Hey GoldDust Are they using a chemical stripper? I have a brand ( Jack Goddard ) I fell in love with doing antiques in Texas years ago which would probably do very well here. Two problems come to mind 1: Where would the washed off/run off go? This stuff can pull up week old polyurethane so I would hesitate to have my dogs eating weeds which might grow up down the road.. 2: What effect might any chemical designed to break down bonds have on the stucco? Was going with stripper for your exterior walls a better deal than blasting? For furniture I always prefer a chemical stripping vs sanding it down to wood: just a nicer look for old wood. I wonder if exterior siding would react the same way? Are you painting back over it or staining it in some way? Just curious: I can dream about having wood siding again one day, but that's a ways off. :]

There is no way to know if the sheathing is damaged...and how much of it is damaged, until ALL of the EIFS cladding is removed. You can take off a section...and the sheathing may be fine...however, that does not mean there isn't damage elsewhere. So...best bet is to err on the side of caution...if you REALLY want this house, plan on the cost of removing ALL of the exterior cladding...plan on the cost of ALL of the sheathing having to be replaced...and possible damage to portions of framing, damage to the insulation, etc....then the cost of residing. If it turns out that not as much work is needed, then you will be ahead of the game. If the house still somehow makes sense to you financially, then decide if you want to take on such a project...and all of the headaches and aggravation that it entails...or, in the current buyers market, just find another house without all the baggage. Last but not least...beware those self proclaimed "EIFS" experts...the standard courses for EIFS inspection that allows one to proclaim oneself as being "certified" is maybe two days at most. As far as I know, all those who take the course pass. Read the contract VERY thoroughly to see what is excluded from the inspection (which will most be quite a bit)and what the inspector is and isn't liable for with regard to determination of hidden or latent damage. Make sure those whom you hire are FULLY insured for errors & omissions...because unless they intrusively test every square foot of the cladding, they can't really tell you what is going on behind the cladding in any manner that is fully conclusive. Enough said.

Mark The photo you linked shows field stone at the bottom half of the house and sawn shingles (not split shakes) on the top half with a nice shingle flare and belt-line crown molding trim where the materials meet. Its like the American Shingle Style meets Medieval France. I can't think of why you would consider any other material for this type of house. EIFS or stucco seems entirely inappropriate above the rich stone work. You could dress up the shingles with ribbon coursing. Using a segmented arch in a wood wall might be pushing tradition a bit and the Jerkinhead (clipped) gable is at best inappropriate and at worst a bad Star Wars goof. As for EIFS EIFS was originally developed in the milder climate of Europe a long time ago and was used then and now over masonry walls with no problems. It was used in the same way in the US in 60's & 70's for commercial and multi-family housing until the 80's when it was used over exterior sheathing on metal or wood studs which did not work out well in certain wet and/or humid climates. Building codes were eventually modified to require a drainage plane behind the insulation boards but the use of plastic home wraps as a weather resistant barrier over the sheathing continues to this day be a problem in certain areas. Commercial and multi-family installations are less prone to problems because instead of home wraps they use a liquid-applied acrylic weather barrier over the sheathing with mesh reinforcing tape at joints and openings which effectively seals the building envelope. This system is so superior to home wrap that I think it will eventually become the standard for home building. I like Gold Coat from STO Corp which can be installed with a roller by anyone. Since the wall is sealed instead of wrapped, adding a drainage plane acts as a secondary/backup protection system as long as weeps are properly installed at openings and at the bottom of the wall. There can be additional differences in the design of EIFS for higher end houses and commercial projects like extruded instead of expanded polystyrene insulation board, a harder cement based Polymer Modified (PM) base coat instead of the on used for the Polymer Based (PB) coating for greater impact resistance and longevity. But these stronger systems can become more expensive than real stucco or real cedar shingles.

The one thing i would do is a white wash on the new fence…as the raw wood doesn’t really fit in with the charm of your new home…