In an area like Santa Fe, the exterior materials on your home are extra important. That’s because our unique climate is arid with intense sun and UV rays plus tricky freeze-thaw cycles — made more complicated by our many cases of historic architecture that we want to protect.
In this piece, we’re going to look at your exterior building options as a Santa Fe homeowner, and how both stucco and siding fit into the equation when considering both the local conditions and historic regulations.
Santa Fe’s climate and architecture
This all starts with the New Mexican climate. Every place on earth has conditions where certain building choices would be well- or poorly-suited — there’s a reason you don’t see Swiss Alpine log cottages in the bayou — and our one-of-a-kind corner of the world certainly showcases that.
When building in New Mexico, you’re dealing with a handful of almost paradoxical climatic elements: hot, sunny summers but cold winters with serious freeze-thaw cycles, low humidity and an overall very arid climate but with seasonal monsoon storms, and overall big temperature swings.
This means there are a lot of variables to contend with for a home — how do you keep it insulated from the temperature highs and lows? How do you protect against UV degradation? What materials can best withstand temperature swings and the expansion and contraction of freezing and thawing?
Luckily for us, each generation, from the Ancestral Pueblo up until today’s time, has worked to figure that out and build upon the previous architectural knowledge — so today, we have a pretty good foundational understanding of what works well here.
Namely, emerging from both the traditional Pueblo traditions and Spanish Pueblo Revival architecture, stucco has become a go-to for modern Santa Fe homes and other buildings because of how effective it is at fulfilling these needs.
In fact, many of these building techniques and materials that emerged because they were hyper-climate-appropriate, were so much so that they became ubiquitously associated with the aesthetics of the city — to the point that today, historic districts within Santa Fe have strict design guidelines and a permitting and approval process to maintain that character.
But let’s back up and look at the basics of stucco first:
What actually is stucco and what are its advantages for our environment?
Stucco comes in two versions, traditional and the more modern synthetic stucco.
We went more in-depth on the differences between the two in this blog, but the basics are that traditional stucco is a combination of lime, sand, and cement, while synthetic stucco is made of a base layer of flexible, water-resistant compound with a fiberglass mesh. There are pros and cons to both regarding aesthetics and performance, so at Santa Fe Stucco & Roofing, we specialize in both.
The key to both, though, is that they work well in dry, warm climates, are highly fire-resistant, and — assuming proper installation and maintenance — have a long lifespan. All while being an integral part of the visual built environment that we’ve come to associate with Santa Fe.
What does siding mean in the context of Santa Fe?
When we’re looking at siding, it’s not a material but rather the concept: essentially the exterior layer that makes up the sides of your home. It’s both a protective barrier against the elements and an aesthetic element for how you want your house to look to the outside world.
Common siding materials include:
- Engineered wood
- Fiber cement
- Metal panels
- Vinyl — uncommon in the Southwest
As you probably put together already, siding — acting as both a facade and a barrier — is merely one element to a home’s exterior walls, while stucco acts as both the main filling element and the outside-facing “siding” all in one.
Pros and cons of a siding setup for the Santa Fe climate
Just like stucco, siding has some advantages and disadvantages.
To begin, with siding you have a wider range of styles, colors, and profiles — stucco also has some different aesthetic options, but it still is just one type of thing whereas siding has all the materials options we just mentioned.
At the same time, certain options can be quite budget friendly and low maintenance, and well-insulated siding can be pretty energy efficient.
As to the potential cons, many siding options can be more vulnerable to UV exposure and the subsequent fading and warping due to New Mexico’s intense sun — one of multiple reasons why vinyl isn’t common here, due to its susceptibility to just that. In many cases, siding materials aren’t as good of insulators either, although that often depends on other factors beyond the siding itself.
Also worth noting is that wood and certain composites require pretty regular maintenance to avoid damage from moisture and pests.
Comparing stucco and siding options in New Mexico’s climate
Because there’s a lot of factors to consider, we’ll look at each and how siding materials versus stucco compare:
Heat, sun, and UV exposure
This is one of the main strengths of stucco: Not only is it good at managing the impact of the heat and direct sun when it comes to the comfort inside the home, but stucco also maintains its appearance and overall integrity well. Even after years of UV exposure you’ll see minimal fading.
Siding can be hit or miss in this category. Depending on the product, you could see it hold up relatively well, or fade and warp significantly in just a short period of time.
Moisture and monsoon rains
Both stucco and siding options can be susceptible to damage from moisture if not properly installed so, needless to say, it’s imperative to make sure both are professionally installed by experts.
Although both stucco and sidings require inspections and maintenance, siding does, in general, require more diligence on this front since it has more joints and seams which can act as potential points of failure or entry spots for moisture to get in and get trapped. On the flip side, the different porousness levels of synthetic versus traditional stucco can also impact this, as those pores can be susceptible to moisture damage.
It’s also worth noting that most siding options aren’t as resilient to the expansion-contraction effects of the freeze-thaw cycle you’ll find in New Mexico winters; stucco is quite well-suited to that seasonal concern.
Insulation and energy efficiency
When it comes to insulation, stucco and siding are somewhat of an apples to oranges situation — stucco in and of itself acts as a primary source of insulation, while siding is merely a component and its effectiveness depends on the other insulating materials it’s combined with.
Certain siding options can, when paired with other insulation layers, improve walls’ R-values, thereby improving energy efficiency especially on older homes.
Stucco is a bit different of a situation because it acts as a dense exterior layer that itself moderates indoor temperatures. Traditional stucco is also quite porous — just like earthenware cooking pots that keep contents simmering long after the heat source has been removed, stucco maintains the interior temperature long after the outside temperature has changed. Or, in other words: It insulates very well.
Fire resistance
One of stucco’s big advantages is that it’s naturally fire resistant. In an arid, high desert environment, that’s a pretty great quality to have!
Siding materials can have a range of suitability — some, like wood, are obviously extremely flammable, while others like metal sheeting are fire resistant.
Bottom line
Stucco and siding both offer pros and cons, some of which overlap. For many in the Santa Fe area, stucco wins out, but some individuals may find a certain siding-and-insulation option is better-suited to their circumstances.
Consider:
- Budget and expenses — both up-front and in the long run
- What look you prefer
- What neighborhood you’re in and how certain aesthetics may feel more unified in that environment
- How long you plan to stay in the home
- How much importance you place on energy efficiency
- Any historic requirements within your area or district
Of course, if you do decide to go the stucco route — or even if you’d just like consultation to help make a decision — don’t hesitate to reach out to Santa Fe Stucco & Roofing. We’d love to help you out!