1997 by Ryland
homes in Atlanta, Georgia, well maintained interior and exterior and
looks impeccable.
I like brick fronts and my agent told me that he does not even list
stucco houses in general.
I heard from a friend that because the house is real stucco, we can
pay a contractor to make this to brick front. Is this a good idea ?
Is it common to convert a real stucco to a brick front ?.
Does it effect the resale value of the house ?
What is a rough ball park number for converting?
Please please help.
First, although I think SQLit & Art suggest some real problems you
would face, I think the level of panic suggested is a bit much.
Second, there is not enough information to suggest a cost.
As an architect, I dislike "brick fronts". I think they make houses
look cheap, because it looks like a false front.
Ask your realtor about the resale value.
Your friend's comment as you render it, doesn't make much sense. Is
your friend assuming that since stucco is sort of like masonry, it's
sort of like brick?
The stone, if it has some thickness / depth, would suggest the
existence of a ledge in the foundation to support brick. The brick
should be part of a cavity wall with an air space behind the brick.
The brick above door and window openings would have to be supported on
lintels. Flashing and weep holes would be required above and below
window openings, and at the base of the wall. The brick would have to
be tied back to the structural wall at intervals of two feet or so.
Trim at openings would have to be designed and installed to deal with
the thickness of the brick and air space.
As SQLit and Art point out, adding brick would be difficult and so
expensive. If it were me, and the house layout, condition, and
neighborhood are acceptable, I'd buy, then work out the details and
costs over the next year. The choice of brick can make a big
difference in the cost, so give time for that search.
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