I live in NJ. My house, a smallish Dutch colonial, was built in 1940,
and as far as I know, the stucco that covers it is the old, "real"
type. The exterior needs to be painted.

--There are a couple of cracks, and some spots where the stucco has
flaked or fallen off (most notably near the foundation of the probably
30-year-old addition).
--Over one doorway on the north side of the house, the stucco---about
a nine-foot-square area---seems to bulge a little.
--The previous owner covered up a window and put on an addition; the
stucco in those two spots looks different from the rest of the stucco
(I'm willing to live with this as long as there's a nice paint job
over them.)

What kind of contractor should do this work? Do I use separate
contractors for the repair and painting? I do know that there's lead
paint on the exterior now, so I don't want to just have the stucco
replaced entirely (the resulting dust and mess would be a hazard);
just repaired and painted. How much does a job like this cost? Do I
have any other options besides getting the stucco repaired and painted
(for example, can vinyl siding easily be installed over stucco, or
would I have to have the stucco removed, thereby setting up the lead
hazard)?

Thanks for any help!

Anne

A good painter should be able to do this, be sure he power washes the
house, and get a few bids