# California and Stucco **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242 "2016-09-07T00:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/21 "2016-09-09T17:44:08Z")
Stud walls flex and stay standing, keeping heavy pieces of the house (the roof) standing, maybe with some superfluous cracks in the reinforced stucco or slab foundation. Masonry cracks at the mortar and separates into a heap of bricks. Building codes exist to protect us from armchair intuition. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/22 "2016-09-09T18:13:57Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Building codes exist to protect us from armchair intuition. And to make money for inspectors. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/23 "2016-09-09T18:22:16Z")
So that’s what this stuff is called! Hey, why didn’t they smooth it out? I hate these bumpy, rocky walls! ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/24 "2016-09-10T14:00:48Z")
People have already talked about earthquake resistance. if it cracks, just patch with bits of mortar. (OK, it’ll look like shit, especially if you can’t colour-match and match the texturing, but it fixes it.) Plus, as mentioned - no need to paint unless you really like weird coloured houses (California, right?). Plus, fireproofing - ever seen a plastic siding house after a nearby fire? That stuff melts and curls like crazy. I aslo assumed there was a shortage of nearby clay for brick in the good old days, and plenty of BIIIG tall trees for wood construction. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/25 "2016-09-10T15:04:12Z")
Which codes determine if a structure that goes through an earthquake is habitable? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/26 "2016-09-10T16:12:21Z")
Most of the Building Codes in California have sections covering earthquake damage and habitability. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/27 "2016-09-10T16:13:51Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Which codes determine if a structure that goes through an earthquake is habitable? In the US, the earthquake codes mostly grew out of California (no real surprise there, that’s where most of the earthquakes occur). Some of the codes were arrived at through engineering, others through trial and error. They get frequent enough earthquakes out there that they have a lot of examples where all they have to do is look at what is still standing to see what works and what doesn’t. FEMA has a list of building codes created by the International Code Council. More info here: > **[Seismic Building Codes](https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/earthquake/seismic-building-codes)** > > buildings do." Although you can’t control the seismic hazard in the community where you live or work, you can influence the most important factor in saving lives and reducing losses from an earthquake: the adoption and enforcement of up-to-date... Some areas adopt those codes exactly. Other areas (like Los Angeles) have even more strict requirements on top of the ICC seismic codes. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/28 "2016-09-10T16:18:42Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242/29 "2016-09-11T23:38:21Z")
> [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > [Groucho] You can get stucco. Oh, how you can get stucco. [/Groucho] Then between takes, he’d go buy stocks on margin. Not really on topic for the thread, just a little ironic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242.md?page=1)