I like the one on the right.

Me too-the one on the right.

The one on the right. The one on the left looks pinkish on my monitor.
Dee

Another vote for the right. The one on the left is flesh colored...

The color on the right.

The one on the left looks like a bandaid pinkish colour to me too.

What about a shade darker than the one on the right? Without seeing your entire house in context, it's hard to say, though.

I vote for the one on the right.

Can you post a photo of your house? Maybe someone can photo shop the different finishes for you. I hate making big $ decisions from small samples.

Neither - I agree with the person who said use a darker color - maybe a color similar to the darkest stone.

Hi. Below is a picture of my house with its current finishes. My camera phone was on a weird setting so sorry for the strange background. I am covering up the brick with the stone and the fiber cement siding will go over the current red shingles.

The color on the right is Benjamin Moore Alexandria Beige. What BM color do you think would be a bit darker but in the same family. I like the tone of the Alexandria Beige but I am open to a darker color. My biggest fear in picking a color is to have the house look monotone and boring. I'm putting a lot of money into this project and I really want the house to pop.

Of those two, definitely the one on the right. Will it be installed as the current finishes are? (Fiber cement siding exactly where the current shakes are, and stone exactly where the brick is?) You could go darker, too. But, given the white trim and black shutters, I really like the one on the right.

Very nice looking home you have now. Such pretty brick. I can't imagine wanting to cover that up, though I do like the stone veneer you have chosen to do so. Love your doors.
All that aside I also like the color on the right with black shutters and white trim. I personally can't see the color on the left working with black.

I'm sure it will look lighter on the outside of the house, but my mother used Alexandria Beige inside her house and I definitely don't think of it as a light color. Just curious, what is the color on the left.

I like the brick, too, but it's obviously veneer (or at most, one brick deep) and not structural, so it's just replacing one veneer with another... so no harm done. I think the stone is a little more up-to-date while still looking natural and timeless.

Will you be leaving the steps brick, or changing them out to stone?

Another vote for the one on the right!

lizzie nh, you have made my day! I've been really struggling with whether I should replace the brick with a stone veneer. It's a big expense and people tell me that brick a premium product. But you're right! It's just a 30 year old veneer that has served it's time. I like the brick but the homes in my neighborhood look much more updated when they cover the brick with stone. My town is filled with hundreds of my model home and the homes that removed their brick really stand out. If I lived in a more unique neighborhood, I would be more likely to keep the brick. I am also replacing my steps. Another huge expense but the house wouldn't look right if I kept the stairs in brick. I also have a slight crack in the stairs that will probably get worse over time. At least that's my justification for the huge added expense!

msrose, the color on the left is springfield tan. It looked good in store but terrible in the light. Actually the Alexandria beige looks too light in the bright sunlight as well.

Can anyone suggest a darker color that is in the same family as the one on the right? I'm afraid to go to dark but I don't want to be washed out either.

Well I'm no expert but I agree with those above about keeping the brick. I think you should start over and do a plan that suits the original style of the house. Lots of wonderful things you could do there.

I have seen a house painted in Alexandria beige and it looked great. Nice color. I have it in a small bedroom. Another color that may be a tad darker and would look good with the stone is BM Cabot Trail below:
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: BM Cabot Trail

Of those two, the right.

Of any, neither of those.

To me those both disappear into the stone, but I think something that would contrast would be gorgeous. I'd go for something that would play off those dark stones. Are they a green black, or a brown black, or purple black, or...?

The one on the right, but a shade or two darker would be my choice.

Of the 2 choices, I like the one on the right. Because your exerior appears to be in good shape and because of the high cost of the project, I'd probably change the color of the shake and maybe get a gorgeous, new door and light fixture. But that's just me--a cheap greenie.

Is there any way you could replace the upper siding and do a few other things first, before finalizing the big expense of the stone veneer and stone steps? I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't have a problem with your brick and I'm pretty picky about brick. I think its the siding and a few other smaller (less expensive!) things making it looked dated. I really like the shape of your porch roof but I think beefing up the thickness of the porch columns would help. I also like the general idea of your front door but imho the ornate glass dates it a bit and doesn't go with the style of the bay windows. Lastly, a big impact update would be to replace the modular and ball shaped bushes with a more natural landscape design.
I'm sure it doesn't sound like it from the above, but I do like your house overall...it does have a good feel to it!
And on the other hand, i am a fan of stone and I like the stone you picked out!

kmcg85, thanks for the suggestions/pictures. I will definitely get a sample of the cabot trail.

