Views of the Neighborhood – In Search of Stucco Houses

~ John W. Howell

As you can see form the headline we are going out to find stucco houses. You may ask the question, “What’s so special about stucco houses?” The answer is     Stucco houses are very much in the minority here in central Texas. Most of the homes are built of brick and stone. The style is most commonly called Hill Country Architecture. Stucco houses on the other hand come in many styles, so today we are going to have a look at a few. Of course, will need to have brunch which will be catered from Forthright Cafe in Austin. Our entertainment is Bette Midler.

Menu

AMERICAN BREAKFAST
two fried eggs, sourdough toast with jam, hash-browns & choice of bacon or sausage
BREAKFAST SANDWICH scrambled eggs, cheddar, ham, sriracha aioli
served on brioche Texas toast
sub gluten-free toast
PORK BELLY CHILAQUILES  corn tortillas tossed in salsa Roja, two sunny eggs, crispy
pork belly, pickled onion, queso cotija
7-DAY PASTRAMI REUBEN SANDWICH JNL Barbecue smoked pastrami, caraway sauerkraut, gruyere cheese & Russian dressing served on marbled rye with a side of fries
add fried egg
CHICKEN & WAFFLES boneless fried chicken thigh, maple bourbon butter,
pecans, maple syrup & powdered sugar
PASTRAMI HASH shredded pastrami, potatoes, onions, peppers with
sunny side up eggs, queso & salsa doña
FORTHRIGHT BENEDICT pork belly, poached eggs with cherry tomato confit,
arugula and hollandaise served on English muffins
BRUNCH BURGER double 3oz patties, fried egg, bacon, American cheese,
caramelized onion, hash-brown, pickles & hollandaise
on challah bun

Top Shelf drinks from the bar

Picture of an old time school bus

So let’s get going.

Views of the neighborhood

This first house is one The Producer would love to have. It is run down a little but looks like it has great bones. All stucco Hacienda style.

This house we have seen before. I decided to include it as an example of Modern style with stucco and stone. Also, the paint color is always a hoot.

Another Hacienda style.

This one is interesting and it can be a “your guess” as to style for this all stucco home.

Hacienda style again with modern touches.

A classic Hacienda style.

I couldn’t help myself on this one. No stucco, no stone, and quite unusual. This house is being renovated. Notice the LED lights. We wonder about the color choices. The two bump-outs are just sides and not painted yet. We are betting they are going with the gutter color.

A classic Hacienda style.

An example of the Italian Renaissance Revival.

Contemporary style

Mediterranean style with large Magnolia in front.

Hacienda style.

Hacienda compound.

Contemporary style.

Mid Century Modern.

Well, that completes the tour. Have some food and listen to the music. I hope you have a great week.

109 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – In Search of Stucco Houses”

  1. Hi, dear John,
    we like the second house best. The hacienda-style reminds us on a scene parc. We couldn’t imagine having to live in such a house. It’s amasing how different the style of housing is in northern Europe and how different our tastes are.
    Thanks for sharing
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

      1. I agree, John, that European houses are built to a higher standard, but as the recent catastrophic flooding shows, not even those could withstand the elements.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I like the Hacienda-Style places best. I agree that it’s really interesting how styles differ. On our recent travel I liked the Adobe-Style a lot.

      Liked by 2 people

      3. We have especially enjoyed the Adobe buildings in Santa Fe lately. Btw, our tour guide there called the modern Adobe buildings [which only on the outside look like Adobe] “Sante Fake Style”. I really like that expression.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. What a wonderful degree of variety you have in your neighborhood, John. I must confess, I fear the house under renovation may be a bit of a pig in a poke. 😳 Have a lovely Sunday!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. When we were house hunting over 17 years ago, I remember seeing a few stucco homes. I believe there’s some maintenance involved as the house ages. I love the hacienda style. Thanks for the great tour, John. I’m stuffed!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Some lovely houses here. I must admit I love brick and stone houses best. Of course here in Spain, most houses are stucco. Thanks so much for The Rose, a song that always brings me to tears.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I think I’ll take that 7-day Reuben to-go, John. I’m more of an old-fashioned style person, but it was a good tour. Thanks for the ride.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. The classic hacienda style is my favorite. The compound is also nice. Since I haven’t had breakfast yet, reading the menu made me hungry! Thanks for the Sunday tour.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Loved your brunch selections and the tour. The homes, especially the hacienda ones, are beautiful. Our rental is stucco — which is very common in this area of AZ. Closing with Bette Midler brought me to tears…powerful. Have a wonderful day, John. 🌞

