Need help with exterior wall

last year

We recently purchased this house in NE Ohio and the exterior wall that forms a small courtyard is in dire need of tuck pointing and waterproofing. Once we do that, I’ve been struggling with how to finish the wall. We’d like to finish it with a low maintenance product and we want to keep the stucco exterior of the house the same.
Any suggestions or advice? Again, we are totally stumped!

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Comments (9)

3onthetree
last year
The pictures are too far out to tell anything in detail.

If you are going to leave the wall, covering it with stucco of the same house color would really stand out - in a negative way aesthetically. Also, no matter what you do, the water issue should be resolved beyond tuckpointing (waterproofing is not a solution here). I would assume that the top is not capped properly (if at all) and the sidewalk area cannot drain properly, so water is sitting and entering the wall to deteriorate the mortar.

I would be inclined to just remove it entirely. It looks like glazed CMU to match the house banding, but the house's lower part of the "water table" looks like split face CMU, so the horizontal lines and vocabulary do not even match.

If you were to cover the wall with a stucco to match the dark grey color, you still have to prep and repair the wall as a good substrate.
Elaine Ricca
Original Author
last year
Here is a close up of the wall.
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Sigrid
last year
I'd plant a bunch of flowering shrubs to cover it up.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
I cannot identify the material based on your photo.

Perhaps it's a structural concrete block in a square pattern. Looks like there is some spalling.

In any case, tuckpointing will destroy the appearance of this material

I can see it needs to be cleaned and perhaps the joints need to be addressed with mortar. If your wall is too far gone then I would consider a new facing if the structure is sound.

You can face the wall with large squares of frost-proof tile.

The wall needs a contrasting texture so I wouldn't use stucco. It requires a larger texture like stone.

You could consider stone veneer. If the wall is stable this might be your easiest solution.
PRO
RL Relocation LLC
last year
last modified: last year
Id remove the wall, the front of the house kind of looks like the entry to a store, the wall is closing it off and I think you would be much better off with better landscape.
Elaine Ricca
Original Author
last year
Beverly, the wall is stable and we want to keep it. I like your idea of larger texture stone. I’m not sure what color to use. Keep it in the same gray tone or some other color? Thanks for your input.
Elaine Ricca
Original Author
last year
RL Location,
We like the wall and it gives us some privacy when people walk by. We understand we need new landscaping…..that’s on our long to do list!
I love your garage door idea. Definitely adding to the list. Thank you!
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Now that I look closer you have the same or similar material repeating all over the house. So I think the stone veneer is off the table. Something a bit monolithic will be best.

I would keep a deep color, but I would paint the stucco. It appears a bit golden in the photos and a more neutral color would be better IMO.
Elaine Ricca
Original Author
last year
Beverly, you are correct in the wall block is also used on the house. I totally agree with you on using a product that is uniform in color. I have a Venetian plaster contractor that I’ve used before and want to see what he can do for the wall.
I also like your idea of painting the stucco, it being a butter color. But they may have to wait until next year
Thank you so much for your rendition. It has helped me a lot.