I appreciate the advice. Some things we have already considered, others we had not. The bees will be an issue in our area, most likely in our house also :(. Its wasp season right now and the little critters are everywhere!. So good to know.
We are actually doing a very large renovation. We have stripped all interior walls down to the studs. We wanted to reinsulate and soundbarrier all the walls, so gutting the house was a must. We have replaced the windows (just had the upper level done today actually), and the exterior layers of the house are all fine. No rot, no termites, nothing like that. We ripped out the carpets (even though they were fairly new) and are going to put down hardwood flooring. My husband is an electrician so all the electrical is being rewired, and to code, done right. We are having a foundation specialist in to double check any hairline cracks in the foundation, and repair any as necessary. The mudroom at the back is being torn down and rebuilt as we want a larger room, and it needs new almost everything, so easier just to rebuild it than try and fix everything. We just finished totally gutting and re-doing the main bath (I love clawfoot tubs!). I don't like seeing people doing half hearted renovations because they go cheap on everything - they end up paying in the end. This is an old house and I love the architecture and charm it has.
For the area we live in, it has been highly recommended to keep the stucco on. We live on the prairies where the winds are high, cold and extremely bitter in the winter. The stucco is one of the best materials to keep the wind out of the house.
If the stucco was the original stucco on that 75 yr old house you worked on Ricod, then its not the same stucco that on the house we have. The stucco we have is not the original exterior, it is over top the original wood siding. I know about the stucco you had to deal with, and have heard a lot of problems with the old stuff. Thank goodness it's not what we have, or I would insist it be torn down.
Thanks everyone and hope the tips keep coming.
Katherine