Let me be perfectly clear; I am not suggesting we were the first to stucco our home in Sun City. Any number of people were a year or two ahead of us and as we wandered Sun City streets, we were struck by the difference a coat of stucco made on a property. Throw in the fact it added "R" value to the home and reduced maintenance and it made perfect sense. My wife found a picture of a Santa Fe adobe she liked and showed it to our stucco guy. He said no problem in replicating the look and in 2002 just before our renter came, we had it done. We had the color coat added to the stucco and they said we would hate it. We did but we couldn't wait for it to cure, given the renter was coming in a week and I wasn't going to paint it while he was living in it. Being on a busy corner we were highly visible. We got lots of attention and when I printed out info sheets on those who did the work and us, they disappeared quickly. We even got emails back in Minnesota thanking us for all of the information and welcoming us to the neighborhood. To the point of the header though; if you are like many of us who were newbies, we gobbled up the local newspapers and always read the vents. My folks would send copies back to us in MN and it almost always provided a good laugh. There was one commentary that stood out: A venter was quite adamant that all of these "mud huts" were ruining the look of Sun City. That comment has resonated with me for years; especially while I was a board member of the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA). As you would expect, we heard every kind of criticism one could imagine. From folks who hated everything different, to those living next to pigsty's. In the end, we always tried to find balance in how we dealt with people. But this post is about more than that. Recently we had an exchange in another thread about how Marinette Rec Center is being remodeled and Oakmont Rec Center is being left to look muck like it has for years. It's a tricky issue because Oakmont (Community Center originally) was the first and does have some historical significant attachment to it. I love the older look and my preference is we try and maintain some of the old charm while updating the inside to meet the needs of those folks who love "their" rec center. Personally, I think part of the allure of Sun City that it has retained so much of its early look. When driving through phase 1, it's great to see well maintained homes that haven't changed much since they were built in the 60's. And within the same block you will find other homes that have been transformed to have a more up dated look to them. We are a community steeped in architectural diversity. There's nothing to say that one is better than the other. It really is a personal choice and what SCHOA looks for is for you to keep your home looking good and property values increasing because of that clean look. Mud huts or mid century modern, either way, Sun City has a feel that is just down home comfortable.
I love mud huts, lived in many different ones in California, super easy maintenance. We don't see many here in the Denver metro because the earth moves too much here. When it rains the clay soil swells, when it dries out the soil shrinks... pretty tough on stucco. Here we use the James Harding lap siding and maintenance is miserable. Constant caulking and touch up painting... I would take a "mud hut" any day if the soil would allow it. The only drawback with stucco is if you are doing yard work and accidentally rake the back of your hand across it (personal experience) the result is not too pleasurable.
I have smooth stucco on my house. No injuries with that type. Did you ever see the commercial where the mother decides to stucco the entire inside of the house walls? I can't remember the product but everyone is covered with band-aids in the end.
We go back and forth on the idea of changing to stucco on our house. We have the original concrete block and there is a certain charm.....and easy maintenance to it. For years we resisted the temptation to remodel the inside. We did the cosmetics with paint, new windows, new carpet, etc....But kept the inside just as it was built, complete with the swinging, louvered bar doors on the kitchen. But now that we have a totally redesigned home, walls have been removed, new built ins, all new flooring and a bathroom remodel, I wonder why we resisted for so long. Function has changed over the decades and now we have a home that functions for our lifestyle. The beauty of the original homes in Sun City is that the interior walls are not load bearing and you can vary your floor plan to meet your needs....Del Webb really did us all a favor. So maybe now it is time to look at updating the exterior too.....maybe. Bill, I'm not at all suggesting that Oakmont be turned into some Taj Mahal rec center, quite the contrary. Keep the historical look and feel of it but upgrade the amenities within. The pool area is horribly cramped and utilitarian looking. Enlarging the decking area would help a lot, along with better access to the pool itself.....The bathrooms are badly in need of a facelift. There are views to be had from the center, but not being utilized, the rooms are old and basic, the exercise area is comparable to an old high school weight room. For visitors and new residents it's hard to know what is even in the center, Windows, nice windows, would open up the small closed spaces and make it more community friendly. Like my home, sometimes the old form and function needs to be brought into the new reality.
I appreciate the maintenance issue with stucco over wood or Hardiplank siding, but I do hope that Sun City does retain some of the 60's style. Does not mean you should not update your home, but I just love the more modern look and putting stucco on homes here does not get rid of that look. I like some of the mud huts I see but hate when someone tries to make a castle out of them. But like my dad used to say "I pay the bills here so I will do to my home what I like." Goes for everyone here. At least we do not have an HOA screaming at us when we put the wrong kind of pot on our porch. Some people just hate any kind of change and we had one neighbor get angry over the color of paint we chose...I kid you not lol.
no real need to keep insides in the old style unless you just like it, but I hope the outsides stay mostly the same. I understand to add a bathroom, covered patio or something, but remodeling can get ugly real quick.
archer why would you prefer to add stucco instead of keeping the block? stucco has cracking issues. I know I have it. I do like stucco but I don't see it as superior to block. I hope to buy block and I will not touch it on the outside.
I don't think stucco has as many cracking issues when put over concrete block as it does over wood frame. It's mostly an aesthetic change, our house is a basic rectangle, I would like to add some architectural interest to the outside without altering the basic design.
I really do not care for the original cabinets that are in some/many of the homes so we ripped those out and used them in the garage. I hated to just throw them away because they are like concrete. Some people we know love the old, old look but I would rather update the interior than live with the old blue countertops lol. I guess you could really play up the retro look with the new/old looking stoves and refrigerators and there is a growing cult of mid century modern lovers out there seeking out houses like ours. What a gold mine an entire development would be to them.
I'm one of those Mid Century Modern seekers. But I'll still update the inside. Los Angeles is full of them too but sandwiched in with so much other stuff that the effect is not so dramatic. I look forward to driving down streets and streets of them one day in SC
In Australia, there are several little towns that have contests for the cleanest town and it is called the "Tidy Town" contest. Sun City struck me as a tidy town. We lived in a newer, master planned, pseudo luxury development, when first arriving in AZ almost 10 year ago now. I can say, when I drive through checking on our rental there, it cannot compare to the cleanliness of Sun City properties. I seem to be the messiest with this Palo Brea tree that sheds all year lol.
Recently I had my Sun City home totally re-done with Stucco. I now have more of a modern look with wonderful desert colors as a choice of paint. My new look is a plus ! I have found a crack here and there in the stucco...Fortunately a little caulk and touch up paint is all it needs.
The stucco guys call it mud. Maybe because one of the three layers is brown? Not necessarily a derogatory term.
