Siding or Stucco?
 

As we approach the 2nd half of life, my wife and I have decided that TV is where we want to be. Now due to employment situations that may happen this year or that may happen 5 years from now. Frustrating is an understatement.

The Villages agent we worked with on our recent return visit was a wealth of information and a tremendous help. However, I think when it comes to the build itself, he may not have been much help. Living in western PA currently everything here is stick built construction with mostly vinyl siding. Sometimes a brick or stone veneer. All that said, you tend to hear a lot of ambient outside noise. Wind, rain, dogs, kids...even the neighbors basement dwelling son playing video games at 2 am.

When we finally move to Florida, I want the look of the house to say You're in Florida. My wife would be fine with either siding or stucco. I would prefer block (or poured wall) and stucco. I like the look, but rightly or wrongly I think it would be quieter inside, especially in bad weather and more energy efficient.

Has anyone lived in both in TV? Which do you prefer? and am I right or wrong on the noise and efficiency?

Thanks

You may be correct about the noise to some extent, but the insulation value is pretty much the same because it is controlled by the building code. Personally, I think the concrete houses are better because they will have a higher resale value. Notice that very few of the large, expensive houses have vinyl siding. Also, some people confuse stucco with a painted cement finish. The concrete houses do not actually have stucco. It is a thin trowelled textured coating applied directly to the concrete or block.

IMO Stucco seems to resist mold better than plastic. Mostly on north sides where sun hardly shines. So pressure washing would be less IMO.

Strong
 

Stucco holds up better to hurricane winds. Stick homes have peeling siding etc to worry about.

those with stucco homes will be pallbearers for those with siding homes when the hurricane comes through

ALL homes are built to current codes and will withstand any winds that come to central Florida.

Remember, we are in the center of the state. Any hurricanes that come ashore will decrease by the time they get to us. The several storms that have occurred in the last 10 years we have been here have been like bad thunderstorms by the time they get to us.

C'mon, man. A totally off-base and unnecessary comment.

I currently live in stick/vinyl home… owned a block construction home in Boca Raton for many years.

My take is that block construction is quieter. i.e. less wind / neighborhood noise heard inside the home. I did not have a particular preference when buying here in The Villages as I did not expect neighborhood noise to be a factor and it is not.

I do think I would stick to block construction if near the coast, but the failure modes during hurricanes seem to revolve around roof shingles and collapsed garage doors. I’m 5 years in now and have no regrets… well, except I do wish I had a golf cart garage!

Hope this helps.

Frisco Kid

P.S. If you don’t move now, you’ll be a year older when you do! :-)

Google 'snakes under vinyl siding walls in the villages'. Seeing the black racer going into an impossibly small opening in a vinyl sided house was the deciding factor for me. Block was worth the extra $15,000.

We have owned both in The Villages. The stucco is much quieter, it's not even close.
In the siding, we could hear the garbage truck, we could hear the neighbors next door when they were inside!!
When we decided to move, it was stucco only and it's very nice and quiet. Wouldn't even think it any other way now.

but it is a factual comment! stucco is stronger than wood frame homes, that is the way it is, if ur looking for a home it might be a consideration, so I would consider it on topic

Here you go, first photo next door neighbors one stucco one vinyl. The second photo shows the force of nature during a tornado in TV the destroyed homes were vinyl villas the car was actually in the neighbors yard.

Not all stucco homes are block. My golf partner has a stucco home in Bridgeport, it's stick built.

I tend to agree that the newest home should be on a relatively equal footing from a construction basis, however, I have seen reports of damage to vinyl siding from landscapers, golfers, occasional buckling due to weather extremes, occasional noises if the siding was not nailed correctly. I believe stucco has a longer life, however both tend to fade and as I recall vinyl requires special paint and prep to refinish, and I have no idea as to the longevity of a vinyl paint job, stucco I have seen offers of warrantees to 25 years.
We have a concrete block, with true stucco and love it, no maintenance in just over 10 years. Will be doing new paint in the next 1 to 2 years.

The only reason anyone would go for siding is that it is cheaper(short term). CBS(stucco) is a stronger, quieter product. In addition termites like wood frame(siding) construction. Best construction is poured concrete. You should be able to get a lower homeowner insurance cost(this is going up way above regular inflation rate in Florida) Lived in Florida entire life.

True but there are very few of this construction in TV

Black racers are like big night crawlers totally harmless along with ring necks occasionally seen. They’re more interested in lizards and insects and place to hide.

Until that rare tornado come over? I feel safer in block home. Harder to knock down walls I would think?

I came from OKC, we got underground when tornado was heading our way.

Family ignorant comment!! Both style houses have the same roof structure. If the hurricane is strong enough, the roof would be the first to go. Then the windows.

Someone please explain to this individual, that tornados and hurricanes are NOT the same.

We rented a stick built, vinyl sided court yard villa before buying. When we bought we chose a block and stucco courtyard villa. It’s definitely quieter in this one than the vinyl sided one. It has to be raining very hard to hear it at all and we hear nothing else from outside such as voices from neighbors.

Ive lived in both. Block houses are MUCH more quiet. I can’t hear my own sprinklers come on. In a stick home, I can hear all the neighbors sprinklers.

Block
 

Stucco Block homes (masonry ) are rated the highest for sound proofing vs tilt or stick. STC is maximized because of mass air mass resonance (or the second wall having drywall attached lol). That said, they cost more to build and can have leakage problems. The Villages has done well on stucco surfacing though. Masonry would be my first choice.

Rated overall

1. Masonry/ block
2. Tilt
3. Stick

I have the concrete block with true stucco. The home is built like a brick outhouse! Very much worth the money!!!

Definitely less maintenance with block. I think the noise is less but wouldn’t want to live where noise is an issue with a stick built house.