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’ll have the chicken & waffles but hold the chicken. Love the first hacienda and the flag makes it even more appealing. Put in my bid for it. Bette Midler? I deleted her from the tour and went with John Rich ( I hope I got his name right). Thanks, John, and you have a great week, as well.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Very interesting, John! Is stucco done the same way in Texas as it is in Florida, as a layer of concrete/plaster over concrete blocks (or cinder blocks, as they are called in some places)? If so, even our little 70s ranch-style house fits. It’s stucco, too, and does an excellent job of insulating against the heat. (With help from air conditioners today, of course.)

    Thanks for another look at your part of the country. I always enjoy your Sunday tour. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They do not use concrete blocks on homes usually. There is a frame with underlayment and then screen mesh and then the stucco. The blocks are usually reserved for stucco walls. Thanks, Marcia.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Interesting, again. Here, the concrete block house is built first, and then covered with a skim coat of concrete, but as I think on it more, they are usually described as being “concrete block” houses, even though the blocks don’t show. I don’t know if what I guess is “true stucco” is used today, but Spanish style architecture was very, very popular in Florida from early days on, so I’m guessing older homes were probably done in what sounds like your more traditional style. Thanks for sharing. I learned something new today! (Always good for the ol’ brain.) 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  15. We see a lot of hacienda style homes when we vacation in Florida, and I’m always charmed. I think they’re gorgeous. I really liked the one above the compound (although that one is cool too).

    It will be interesting to see what the non-stucco home looks like when it’s finished!

    Quite the tour today, John–and a great menu. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I’ll keep it simple this morning … just the American breakfast with bacon, please, and coffee. I loved seeing the stucco houses! My favourite was the 5th one, the Hacienda style with modern touches, for it seemed simpler, less … extravagant. Thanks for the tour on this fine Sunday morning, John! Enjoy the rest of your day!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. With such a great start to the day, how could it possibly go wrong? As it happens, I had a good day, even found a couple of hours to curl up in my recliner and read! Miss Goose made my favourite Margerita Flatbreads for supper … all in all, a wonderful Sunday!

        Liked by 1 person

  24. I enjoyed our tour today — thanks, John. There’s something interesting about a stucco home. We don’t see much of that here in the Midwest; we typically get more bricks, stone, or wood. I guess contractors choose whatever the owner prefers and is willing to pay for.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. In my small hometown, it was always too wet for stucco to stay attached. Odd, because it’s a desert, but freezing and thawing aren’t good for it. Someone invented an artificial stucco and they covered the old Court House with it. It sprays on and looks pretty good. It sticks so well you could cover a car with it and it would last.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. What a wonderful tour, John. My preference is the Hacienda compound. 🙂 When I hit the million bestseller book goal, I’ll consider trying to buy it. Great food, drinks and music!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Interesting, John. I kind of like these stucco houses – there’s a lot of variety in the styles. I especially like the “your guess” one. In the development next to ours, there are a bunch of stucco houses and the owners are changing them by covering up the stucco with siding.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Stucco homes and Victorian-style are a common look for many of the homes in our region. I used to paint houses in the summer to pick up some extra cash when I was teaching. Unfortunately, both of these kinds are a pain in the butt to paint.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Interesting houses, for sure. We don’t have too many around here, either… course, now you’ve got me wondering if I should look a bit harder 😉

    Thanks for the delicious breakfast, tour and music – love Bette!

    Liked by 1 person

  35. I agree with the Producer, I love that first one as well. My favorite might be the Italian Renaissance, and the White House looking stucco house . . . along with the funky painted one, I couldn’t look away!

    Liked by 1 person

  37. This was a treat! A few look like Frank Lloyd Wright houses. The compound is not welcoming. I like the Mediterranean style with the view. Thanks for the tour, John.

    Liked by 1 person

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