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
So let’s get going.
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.
Fiction Favorites 
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
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I have always been impressed with the quality of European construction. houses seem to be built to last forever. 😁 Thank you for the comment, Klausbernd.
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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.
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So tragic. Hard to stop water no matter how well built.
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It certainly is.
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Dear John,
yes, they are. Unfortunately that is changing slowly with all these pre-fab houses.
Wishing you an easy week
Klausbernd 🙂
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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.
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Yes they are charming. Thanks, Pit
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🙂
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I like the Adobe-Style too. It’s ancient but modern at the same time.
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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.
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That is a good expression.
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Thanks for the architecture tour, John!
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Thanks for going along. 😊
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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There are some really nice looking properties there John. Now I have to find out what Stucco is. Thank you for the Divine Miss Middler.
Hugs
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Stucco is a durable plaster almost like cement. It can withstand the weather.
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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!
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I think the same. Lori. It doesn’t fit at all. Thanks. Have a great week.
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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!
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Yes stucco doe need up keep for sure. Cracks have to be filled etc. Have a super week, Jill. 😊
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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.
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I do like that song and Bette does such a good job with it. Thanks, Darlene.😊
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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.
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Thank you, GP. Here let me get Tiny to help you carry that Reuben out to the car. 😁
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I appreciate the help. Give me a day or two to finish it!
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You can hand Tiny what you don’t finish.
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😎
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Carefully.
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🤣
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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.
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I wish I could order one of these items.
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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. 🌞
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She is the best on that song for sure. Thanks, Gwen. 😊
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If they have a good foundation they are all stuck oh in place.
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Yes they are. No wheels in sight.
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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.
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Not a Bette fan I see. 😁
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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. 🙂
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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.
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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.) 😀
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😁 Always happy to be the source of learning. Thanks, Marcia.
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Thanks for the information, John. I had never heard of Stucco Houses before.
Have a wonderful Sunday,
Pit
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Glad to be of service. 😁
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🙂
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Really cool houses. Don’t think stucco is common here. I really like the second house.
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Stucco doesn’t do all that well in the freeze and thaw type climate. That house is the talk of the community. 😁
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It’s such an odd color choice, but it seems to work.
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It does.
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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. 🙂
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That unfitted house just may be a stucco too. We shall see. Thanks Mae. Have a great week.
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Lovely houses – I do like the hacienda style – we had that in the first triplex where we rented. the Reuben is for me – I can’t resist a good one!
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Me either. I love a Reuben. Thanks, Noelle.
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I am with the Producer on the first house. But I would take the hacienda compound too. Interesting tour, food and good choice for music.
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Thank you, Jo. Have a great week.
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Fun tour, John 🙂 I’m fan of that Italian entrance. Some interesting colors, and beautiful designs.
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Thank you, Denise.
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I’m always drawn to stucco homes, John! Such an interesting tour, today!
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Thank you, Becky. 😁
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I think the mauve one looks rather interesting.
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The light did not do it justice. It is purple and is interesting.
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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!
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Enjoy your day as well, Jill. Thank you for coming along.😁
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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!
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Sounds like an enjoyable time. I enjoy Margerita pizza. Especially if it is wood fired. 😋
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Ahhhh … I’ve never had it wood-fired … sounds delightful, though, for I love food cooked over an open fire.
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Very yummy.
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P.S. I LOVED Bette Midler — thank you!
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I love that song and how she does it.
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So do I. My favourite of hers, though, is Wind Beneath My Wings from Beaches … that one still takes my breath away.
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Yeah, that is a good one too.
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I’m attracted to the second one, John, though I think they would all be well outside my price range!
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The prices here have gone crazy. Houses are selling for over the asking price and usually there are four or five buyers bidding.
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Must be a popular area, John.
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Yes. Everyone wants to live in Austin it seems. The Californians have invaded with gusto.
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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.
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in the midwest there is too much freezing and thawing which causes the stucco to expand and then contract. Too much of that and it cracks and falls off.
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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.
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I have seen the sprayed stucco and must say it looks good.
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Splendid houses, dear John! My congratulations! Your area looks gorgeous! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, Maria. 😁
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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!
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Here’s hoping you hit the million seller. 😁
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You’ve got some lovely homes in there, John (and an odd one).
I’m sold on the first item, American Breakfast for me.
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You got it. Thanks, Dan
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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.
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They are probabily having trouble with the stucco. Thanks, Barbara.
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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.
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I really like the Italian and Mediterranean houses. I’ve always been a fan of stucco houses, but hubby not so much.
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I haven’t been crazy about stucco. We have lived in two and it takes some upkeep.
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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!
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Stucco doesn’t do all that well in the North. Too much freezing and thawing. Tends to crack. I love Bette too. Whenever I needed a good cry I would start off with Rose. 😁
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I know. That’s why I am always surprised to see some ding dongs who try it…
It’s good to have a good cry now and again 🙂
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Yes it is. Thanks, Dale.
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The houses are lovely, John, but I’m not sure how a house is stucco – I thought stucco was a type of plaster. Are these houses made of wood and then plastered?
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The frame is covered in siding (wood) then a screen is attached to the wood. Then the stucco is plastered on. Highly skilled workers do it.
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Okay, that sounds very nice actually. We don’t have this style of building here.
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😊
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Great tour, John. It’s interesting to see the varieties…I like the Mediterranean, Hacienda, and Mid Century Modern. Love the menu and song, too! 🙂
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I’m glad you liked it, Lauren. 😁
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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!
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I know right?
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They all have a certain something.
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They’re all beautiful but I’m partial to the Hacienda style. Thanks for the tour, John.
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Most people like that style, Mark. Thanks. 😊
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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.
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Thank you, Jennie. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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You’re welcome, John.
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