esmith,
Stucco is not difficult with a little study in advance. A job of any size makes for an extremely good workout. Getting the finish to look nice and especially matching existing stucco well is tough. Usually in a major remodel after repairing and patching the house gets prepped for a complete new finish coat.
Stucco is usually bid by the surface yard including paper, wire lath ,base plaster coats and finish. You can get a licensed bonded contractor to do it for $30 to $50 a yard. On the parts that just need prep and new finish coat that would be about $15-$20 per yard.