Building a custom home always comes with the responsibility of making a million and one decisions. One of the most important is how you will clad its exterior. The exterior of the home creates a blank canvas for your property's curb appeal.

If you don't like the look of vinyl or wood plank siding and have decided to install a stucco exterior on your new home, then the next decision is how to trim out its windows and doors. Thankfully, you have a variety of different trim options, each of which will give your home a drastically different look.

Extruded Stucco Trim

As its name implies, extruded stucco trim is made by mixing stucco and some foam polymers and then extruding it through specialized machinery to create custom trim pieces. This is a fantastic option if you want custom stucco trim made with the exact same color formulation as the rest of your home. And, since the color is in the stucco, this trim option doesn't ever require painting or other maintenance.

The only real downside to custom-extruded trim is it has a higher price than other options. However, for the added cost, this trim gives your home a finished look, and if you are aiming for a Southwestern feel, then extruded trim is a requirement.

Foam Stucco Trim

For builders with a lower budget who don't want the added costs of having custom extruded stucco molding created for their home, there is an off-the-shelf option known as foam stucco trim. This type of trim is machine molded in a factory and is very light and easy to install. Since the foam stucco trim is factory-made, it has a lower cost than its extruded stucco cousin.

If your home has odd shaped windows, such as round portal windows in the bathrooms or half-round decorative windows over other windows and doors, then foam trim options are readily available for those. 

Natural Wood Trim

Sometimes homeowners clad the exterior of their home in stucco because they want a long-lasting, maintenance-free option but they don't want the house to look Southwestern in style. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by installing natural wood trim. Wood trim is very angular while Southwestern-style homes typically have very rounded stucco trim. 

To ensure the wood trim gives its desired effect, you should paint it a contrasting color. For example, if your home's stucco is dark gray, then paint the wood trim white to show it off.

Lastly, if you want to install storm shutters on your home, then natural wood trim is the only option so they don't look completely out of place.