What type of real stone would be available locally?

I like the brick.

You appear to have very little space for stone on the garage, thus whatever stone you select must have small pieces which will fit in that area, such as the first photo and the last stone, Artisan Ledge. All of the other stones seem too large.

Brick completely changes the aesthetic, IMO, and not for the better. But it's probably cheaper.

"What type of real stone would be available locally?"

A good question that is worth repeating and possibly help narrow the selection.

PPF - are you asking about real stone as it pertains to being available naturally in this area? That is a good question. I will have to research that here in north Texas.

Virgil - I hadn’t thought about the size of stone being a factor (other than visually). And the brick wasn’t my favorite either.

I'm not seeing stone for your foundation unless there's a much larger expanse somewhere that you're not showing in these pictures. Hiding that foundation is where Landscaping comes in. The porch posts are another matter and I'll leave the stone suggestions to the experts

I was going to suggest real brick. Not the fake stuff.

Would not do stone for the columns either. They don't go with your columns.

DLM - it’s about a 1.5’ - 2’ tall concrete wall around the entire foundation. Yes, it would be largely covered by landscaping but some parts would still be seen. I was thinking it looked incomplete without it.

CP - brick as in the traditional red brick? Or gray color? The stone would be below the porch. So technically not on the columns themselves but to wrap the concrete piers supporting them.

My quick Google search said that granite, limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and shale. I do see quite a bit of ‘Austin stone’ used in the area, which I think is related to limestone.

Traditionally stone was a local product from a quarry or other source. Whatever type of natural stone that is/would have been available would/might be appropriate for your house, only in a man made version.

Unfortunately, real stone, and real brick needs to be designed into the foundation -- needs a ledge to sit on and needs to set back under the siding.

Taking up the suggestions above, here's what locally quarried stone looks like.

Reminds me of Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.

I would do brick.

After you select the stone, someone has to work out the details so it is waterproof and doesn't look like it is not an afterthought. Traditionally wood columns rest upon a stone pier, not "wrapped in stone".

Mark - That’s what we are trying to mimic. The piers are concrete (and go down 18’ ft underground until they hit rock) and the columns are resting on them. The wrapping in stone part was to give the illusion that the pier itself was made of stone. We were thinking of creating some kind of 'box' that we'd put the stones on, so it becomes a square stone pier. Not sure exactly how it would work....would have to discuss with stone masons more experienced than us. Need to figure out first what would look right for the area and for the style of house.

Worthy - that certainly looks like a local representation of the suburban house around here. Not my style at all.

I like that last one of CP's!

There's a lot of linearity in your house and I think the brick would complement that.

I like the brick the best as well but don’t you have to have a ledge? Our natural stone is about 2” thick and doesn’t require a ledge. Do you have access to products like this? Ours might be too big as suggested above. But perhaps a natural stone veneer in smaller/shorter stone?

Call your local stone supplier and see if you have access to stone similar to this. There are a couple of the smaller stones here that I think might look good on your house.

ours is the Harvest Mix.

http://www.earthworksstone.com/building-stone-veneers/

We're in North Texas and have "rattle snake" real stone from Stevenville, Tx. I think your area is too small and not deep enough for quarried stone. BUT I do think the blue stone on the porch floor and treads is the only stone you need. Landscaping would be the best addition not more stone.

ILR - I was thinking about the need for a ledge also. Our plan was to use stone/brick veneer not the real deal, so not sure if that changes to need for ledges or not. We have more research to do on that front. Thanks for the link. I think we definitely have veneer options close to that.

suzy - I'll have to google rattlesnake stone now! Thanks for your feedback!

I'm still not seeing the benefit of stone or brick (veneers) on the foundation and think you're edging towards visual jumble. You have such an attractive house and to me part of that beauty is in it's simplicity and repeated use of few colors/materials. If you really feel the raw look of the concrete is unattractive enough to need finishing of some sort, then a trowled and colored parge coat with some texture or even Thorocoat in a sand finish and color of your choice is enough - IMO - and I know I'm in the minority. The experts here can chime in but I don't think you can take a stone or brick veneer down to touch the grade so you'll still be dealing with a gap, though minimal.

