Should we insulate/air-seal a wet stone basement throughout renovation, or wait?

We are renovating a 1914 bungalow in seaside Maine. Your home is presently opened to the studs, so we are making final decisions about insulation and air sealing. I’m trying to find advice on whether we should deal with the basement now as part of the renovation, or leave it primarily uninsulated for the time being and monitor it after other work is total.

Basement conditions:

• Stacked granite stone and mortar structure, roughly 7 ′ high.
• Walls are really thick in places, as much as about 18 ″.
• Some areas of the foundation are irregular enough that the perimeter beam/sill plate is challenging to gain access to.
• Walls are not flat; there are ledges/reverse-footer-like locations.
• A large piece of ledge spans the width of your home, and one side of the foundation appears to be built on it.
• I sometimes see damp soil on the ledge, however I have not seen standing water. No sump pump or border drain that I know of.
• Basement floor is a mix of concrete slab, exposed ledge, and a patch of soil.
• Basement humidity hovers around 60-70% humidity in the summer season. The rest of the season it is generally around 30– 60%.
• Perimeter beam/sill moisture readings have been around 14% in the shoulder seasons.
• Existing framing is old, resinous, and appears to be in good condition.
• Known concerns we

  require to attend to: Critter entry:

  1. Your home has actually had
     squirrel/mouse concerns. There are several locations in the structure where daytime shows up, so repointing/sealing those spaces is a priority. Radon: Your house has radon, and
  2. we plan
     to hire a radon specialist during the renovation. I assume this may involve some kind of poly barrier over the blended floor/ledge/soil areas, possibly tied into active sub-membrane depressurization, but we have actually not settled the design yet. Basement insulation/air sealing: An insulation contractor and
  3. an energy auditor have actually suggested spray foam at the basement/sill location. I’m hesitant since the existing lumber remains in good condition, the structure may need future repointing, and I’m not totally confident that we comprehend all seasonal wetness behavior yet. Main question: Offered this kind of old seaside Maine stone structure, would you insulate and air-seal

  the basement/sill area now while the house is open, or would you deal with animal sealing and radon first, leave the basement mainly uninsulated, and display moisture conditions for a couple of years? It would be helpful to hear from New England basement owners who have dealt with comparable circumstances. Do I have any blind areas in my thinking? Are there any successful methods, lessons discovered, or products you would suggest using– or avoiding– that might assist our order of operations?