Stucco Cracking

If you are buying a home, you have likely walked around the outside of the house. Many homes in the Sarasota and Manatee region have stucco cracking. It can be scary! Why is the house cracking? Well, in nearly every case it’s not as bad as you think. After a home is built, it will settle on the building site. The settlement is the natural way of the house finding its level. Think of it as making yourself comfortable in an armchair after you sat down. This process is where most stucco cracks come from. The home’s stucco coating is not elastic and settlement cracks will form along the settlement points. It is generally advised to keep the cracks sealed up with an outdoor grade caulking in order to keep moisture from entering. That’s typically all that needs to be done. There are some cases where the cracks are more extreme. Larger offsetting of sections of the building or cracks that extend from the outside to the inside of the home. In these cases, extreme settlement is taking place. These conditions should be reviewed further by a structural engineer to determine what repair are needed.