Stucco Contractor
in Los Angeles
Full three-coat re-stucco, one-coat systems, patch-and-recoat, smooth and textured finishes, and conversions in both directions, by our own crew with the paper, lath and weep screed done right.
Stucco contractor in Los Angeles: Right Image Builders (CSLB #1021284) re-stuccos, repairs and re-coats stucco with its own crew. 2026 planning ranges for a typical 1,800 sq ft of wall: full three-coat re-stucco $20K–$36K ($11–$20 per sq ft), one-coat over new lath $14.5K–$23.5K, patch and re-coat $5.5K–$12.5K ($3–$7); repairs from about $650. Re-stucco in Los Angeles is an express LADBS permit on most houses, and the job takes 2–4 weeks including cure time.
2026 planning ranges compiled from published Los Angeles siding prices (per square foot of wall area, including tear-off, weather barrier, flashing and trim; paint separate); your fixed price follows a free on-site estimate. Licensed general contractor, CSLB #1021284, own siding crew, 10-year written workmanship warranty, 5.0★ Google (45 reviews).
Right Image Builders is a stucco contractor serving Los Angeles, from the Spanish and ranch houses of the Valley to the hillside and Westside homes that were built with three-coat stucco and need it again. We do full re-stucco over new paper and lath, one-coat systems, patch-and-recoat with new color or elastomeric finishes, smooth and textured finishes, and conversions from stucco to siding or from siding to stucco. Free on-site assessment: (818) 210-4544.
Stucco Done the
Three-Coat Way
Stucco is the Los Angeles exterior. Done properly it is a weather-resistive barrier, a weep screed at the base to let water out, metal lath fastened to the studs, a scratch coat, a brown coat and a color coat, each cured before the next. Done badly it is a thin coat over whatever was there, with the screed buried in soil and the paper torn, and it cracks and lets water in within a few years.
Most of the stucco failures we see are water failures: a weep screed below grade, a window never flashed, a crack that was painted over for a decade. Before we quote a re-coat we check whether the stucco is still bonded to the lath and whether the barrier behind it is doing its job; if it is not, a re-coat is paint on a problem, and we say so. When the base is sound, a re-coat with a new color or elastomeric finish is the least expensive way to make a house look new.
We also convert: stucco houses to fiber cement or wood siding when the owner wants a different look or the stucco has failed to the lath, and sided houses to stucco when the architecture calls for it. Both are permitted alterations, and in fire-hazard zones three-coat stucco qualifies as a noncombustible exterior. See the re-stucco or re-side guide for the Valley decision.
Everything Stucco,
One Crew
Full three-coat re-stucco
Tear-off to the sheathing, repairs, new weather-resistive barrier and weep screed, metal lath, scratch, brown and color coats; the traditional system done to code.
One-coat systems
New paper and lath with a fiber-reinforced one-coat base and a color coat; lower cost, faster, right for some houses and budgets.
Patch and re-coat
Crack repair and patching, then a fog coat, a new color coat or an elastomeric finish across the house.
Smooth and textured finishes
Sand, lace, dash and Santa Barbara smooth finishes; smooth costs 30–60% more because of the extra float work.
Stucco-to-siding conversions
Stucco removed to the sheathing, repairs, new barrier and fiber cement or wood siding.
Siding-to-stucco conversions
Siding removed, sheathing checked and repaired, new barrier, lath and three-coat stucco.
Stucco Cost Ranges
in Los Angeles (2026)
| Scope | Per sq ft of wall | Typical 1,800 sq ft of wall |
|---|---|---|
| Patch and re-coat (fog or color coat over sound stucco) | $2–$7 | $3.5K–$12.5K |
| One-coat system over new paper and lath | $8–$13 | $14.5K–$23.5K |
| Full three-coat re-stucco (tear-off, paper, lath, scratch, brown, color) | $11–$20 | $20K–$36K |
| Siding-to-stucco conversion | $11–$20 plus siding removal | $21K–$36K+ |
| Smooth (Santa Barbara) finish | +30–60% | over a textured finish |
2026 planning ranges compiled from published Los Angeles siding prices (per square foot of wall area, including tear-off, weather barrier, flashing and trim; paint separate); your fixed price follows a free on-site estimate. Stucco cures between coats and needs about 28 days before paint, which is why stucco sits at the long end of a 2–4 week schedule.
Three Steps.
Zero Surprises.
Free Exterior Assessment
We walk every elevation, probe for rot and check the barrier, flashing and weep screed, and tell you honestly what the wall needs.
Fixed-Price Proposal
An itemized fixed price by elevation and material within 3–5 business days; hidden rot found at tear-off is priced in writing before the crew continues.
Install, Inspect, Warrant
Our own crew, a closed permit, and a 10-year written workmanship warranty at completion.
Get a Stucco
Estimate
Tell us about the house and what you are seeing on the walls; a senior member of our team will reach out within 4 business hours.
Prefer to talk it through?
(818) 210-4544Questions We
Hear Every Week
A full three-coat re-stucco runs $11–$20 per sq ft of wall in Los Angeles (2026 planning range compiled from published local pricing), about $20K–$36K for a typical 1,800 sq ft of wall, including tear-off, paper, lath and three coats. A one-coat system over new lath runs $8–$13 and a re-coat over sound stucco $3–$7. Smooth finishes add 30–60%; two-story scaffolding is separate.
If the stucco is still bonded to the lath and the paper and weep screed behind it are sound, yes: crack repair, patching and a new color or elastomeric coat run $3–$7 per sq ft of wall. If the stucco sounds hollow, has lost sections to the lath or shows water damage inside, a re-coat only hides the problem for a season.
Each coat cures before the next: the scratch and brown coats over 24–72 hours, the color coat a day or two later, and the finished wall about 28 days before it is painted or sealed. That cure time is why a stucco job takes 2–4 weeks on site even when the crew is only on the wall for part of it.
Yes, and it is an express permit at LADBS for residential re-stucco and for replacing siding with stucco on single-family houses and duplexes, with no plan check unless the wall is within 5 feet of a property line. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the other independent cities permit it through their own departments.
Yes. Three-coat stucco is a noncombustible exterior wall covering under the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, which applies to re-siding in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones from January 1, 2026; it is one of the three simplest ways to comply, with fiber cement and metal.
Three-coat is the traditional system: scratch, brown and color coats over lath, about 7/8 inch thick, the most durable and the one most Los Angeles houses were built with. One-coat uses a fiber-reinforced base coat about half as thick with a color coat on top; it costs less and goes faster, and it suits some houses and budgets, but it is not the same wall.
Siding Replacement
Every material, 2026 cost ranges →
MaterialFiber Cement Siding
The usual stucco-conversion target →
ServiceSiding and Stucco Repair
Cracks, rot, flashing →
GuideRe-Stucco or Re-Side a 1950s House?
The Valley decision →
GuideStucco vs. Fiber Cement vs. Wood
Which material for which house →
By NeighborhoodRemodeling in Van Nuys
The 1950s stucco tract →
GuideSiding Repair vs. Replacement
The signs and the numbers →