Does Your Home Need a Bath?

Does Your Home Need a Bath?
Almost all of Orangecrest Country’s homes have stucco siding. Stucco and paint professionals recommend regular maintenance to extend the life of stucco and exterior paint. Regular (annual) washing will help remove the dirt that clings to the porous surface of stucco and help prolong the life of the paint. Gentle washing is recommended, with a mild detergent and rinsing with water. Pressure washing is not recommended. While you are cleaning your home, look for cracks or voids in the surface. Hairline cracking is normal over time, but if the cracks are large enough to insert a credit card into, patching will be needed. Painting can bridge the smaller, hairline cracks.
To help keep the stucco clean near the ground level and avoid staining from dirt splashing up against your home, especially noticeable on white or light colored homes, consider a pebble type ground cover around the perimeter of your home. Not all colors of landscape rock are permitted in Orangecrest Country and you must submit an architectural application with a sample and acquire approval before installation. The form is available on this website.
Most homes in Orangecrest are around 15 years old or older. A typical paint job will last 5-10 years. Since painting is a relatively expensive undertaking, it is well worth the trouble to perform a little annual maintenance and cleaning will refresh the look of your home’s skin.
If your home has never been painted, begin planning and budgeting now for this important maintenance item. Check out the FAQ’s page of this site for more info on pre-approved colors, which will speed the approval time on your architectural application, which is required whenever you repaint the exterior of your home. Another advantage of choosing one of the pre-approved colors is that you can email your paint application to us for approval, as we will not need paint samples. Applications using pre-approved colors may be emailed to Vanessa Blosser at vblosser@actionlife.com.