I’m thinking you accidentally reversed that comment.
Mom and Dad were in Hurricane Andrew. Cat5…total devastation. It was actually the 7tornadoes that Andrew spawned that did all the damage.
What survived was the block (stucco) structures. And 90% of their contents.
When we retired to Florida we knew two things. First, we would not live in a coastal city. By mid-state winds have been greatly diminished.
Second, stucco homes can withstand hurricanes and tornadoes. We built stucco.
BTW hearing neighbors noise is seldom a complaint in The Villages. 1 or 2 retirees per household, plus pets.
Welcome to The Villages….youll love it here!

Photographer please do show pics of the burnt out block houses struck by lightening too. Better odds of that happening in T V than a tornado. Don't forget the pics of the intentional burn down of one's own wood home in Lyndon Isle, walls still stood.

At least with a block house you will have walls left standing on most all scenarios. Insurance or ( self-insured $$) required by deed restriction to rebuild a destroyed house. Either block or wood you are living elsewhere for a long while. They do both have smoke detectors and are built to code.

The Three Little Pigs know the answer.

I for one am 2 for 2 wood and I don't hear anything outside other than garbage truck reminding me I forgot to put out my trash or I roll over in a state of relief, yay, mine is out.

You will want to get a Village Realtor as well as a MLS (outside) Realtor or you may miss your dream home.

Pittsburgher here! Retired Builder. Stucco is the way to go. Never vinyl. If possible, a fiber cement (James Hardie as an example) would give you the lap siding look. But, do not believe it is available for Villages Homes.

This is my 3rd stucco I can still hear my neighbor's conversation across the street. look more at maintenance. Using the right quality paint and colors you only paint once for 20 yrs. (stucco) Siding has stick behind it.... what likes wood? it's really the basics on this. I love the 'never' on the siding but I'll take the stucco

I just hate the look when Stucco develops a crack down the wall.

Most noise comes from the roof vents and not necessarily the walls.

Just think of the 3 little pigs. Hurricanes can cause tornadoes even here and ask yourself which kind of house you would prefer to own if one struck. Sticks or stone?

So untrue. We were here in 2007 when a tornado came thru and it destroyed block homes just as easily as stick built homes, same is true in tornado alley, brick, block, stick built, no matter all are destroyed. Been here since 2001, so plenty of hurricanes have come thru too, no damage to either type homes.
You can always put up hardy plank instead of vinyl siding too. If sound is a concern pay more at build for a higher level of insulation, we did and it paid off after only one year. We added insulation in all walls and all ceilings including garage and lanai. Worth every penny. So, buy the look you like because you like that look. The rest is basically the same due to strict hurricane building codes.

Sorry, somehow got posted twice.

If it quiet home is important to you, then location is more important than materials. If you plan to enjoy a lanai this is particularly important. When we moved to The Villages I took a map and crossed off any neighborhood near a major road, railroad track, square, rec center (pickleball!), school, or adjacent to a multimodal path or sewage treatment facility. I also eliminated areas adjacent to power transmission lines (harder to resell) and developable land. This eliminated almost all of the southern half of the villages and most of the northern half. We ended up focusing on a wonderfully quiet neighborhood on the northwest side of the villages which was a good choice for us. Because we only had the option of pre-owned houses in this neighborhood, the number of houses available in the area was very limited and we did end up moving into a vinyl sided home. However, if a painted concrete home becomes available in the same neighborhood I would strongly consider buying it and putting this one on the market. Concrete is, as noted by earlier posters, favored by its durability, ease of maintenance, noise dampening, and resale value. Also, concrete homes in The Villages are often, but not always, built with more upgrades.

Some problems we noticed with our vinyl sided home and others in the area include: 1) initial installation was not a stellar job and we did have to correct some issues regarding water not draining properly from the lower trim 2) vinyl is extremely susceptible to damage from weed eaters used by lawn maintenance people 3) vinyl seems to require more frequent pressure washing, although once or twice a year is plenty 4) vinyl fades slightly with sun exposure over time, which can be problematic if having to repair a piece of vinyl siding with a matching piece 4) neighbor had a piece of siding disturbed by high winds, although it popped back into place easily. 5) The walls heat up a bit with prolonged direct sun, resulting in some of the kitchen cabinet interiors being warmer than we would like. 6) creatures like snakes and lizards are able to access the area behind the siding very easily. We did have a cute little snake living under the siding for a while and popping its head out occasionally from the bottom, but no critters in the house. That said, vinyl siding is a pretty hard wearing, economical material. Our vinyl sided home is extremely quiet, but I believe that has more to do with location than construction.

It probably comes down to personal preference. If built after 2002, both are designed to withstand storm damage to the degree required by code. As for noise pollution, with a few exceptions such as living near a busy road or one of the squares, TV is one of the quietest places I have lived, especially between 9pm and 6am. We lived in both type of houses before we bought and chose stucco for the looks. However, we were purchasing an existing home and there were quite a few places that we looked at that had few if any stucco homes for sale so were were not locked into a stucco home for that reason.

Totally agree with this post. We have owned both stick & block here.

Never would do tilt though, unless we really loved the location. It is a process that saves only the builder/developer $, which is not passed down to the buyer. Cannot modify the build, if say you want to add a room or window or doorway later.

Stucco vs siding
 

I have had both. My sided house was very susceptibleto mold and mildew on our non aunny side. I also felt that the insulation against temperature, noise, etc was not as good. Our stucco house seems to be much more energy efficient.
Also the resale is better.

I was here when the tornado hit in 2007. It was an equal opportunity monster. It destroyed both home types. The main issue was the roofs were lifted off. Luckily no Villagers were killed.

Stucco is what we chose 19
years ago. Won’t have to worry about teens next door making noise!😉