DLM - Noted and can definitely see your point. I'm all for buying one less thing! But question....how would you handle the raised back porch and stair risers? That section is taller than the foundation wall. A good chunk would be covered by landscaping, but not all of it. And the stair risers would not be covered at all. The patio itself and stair treads are getting bluestone installed right now. In almost every image I see where there is bluestone on a stairs, the risers have a stone or brick treatment. I've got two sets of stairs....one that comes down into the yard off the back and another that's on the side that links the upper portion to the lower portion.

Example photo:

Here's a photo I found that looks like they might have used bluestone also on the risers:

Thinking that someone might ask 'What does your architect say?" I went back and dug up the elevations. We didn't change the front porch at all. The floor is Cumaru wood, steps are Cumaru with cedar risers and you can see where he had shown stone around the piers below the columns. But now I am remembering that he didn't have any stone work shown on the foundation walls. Duh!

But we changed the back. It was drawn to have a wood floor (like the front), but we changed it to concrete because we opted to use bluestone instead. And we added a set of stairs straight off the back. We have a squirrel happy dog and giving him the straightest path to his target seemed wise. Our future railing will thank us.

So maybe we could just use stone/brick on the front piers and the surfaces where the red arrows are pointing in the below pic? It would basically be wrapping the patio (back, sides and stair risers). But leave the rest of the foundation alone?

Of those two stair pictures I far prefer the one that appears to have bluestone risers - the other is just too busy and neither stone is getting a fair shake. Bluestone is crisp, classic, sometimes formal/elegant but never rustic and although beautiful, that stone on the risers and sides just doesn't work with the bluestone. To my eye it's really a mismatch. In googling pictures of bluestone stairs, I am drawn far more to the ones with a lip overhang and the shadow detail. The more flat faces ones look like an after thought.

DLM - thanks. I didn't care for that first pic also, just wanted to illustrate an example. I also like a lip. Did you have any opinions on if I opted to just wrap the porch walls and stair risers with a veneer? Something simple and not so busy? And leave the remaining foundation walls alone. The look of brick is growing on me a bit, but I also like the simple limestone look too.

Honestly I'd have to see the veneer choices you are considering and bonus points for putting samples in the actual areas to be used! I can do a fair amount of visualization for things in my my own house because I'm so familiar with every aspect. But nothing beats detailed pics and samples to get viable opinions. As for the post piers - the reality of your house is different from the renderings - there isn't as much visible beneath the porch in reality as the rendering shows and I think it might look crammed in there. Have you thought about some way to finish off the porch with a skirt that hides the posts? I don't think that diamond lattice does your house any favors - you can do better. And the more I think about your stairs and back porch, a textured parge coat with the bluestone treads and porch floor would be lovely. If you could find a really subtle brick veneer, darker than your siding that works with the bluestone that could be an option and might also work for the rest of the visible foundation. I'm just having trouble with the projection and don't know if it will work. Once you landscape, the visible foundation becomes a blurry background for plants. Right now you're focused on it because there's nothing in front of it to catch your eye. I know this because we JUST did our front landscaping (back will have to wait) and it's unbelievable the difference and how the house now looks settled in the land.

Well...if regional vernacular is important to you, then it's hard to go wrong with limestone in Texas. :-)

Alison - what does "cement parged" mean? I've never heard that before. Thanks! :)

Just *landscaping* except for the steps and stoop.

that certainly looks like a local representation of the suburban house around here. Not my style at all.

It's the stone, not the style, I was referring to. It is quarried in North Texas.

When I built this house for clients, we simply parged the concrete. But this is a cold climate and stone and brick are supposed to be at least six inches above grade to prevent water problem from snowdrifts.

I like your front porch without the railings.