House buying question

[Pessimist]

What type of exterior is the best? Brick? Stucco? or Frame?

Everyone seem to say that Brick is the best.

But does anyone know anything about Stucco? I search everywhere on Google for comparison and pros and cons of all three, I failed.

I am planning on buying a house in New York City. So I don't know if that should be taken into consideration?

Thank you.

[Predicto]

Stucco and wood frame is for places like California, where you don't get much rain and the extremes of weather -especially cold - are not that significant. They have the added advantage of being less affect by earthquakes than brick.

In the Northeast - you want brick and block, unless you want to pay a second mortgage every year in heating costs. Plain and simple.

[TheKurp]

Uh, stucco isn't structural. Stucco is a finish that goes over cinderblock or frame construction.

A better question would be which is better, stucco or wood siding? Or cinderblock verses wood frame?

In Florida, typical construction is stucco over cinderblock. If we're talking two-story, then the first floor is usually cinderblock and the second floor is wood frame with wood sheathing. Then stucco is applied to the exterior of the entire house.

[DeanCollins]

Pessimist CBS or concrete block and stucco construction in newer construction would be stronger than a brick home because these days brick is a veneer over wood frame construction. Kurp there are plenty of 2 and 3 story homes being built entirely of CBS these days especially in the coastal regions. Stay away from wood frame with stucco (or siding if you can).

I prefer stone houses, full bedded or veneer to brick though.

Now older brick homes, like the house I grew up in, are typically double wall construction. The masons built the inside and outside walls with a couple inch space between for insulation and tied them together with header bricks every 7th course (soldier course)

"Because bricks are small and relatively light in weight, they must be made to overlap or bond with each other to make a strong wall. the inner and outer brick walls are most often bonded together in a pattern known as the American Common Bond., in which there are six or seven rows of stretchers (long faces of bricks) to one row of headers (brick ends). The Flemish Bond, in which headers and stretchers alternate in each course, is also found here. Occasionally, the front of the house is laid in a Flemish Bond, while the side and rear walls show the less-decorative, more-economical Common Bond."

The masons would lay up the entire house 2 or 3 stories and leave slots in the interior wall for the carpenter to place their floor joists. Find one of these older brick homes and you'll have a work of art. Make sure the foundation is in good shape and look carefully at the brickwork for cracks or deteriorating mortar usually from faulty gutter systems.

[RyansRangers]

a lot depends on the climate of where your buying

[Larry]

Pessimist CBS or concrete block and stucco construction in newer construction would be stronger than a brick home because these days brick is a veneer over wood frame construction. Kurp there are plenty of 2 and 3 story homes being built entirely of CBS these days especially in the coastal regions. Stay away from wood frame with stucco (or siding if you can).

I prefer stone houses, full bedded or veneer to brick though.

Now older brick homes, like the house I grew up in, are typically double wall construction. The masons built the inside and outside walls with a couple inch space between for insulation and tied them together with header bricks every 7th course (soldier course)

"Because bricks are small and relatively light in weight, they must be made to overlap or bond with each other to make a strong wall. the inner and outer brick walls are most often bonded together in a pattern known as the American Common Bond., in which there are six or seven rows of stretchers (long faces of bricks) to one row of headers (brick ends). The Flemish Bond, in which headers and stretchers alternate in each course, is also found here. Occasionally, the front of the house is laid in a Flemish Bond, while the side and rear walls show the less-decorative, more-economical Common Bond."

The masons would lay up the entire house 2 or 3 stories and leave slots in the interior wall for the carpenter to place their floor joists. Find one of these older brick homes and you'll have a work of art. Make sure the foundation is in good shape and look carefully at the brickwork for cracks or deteriorating mortar usually from faulty gutter systems.

Just stay away from the Roger Moore Bond, cause it really stinks.