Here's a look at how I did it for my bbq and firepit. We used stone for all vertical surfaces, and repeated the travertine pavers for the horizontal surfaces. However I do wish that I had used granite for the countertops instead. My house is stucco as well. I think stucco rather than stone on everything but the columns would be fine too (and cheaper), but stone on the columns really adds a nice touch. My columns were originally stucco but I had it replaced with stone. I don't have a handy photo of the columns and patio, but I can snap one if you'd like to see them. Here's the bbq. Don't forget about lighting!

(This might be crazy but ...) When I think of modern exteriors, I think of unexpected rooflines. Remember the deconstructed farm house in Beetlejuice? With this, I would build a bronze color metal pergola-ish slatted shade thing right over the middle section of the house, following the roof pitch. It would lend height and presence, and reduce a/c, and add a modern touch. Maybe three feet above the roof, and extend out over the yard. You could echo it somewhat with an awning over the front window. The lawn is a little old fashioned, but the tree is so nice. How about this - put a few square concrete pavers against the house, with an irregular outline, sometimes two thick, sometimes one, sometimes three or four. Use a few different sizes, but multiples so they make a strict grid. Make the edge zigzag. Then outline the edge with a stripe of black pebbles, before the grass. Then on the patio wall, echo the zigzag shape with tiles attached to the stucco.

I moved from a historic French neighborhood and majestic home pre-dating 1875, which I lovingly restored with salvage materials painstakingly gathered over the course of about 7 years. I may not know anything about the style of our new home (which is, frankly, new construction where I come from) and yes, I happened to find it quite unattractive. But it's ridiculous and inflammatory to cast shame upon me and suggest that I do not know anything about old houses. When you didn't even know what a rafter tail was, then yes I assumed you were someone who was looking to remuddle the house into an HGTV home. I've seen way too many homes of your house vintage ruined because of the owners being clueless. Plus your thread calling this old beauty "sinfully ugly" made me upset, because I imagined another old beauty being destroyed. I looked for over 2 years in my neighborhood to find an old beauty like yours but every single one that saw had been remuddled by whatever had been the latest and greatest of the time and they had not kept the integrity of the house. I apologize if that wasn't you and if like me, you appreciate old homes and will be willing to bring back her beauty. I agree with you that the vinyl windows need to go and be replaced with something appropriate. However I also think the first floor is original to the house and that includes the stairwell windows. Just because the other homes were brick, don't assume this one was. The stucco on this house looks original to the period. The rafter tails are structural to the build and were quite popular.

I would paint the courtyard wall the same as the body of the house. No stone. Cacti or other drought tolerant plants in front of the wall would look great.