I'm no expert I just know a lot of people are doing cement board around me. I am not sure if they glue then screw and caulk to prevent hiding spaces. Best to check with an expert. However. It can all have the same look with a smooth stucco or other surface and scoring. Here is one with a slight two tone chimney. Not to much but enough to diminish the height a bit .

Have you already tried the "FInd Professionals" Tab?

@Indecisiveness there will be windows lower in the bedrooms on each wing . We have one side that will open to a courtyard. so this won’t be in any comparison to a basement- that’s for sure. im Sure that was a fun experience! Basement living And a father who did it all himself. That was my life too (minus the basement). My dad would buy and sale quite a lot and we lived in many unfinished homes . He loves those fixer uppers and living in them until they sold. 😂 @Mark Bischak i do understand the garage statement . But having it away from the home gave us more space inside and more light. Would be open to any suggestions for sure. @ourfarmhouse- yes this home has very tall ceilings . Always wanted a two story feel in a one story home. The living room will have metal beams and lined with a light colored wood. The fire place will have a whole wall of rough white brick . @ourfarmhouse at the front of your renderimags- to the left of the orange door. What would this be? Kind of curious. I have already printed them out and wasn’t sure. as for the garage. It just wouldn’t fit pulled into the house now that we’ve added a mud room . so you like that flat roof wirh breeze way. Or do you see a different design maybe with some pitch to it? thanks again for your time (and everyone else’s)

We are purchasing a fun little mid century ranch in Lake Worth, FL. We'll be meeting with a GC to go over the project once we close, but for now, I'm kicking around different ideas on the windows, and the backyard. We want to bring in a MCM vibe, but not completely over the top. Most important, for me, is keeping similar lines/style to the existing windows. But... the windows are large, and are stacked awnings, which cannot be found in impact windows. My initial thought is to do the front LR window, which is a 2x4 stacked awning, in a casement with horizontal muntins, and do the Bedroom windows, all 2x2 Stacked awnings, as twin awnings, also with a horizontal muntin. But so far, I'm getting costs of $2k per opening just for materials for awnings and casement, which really is not in my budget. Are there alternatives that I am not considering that would be more affordable? The reason my budget is so low for the windows is because I plan to spend all of my money on the backyard, ha. Our goal is to create a beautiful spa-like backyard. My rendering is pretty self explanatory, but we are looking at a pre-cast concrete plunge pool, with the edge of the pool providing the backing for benches around a firepit. To the right, we'll have floating steps up to a multi-level sundeck. The tall sundeck will be the pool entrance, and the lower sundeck will be a built in daybed. Where I get a little lost is in how to design the back porch. I'd love to figure out something MCM, but also a bit of a Key West vibe, and I'm just not sure those two styles can be married. My initial rendering, out of lack of any other ideas, is just a pergola with a solid top. Whatever we do on the back, I'd like to tie in the front carport. Do we just replicate the carport's style on the back porch? Would that go with the spa-like vibe we are going for out back? What do you all think? Front of the house: Back Yard rendering: Plunge Pool Inspiration: