What were they thinking...

Really bad plastic surgery.

A grand old home is treated to a new mask... of acrylic stucco. I can imagine the sales pitch of "adding a layer of styrofoam to cut your heating bills" and "maintenance free exterior finish". Rubbish. The brick work was in fine shape, perhaps in need of pointing, and the color, texture and visual interest of the historic fabric of this building is now lost. 

I had a hard time not contacting the owners to question why on earth they were ruining such a great house. Just because a monochromatic blanket of off-white stupidity improves the horrible box on the rear of the house does not justify the irreversible damage wrought by another builder chasing a profit.

Rory McDonnell is a General Contractor, Licensed Carpenter and Architectural Designer with Build, a construction firm in Stratford, Ontario, specializing in new custom homes and renovations.