Here is a photo on a dryer day. There are some stone samples and you can see it all looks so different. The other photo shows the wet stone and the mortar, which is supposedly white is still wet.

I'm sick to my stomach. I could repaint just the front. The rest of the house doesn't read as gray.

Suggestions?

Our builder specializes in restoring 19th C German Texas Hill Country farmhouses and building in new homes in a similar style. He sometimes uses a shmear (sp?) of mortar over the stone. That would change the look of your stone to a sort of old world, partially worn away look, but you could use a mortar that alters the color. There is also a technique for brick called "bagging," where a sort of cement (I think) is smeared over the bricks to make them look more like old stone, and it also alters the color.
That said, i think your best bet is to change the paint on the painted surface because your house is more modern.

Thanks kitchen. I know deep down I'm going to have to reprint. Ugh!

I'm so sorry you're upset, aktillery. You've poured your heart & soul into your new house design. I can sense your distress...

1. Wait & see if it comes together after all that green undersiding is covered, the stone/mortar dry, the landscaping goes in, and the stone starts to get muddy looking from the elements/dust.

2. Grays & golds can look fabulous together (the Vatican interior is grays & golds -- stunningly beautiful). Maybe your stone & siding will grow on you.

3. If none of the above, paint the siding, don't tint the stone.

Here's a picture with the kelly green covered. I don't think it looks bad at all.

I'd wait until it's all done.

I would be afraid to try and change the stone with a tinted sealer because I don't know how much control about how that is going to turn out. It may change slightly with sealer anyway

I would consider changing the paint color before I tried to change the stone, but only if necessary.

You are so sweet awm! Thank you for your kind words and encouragement!

Don't paint the stone! Or do anything like smearing mortar over it. Please put a better color on the siding - what you have looks like primer even without the stone color influence. I love the color of the stone.
You could just wait til everything is installed and landscaped then reevaluate. Sometimes the focus is quite narrow when we look at things piecemeal.
I only know this because of similar issue with our siding/stone colors; now everything looks great. We didn't repaint.

Thanks Missy!!

Here is a pic of the back porch. It looks so much lighter and less gray than the front, even when it's not sunny.

Another vote for leaving the stone alone. Will it be sealed anyway? I wasn't clear on that. And wait for another, sunny day and take another look.

To me it the stone looks great against the stained wood trim, so I'd be looking to repaint the siding too if anything. But like missymoo said, give it a little time and wait until some landscaping goes in before making a final decision if you can.

Please don't mess up the limestone. It has been grey and dreary in Texas -- wait until you get good sunshine and the green has all been covered. It might look fine -- or you may get a different level of light and the fix could be as simple as adjusting the grey for the front side of the house. I had to do that in my living room -- I adjusted the paint color because the paint looked so different on the walls getting the W/SW sun and the walls getting filtered E/NE sun through the porch and foyer -- even with the lights on. No one else would ever know. But if you start schmearing the stone it will never be the same.....

I'm not sure about it being sealed. I think it should be. We might have to do that ourselves.

Agree to wait and then paint if necessary. If you do repaint I think you need to go a bit darker so there's a nice contrast with the stone.

Doing something to the stone should be a last resort. I agree with everyone else. Wait, and then if still an issue, do the siding.

Open yourself up to more possibilities...just because it's not as you first imagined doesn't mean it's not good.

Also, once it's done, be sure they rinse the stone down to get all the dust and mortar off it. On our landscape the crushed stone they put down was supposed to be brown but it looked pink. Once we hosed it down and got the dust off, it turned a lot browner. Phew!

I agree to wait until everything is completed. With the green there it may be tricking the eye into seeing the siding in a different tone. Kinda like a person with hazel eyes. Their eyes apear blue when a blue top is worn but appear green if the same person wears a green top. The brain tends to focus on the dominate color it sees throwing off true color sometimes. I know, I have hazel eyes.

This post was edited by zorroslw on Wed, Feb 4, 15 at 10:54

Youre going to have to embrace the stone and repaint the siding. I know how disappointed you must be, but a light taupe would work better with the stone.

What color is the roof, and is a color adjustment necessary there as well?

The roof is a dark gray. No adjustments there. Too much money!

Thanks kswl, zorro, Annie and Joannie!

Oh, I'm so sorry! I know it's horrible when we plan and plan and then it doesn't turn out they way we imagined. I'd wait until everything's done and repaint the siding if you still don't like it.

In 6 months the stone will be a different color because of weathering and soil as will the siding. Don't panic. Wait.

It's been cold and abnormally dreary around here so the gray is going to appear darker. Since bright sunny days take up almost three quarters of a year in Central Tx, I'd wait for one before evaluating the siding color.

Either way, I like the gray siding with the stone.

I added your siding (sorry for the color variation) to cover the green house wrap then brightened it up to simulate a sunny day:

Thank you Mag!!! I wonder how it will look with all stone. I hope it works out. Seeing your photo edits helps a ton!

Here you go:

With the siding lightened up:

Not so pink:

Thanks Mag! The stone seems overwhelming. I suppose when we plant a tree and various colorful plants, it will help. I'm just not loving my exterior at all. I never put enough thought into it. In the design stages I only focused on the interior. Guess that's a lesson learned.

I agree with everyone to wait-- I think the green house wrap makes it very difficult to see what it will really look like. The Photoshops above show what a difference it makes.

It's going to be ok either way! If you end up wanting to repaint the siding, it will add some expense and aggravation, but it's completely doable. Don't do anything to the stone! It would be impossible to predict what the result would be.

I'm so sorry you're unhappy with it and stressing about it. It's so frustrating when you put a lot of thought into things and they don't turn out as planned. Hang in there!

Thanks for the very kind words jlc!

Amy, your home is really lovely I agree with the others to wait and see what happens. I actually love the color of your stone. Once all is finished and washed down if you still don't like it repaint the siding.

Don't beat yourself up over the exterior. It truly is lovely. Sometimes we just can't see the forest for the trees. I love your sense of style and I know the final outcome will be fabulous.

That is so sweet of you to say Holly! It really helps me feel better.

Amy,

How frustrating for you. We had trouble with our exterior colours too, and had some regrets along the way (not so bothered now though). I have used the services of a on-line colour consultant called Your Home and Color Coach.com (Barbara Meglis). I believe her fee is just $25.00/question. I bet she would respond with a helpful colour choice for your siding (tends to be BM colours).

I am also a follower of Maria Killam -- who is a Canadian colour consultant. She is very talented at seeing why colours don't work together, and suggesting a solution. However, her advice does not come cheap. Not sure how much she would charge for a single colour suggestion for the siding, but no doubt her solution would be great (despite $$$). BTW her site is full of valuable info for those renovating/building and decorating -- and of course reading her site is free. Maria often talks about the problem with pinky beige (could be your stone is pinky beige?) and how it fights with other beiges (although your siding is more grey than beige).

Best of luck. I can imagine how hard this must be for you!!

Carol

Thanks Ontariomom. We decided we will definitely paint the front exterior. Now just on to find the right choice!

Looks like it should be sunnier there this weekend -- as it is supposed to be here. Hope that will help you find the right color. Get the house finished and then take some time to decide on landscaping, ornamentation, accessorizing -- a few finishing touches. Like a pretty girl or a classic black dress, it won't take much to dress her up just a bit.

Update: the stones are to turn lighter each day as they and the mortar dries. Today it's sunny and they are much lighter. That's a good thing!!

One more.

They are getting lighter -- another reason to wait a bit. Focus on other things and come back to adjust if needed.