How much does a complete stucco resurfacing cost for a dated 1980s home in Ottawa?

Resurfacing a 1980s stucco home is one of the most rewarding renovations you can do — it dramatically improves curb appeal and addresses decades of Ottawa weather damage. But the cost range is wide because "resurfacing" can mean very different things depending on what's hiding under that old finish.

Resurfacing Cost Breakdown for 1980s Ottawa Homes

For a typical 1980s two-storey home in Ottawa with roughly 1,800 to 2,400 sq ft of stucco wall area, here's what to expect:

Light resurfacing (existing stucco is sound, just cosmetically dated): $14,000 to $22,000. This involves cleaning, minor crack repair, applying a bonding agent, and a new finish coat over the existing surface. This works when the original scratch and brown coats are still solid — you're just replacing that classic 1980s rough dash texture with a smoother, modern finish.

Moderate resurfacing (some delamination, cracking, or soft spots): $22,000 to $35,000. Here you're removing failed sections back to the wire mesh or substrate, patching with new base coats, and then applying a uniform finish coat over everything. Most 1980s Ottawa homes fall into this category — 40+ years of freeze-thaw cycles have usually caused some delamination, especially on north-facing walls and around window headers.

Full strip and re-stucco (widespread failure, moisture damage behind the stucco): $35,000 to $55,000+. This means removing everything down to the sheathing, inspecting for rot (common around windows and at the base), installing new building paper or housewrap, new wire mesh, and a complete three-coat stucco system. If the 1980s home used the original tar paper as its weather barrier, it's almost certainly deteriorated.

Common 1980s-specific issues to budget for:

• Asbestos testing: Some 1980s stucco mixes contained asbestos fibres. Testing costs $50 to $150 per sample. If positive, abatement adds $3,000 to $8,000 depending on area.- Inadequate flashing: 1980s construction often skipped proper head flashings above windows. Expect $1,500 to $3,000 to add proper flashing during resurfacing.- Scaffolding: A full two-storey setup in Ottawa typically runs $2,500 to $5,000 and is included in most quotes, but verify this.

Start with a professional assessment — a good stucco contractor will do selective sounding tests (tapping the surface to check for hollow spots) across all walls to tell you which level of work you actually need. Many 1980s homes need moderate work on two or three walls and only light resurfacing on the protected sides.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Ottawa Construction Network connects Ottawa homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Homeupgraders
• JC Carpentry
• Eastern Residential Solution
• Ottawa Caulking
• jbstuccodecor

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