jab65 and dtchgrl, I have been agonizing over whether to replace the brick now or at a later date. The main problem is my stairs and walkway. There is a huge crack in my walkway that lines up with the smallish crack in my stairs. I am desperate to replace my walkway. My contractor says that if I do the walkway now and keep the stairs, I will have to rip up the new walkway when I redo the stairs (something is not to code or level). My stairs are still in o.k. shape but I can see where they will need to be replaced in the next 5-10 years. The only place my basement got a little bit of water during the hurricaine was in the general vicinity of my front stairs. I kind of thought before the hurricaine my contractor was being over dramatic in regards to my stairs, but after the hurricaine, I'm a little more inclined to believe him. Plus, he said that all of the trim above the bay windows and doors would need to be redone if we did the stone at a later date.

I'd love to hear everyone's opinion about my front columns. I was/am planning on replacing them but it would mean I also have to replace my railings. I'm already over budget and I'm not sure if it is worth the expense at this moment. Can columns be replaced at a later date? Also, the columns that my contractor was talking about seem a little cheap. I don't know if that would be worth the expense at this moment.

Do you think if I keep my current columns it will ruin the look of the house? I'd want to replace them but the money tree is starting to look all of it's leaves!

the right

dtchgirl, I would love any suggestions in regards to my landscaping. I'm planning on removing all of the sticker bushes as well as the hedge in front of stairs. There is too much landscaping and I want the stone to be seen from the street. You can't see it in the picture but I have a total of 3 trees in the front of my house that are encased in the paver blocks.

Have you considered doing the entire house in Hardiplank siding, rather than mixing stone and siding? I think that it would look much better, be unifying, go well with your existing columns, and make you house look less squat.

I totally understand the snowballing effect...its amazing how a cracked sidewalk leads to total makeover! We (sadly) had our front door kicked in from a robbery. The experts are saying we have to replace our entire sidelight/transom b/c there is also a small crack in the door jamb. So my trying to figure out what do replace it with has lead me to doing something about my white garage doors, some dingy trim, some over-grown bushes, etc.

From what I recall hearing about columns, they are not all that expensive and even inexpensive ones look fine. I'm sure our builder but in the cheapest column he could find that would look decent but they look perfectly fine, are holding up well. And if you are re-doing the front stoop, aren't you going to have to replace the columns and railing anyway? You will have a beautiful new stoop with lovely stone but the old thin columns and railings. I think new thicked columns will enhance your pretty porch and door, and in fact with the new stuff might make the columns look even more in need of replacement (snowball effect!!).

If you don't know much about landscape/gardening (I don't!) I think the most important thing is to have a plan from the beginning. I would consult with a landscape desiger to give you drawings for a long-term plan. That way you can put in new plants over time when you're not spending so much now. Ask the designer which should go in first and then add a few each year. Thats what we did 13 years ago and it was a worthwhile decision even though at the time I didn't want to spend the money for the plans.

Good luch with all your decisions! I hope to post some pictures of our exterior in the next week or so..if it ever stops raining here.

Thick columns make a house. I definitely would not give that part up and I think you'd be shocked what a difference it makes. That inspiration pic showing cabot trail is a great example - those columns make the look.

As for color, I definitely prefer the gray tone to the beige tone with your stone in your pics - but the link showing a house done in that color appears more beige than gray. I really love that cabot trail color, though, with that thick white trim. Yum.

And the stone veneer is a shoo-in for me over the existing red brick. But, suero makes a good point about considering using one material for the entire facade. It would make your house look taller/larger. If you went that way, you could still add stone in the landscaping/porch/columns, etc. Or, even do the stone around the foundation like is shown in the cabot trail inspiration pic.

I highly recommend playing around with a software program on-line, trying various options just to get a better idea of what you really want. There's a lot of decent, free ones out there these days on various websites.

i prefer the color on the right. i also think you could go darker if you wanted.

i also agree that if you're going through the expense of changing the brick veneer and all of the siding, it would be a mistake to not change the columns and railing...the small columns look 'dated' and don't fit your door's style nearly as nice as grander columns would.
the expense would be very small compared to total and grander columns alone would really enhance the curb appeal of your home...

One of the options we had discussed with the contractor was building a half wall on the sides of the porch. This would alleviate the need for a railing on the sides of the porch. The columns would be placed on top of the wall. The half wall would be covered in stone.

My concern for doing this was the porch area is not very large (height wise). I'm nervous that it would make the area look squatter than it already does.

Thoughts?