Stucco Project in Minneapolis, MN

Architectural delight in Minneapolis

This stucco home near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a work of art.  The home had two almost distinct aspects…the front cube and the rear cube.  The entire home was gutted on the inside, and most of the exterior was also removed (including the stucco).  All of the windows on the home were replaced.  The new window trim was installed so that the stucco would be flush with the trim.

The contractor  and designers took special care to ensure that every detail of this project was perfect.  On the front potion of the home, there were no “hard corners.”  The inside and outside corners were curved to go along with the central detail: the area around the bank of windows facing the lake.  The idea of this detail was to match the original home, but the original wood framing underneath the stucco was completely rotten from years of water seeping in.  So, the contractor rebuilt the framing with steel, attached some wood sheathing to the framing, and then covered this wood with an ice- and water-proof membrane.  We then attached our galvanized metal lath, followed by the stucco base coats.

The area around the front windows had protruding stucco “trim”

Another view of this interesting detail on this lake side of the home, complete with curved stucco

This architect and designers on this project were very specific in the special details required.  The rear cube was finished with a smooth acrylic stucco, in an almost black color.  The front cube, with the curved corners, had a rough texture applied using white stucco.  The end result was an amazingly beautiful stucco home that suits its one-of-a-kind location on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

The rear portion of the home received a smooth texture and black acrylic stucco finish.

The front portion of the home, with a white stucco finish and a rough texture