Why are you putting siding on just the one garage bay? It will stick out like a sore thumb compared to all the stone.

I think the old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" would be appropriate. I don't think it sticks out like a sore thumb. In fact, I quite like it.

Sunny unlike the photographs, the elevation shows that it's the only part of the whole front of the house that is a different material. In the photograph the siding was repeated on the gable over the front door. With design, if you place something in only one place, an nowhere else in the design, whether a painting, a house or even wallpaper, it will stick out. It will be even more noticeable if the OP uses a contrasting color to the stone.

The question is, does the OP want the front door to be the focus of the house or the end garage bay.

AH! I wasn't even paying attention! I liked the picture - for the record! Not the elevation. :) Thanks for putting me in place!

You are right the third bay has siding but also the side not showing to the north of the first garage. Also the pillars and above the stoop will be sided.

I really just need opinions on choosing siding color to be honest. I am happy with the way the house looks in the elevation draw-up.

Some feedback I have received on another board was that the siding color was to dark and evil looking. We are/were planning on using Coffee LP smartside and light gray soffits and gutters with light colored stone with grey hues. But I keep getting pulled into changing it to Smokey Ash (med/dark gray).

cpartist.. you always have great ideas so any help would be wonderful. The plan is already bid out as is.

Sunny Days.. our subdivision is brand new and all custom builds with lots of different styled homes. We have a massive $$$ home, a white farmhouse style, all dark brown modern home, and ours and two others are in the process of being built.

For me, it all depends on the color of the stone...I like it when the siding and the stone relate. Do you have a stone sample?

We are headed to pick out stone tomorrow. I'll share if we find something that works and thanks.

Ahh we're close behind you in picking finishes. My head swims with it all. Dark accents were all the rage for a bit where I am. Now it seems like it's trending back to more neutral accents. I like the grey personally, but I definitely think it depends on the color of stone. I would pick that first since it's the dominant feature, and then your color choice may be obvious.

Another thought - our builder mentioned some shades of dark brown fade fairly quickly. It might be worth researching that before you commit either way.

I like dark siding, but those colors are too dark for me. Here's the color I'm leaning towards.

AH! I wasn't even paying attention! I liked the picture - for the record! Not the elevation. :) Thanks for putting me in place!

Hopefully we all learn something from these forums and I do understand about missing the elevation. I did at first too. :)

cpartist.. you always have great ideas so any help would be wonderful. The plan is already bid out as is.

Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, I feel there are a few things wrong with the elevation that first needs to be addressed. What bothers me most is the faux facade. What do I mean? The front veneer of stone that isn't repeated on any other elevation on the house. The stone shouldn't look like it's pasted onto the front only. Stone is "heavy" and it should look like it's supporting the structure of the house.

I'm also not a fan of your craftsman columns because nothing about the house says craftsman. I would prefer wood columns that went straight to the ground.

And lastly I feel your front porch gable is too high off the ground. I realize you were trying to create a "grand" feeling to the entry but instead it just looks off. I think if it's lowered it will still look important.

If you'd be willing, I'd love to show you some ideas on how to "fix" these three things. However, I won't be able to get to them until tomorrow night as I'll be out all day tomorrow.

I really think we need to pick the stone then the siding. We are headed there today. Our stone vendor and the siding vendor are in two different cities. Oh the joys of being rural! :D

Cpartist... thanks for offering to help with the front design. I agree about the columns so to accent them we are thinking either cedar sided or accent color. The front gable was changed and lifted to accommodate the higher roof pitch that the builder wanted and the fact we wanted to have a large front door (8ft).

Here is a picture of the house as constructed for someone else and using stone/brick.