I have been inspired by the gutter thread in hopes that someone can answer my stucco question.

I recently made an offer on a retirement home which is about 70 years old with stucco siding. I did notice that there were large, vertical, exterior cracks at the corners of the windows and that in the corner of the house, the stucco was deteriorating near the foundation. This was repaired and painted but I have no way of knowing how long rain was able to penetrate the stucco. There are no interior cracks.

When I had it inspected, the report said I should seek further consultation. Unfortunately, that requires a building envelope specialist which is very costly and probably wouldn't be able to tell me anything anyway. Its too dry to detect any moisture and I'm sure the owners would not like holes drilled in the stucco.

I'm really not sure what to do. I really love this house and its in a very special location. I may have to remove the stucco entirely, remove whatever rot I might find and put new siding on (Hardiplank or something). The house is one storey and only 900 sq'. How much do you think this will cost in materials and labour?

Without anything specific, it will be very difficult to negotiate a lower price. I have looked at about 60 houses so I know this is the one I want.

What shoud I do???