The photos don't provide a great grasp of your yard as they are taken from too close a vantage point and don't link well to each other. The off-the-shelf patio design, for which you provide a link, has some readily identifiable weaknesses (looping footprint, dining set placement directly in the main traffic path & grill space that looks tacked on) that you should eliminate if you adapt it for your use. I would not give too much weight to the paint color you have currently. It's possible that in a future paint job, it may be changed. For the most part, patio color choices -- colors or brick or stone -- will be compatible with any number of paint colors. I'd look for contrast instead of close matching. (Too much close matching can make it look like a government designed project.) You also might look for a color that is on the darker side. Sometimes, light colors can be blinding.

Hey Stylin --- Your "terrace" has great potential! Should be a great spot to hang. As for post pour color...no rush. You really need to allow the 'crete to cure for at least three weeks and preferrably a "full" 28 days before you stain it ,no matter whether you use acid stains or the ferrous oxide...so you have time to read up & experiment a little. Also, neither of these stains will affect the stones or any ceramics...they only react with cement. I've heard that the oxide can sometimes leave a stain on wood sometimes if it is allowed to dissolve and sit there long enough, but it is the chemical reaction with the cement in the concrete that creates the color. And roger the "strong textures"...they can mimic flowing water (think Zen Gardens), grass & tree forms or just about anything you want. It has endless possibilities & can be paired with the other techniques very easily. You can even "practice" with a few different types of trowels and a big tray of mud to see what different effects & patterns you can come up with. One option that has not been mentioned is what is known as "integral color". This comes as either a liquid or dry powder and is added at the time the concrete is mixed. It is 100% permenent, but can tend to look a little "flat" on some applications. While you often see it used to create very strong coloration, I personally think the best effects are when it is fairly sublte and just takes the "grayness" or coldness off the concrete a little. Some of the lighter and more neautral colors are great when mixed with the kind of effects you seem to be moving towards...and...stains or glazes on top of subtly colored concrete can look really wonderful. They tend to highlight any texture that's there. Anyhow...as you can see there are endless possibilities. And below is another link. This site has some pretty good color charts, but you still have to "squint & imagine" how they might look if you cut the color way back. Good news is, most contractors can provide actual mix samples in advance. Best of luck and no matter what else you do...have fun. All my best, Tango Here is a link that might be useful: Nice Color Charts

I took another picture, but based upon your comment above - it may not help you make a different judgement. The patio is less wet here. Can still see the highs and lows with the camera (which enhances them a bit). But can also see how it doesn't quite match our other stone as it is today. I will put an additional picture of why we had to strip it. In this picture you see how dark it was and if you look at the house picture - how it did not match even a little bit :( I hope that helps get a better answer.

On the front elevation I'd get rid of the gable over the garage. All it does is lead your eye to the garage and detract from the main body of the house. It's not a feature. The other thing I'd do is insist on them not doing the pork chop returns. Your house has a historical feel to it and that just screams contemporary mass builder.Below the red arrows point to the pork chop returns. Lastly on the rear, you have one window that isn't consistent with the rest of the windows. The one with the arched top. I'd change it to a transom window top to match the other transom windows. BTW: What is above the window I changed? That's a large blank wall on the exterior.