Lakewood sits in the northern part of Ocean County, a quick run to the Parkway and not far from the water. Great for getting around. Tough on the outside of your house, though. Sticky summers, cold damp winters, big temperature swings. All of it chews on stucco over the years.
If your place wears stucco, or the synthetic kind, the weather here is something to respect. Water is the troublemaker. It finds a crack, freezes, and pries that crack a little wider. Repeat over a couple of winters and a hairline turns into a real job.
Drive the older streets near Lake Carasaljo or Ocean County Park and you will see it. Plenty of homes built decades back, their finishes wearing a few honest scars. Faded color. Hairline cracks. Damp patches creeping up from the foundation. Pretty common around here.
Newer builds are not off the hook either. Lakewood has grown fast, and fast sometimes means corners cut. A finish that went up in a hurry can crack or pull loose within a few years. Better to catch that sooner than later.
So, what is a homeowner supposed to do? Walk the outside twice a year. Look for cracks wider than a credit card, stains under the windows, soft spots that sound hollow when you tap them. Find any of that and a trusted stucco contractor in Lakewood, NJ can tell you whether it is a quick patch or something that runs deeper.
Color matching counts for a lot, by the way. A patch that does not blend looks worse than the crack it replaced. Done right, the repair fixes the damage and hides the seam, and the wall reads as one piece again.
Lakewood happens to be the biggest township in Ocean County, and it is still growing. (You can read up on the town on the Lakewood Township page.) More homes means more stucco, which means more walls that will need a little attention as they age.
A small amount of upkeep stretches a long way. Keep the gutters clear so runoff stays off the siding. Seal little cracks before winter shows up. Watch the joints around windows and doors, since those let go first. Costs almost nothing. Saves a lot.
Timing helps too. Spring and fall are the sweet spots for a stucco check, since the weather is mild and repairs cure nicely. Seal a crack in October and it is buttoned up before the first hard freeze, when water does its worst. Plan a bit now, skip the emergency call in January.
Water damage is sneaky like that. By the time a stain shows up inside, the outside wall has been wet for a while. Which is exactly why a once-a-year look matters more than folks think.
Need eyes on your Lakewood home? Bring in someone who knows how local houses are built. CMB Jersey Shore Stucco has worked the area for more than 40 years. Call (732) 400-4020 to set something up.