post #12 .
That’s an almost daily site around here (Central Florida).
even the expensive $1mm+ houses? how do homeowners/contractors deal with it? People with expensive homes tend to be very picky and that to them would be very unsightly, must remedy.
In New Mexico it is rare to have a stucco house with the stucco/weep screed above grade.
People get very upset when the stucco goes to just grade level, instead of inches below grade.
Chlorine bleach, power washing, and fresh paint…
Wow! I had no idea. Of course I haven’t lived around stucco, either.
Post #9 is a Million dollar home.
So it’s just a maintenance issue?
The not so good stucco contractors only go to grade. The ‘good’ 
ones go below grade
Yes, along with the usual CMU/stucco maintenance.
(Not really stucco, in the sense that it’s only a top coat/texture. The builders refer to it as “Textured cementitious exterior wall finish”, likely to avoid following ASTM installation standards).
This may sound silly, but is the screed visible
If they take stucco to beyond grade? How do you see it?
Occasionally I dig down to see what is what, I have yet to see a weep screed below grade.
Newer homes may have it.
This is the first time in my area (Tampa, Fl) that I see stucco with proper clearance from the ground. So just to clear things up for my information, when it’s stucco over CMU clearance is not required? And what about weep screed?
Is the entire wall system CMU block with stucco applied?
Yes it is Brian
If the walls are CMU block or concrete, I do not think a weep screed is required because the plaster is adhered directly to concrete. There is no drain plane.
Chapter 7: Wall Covering, 2020 FBC - Residential, 7<sup>th</sup> edition | UpCodes
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At minimum, code requires 2 inches of clearance between the screed and a walking surface, and 4 inches of clearance above the ground.
KEEPING WATER OUT OF STUCCO WALLS
Assume that the cladding will leak, but make sure the envelope is watertight