Minnetonka stretches across a mix of mature residential neighborhoods and newer developments near Lake Minnetonka's eastern bays. Areas like Minnetonka Mills, Ridgedale, and the neighborhoods around Minnetonka Boulevard carry a lot of older homes with original exterior finishes that show their age. Many of these houses were built in the 1960s through 1980s, and the stucco on them has been through decades of Minnesota winters without much attention.
The climate here is the same punishing freeze-thaw cycle that hits the rest of the metro. Minnetonka averages around 50 inches of snow per year, and the ground temperature swings from well below zero in January to 90-degree summers. That range is hard on stucco. Water gets into small cracks, freezes, expands, and works those cracks wider every single season. By the time a homeowner notices a problem, the damage usually goes deeper than the surface.