The areas around trees that should be protected SHOULD be an area that will protect the roots, so a good 5-10' out from the dripline (more for bigger trees) will need to be protected. Getting your county extension agent (maybe free) or paying an arborist or forestry consultant to advise you might help in deciding both on the trees you want to save and on how to save them. Tape and stakes won't do it - a 'dozer can run over that in a heartbeat. A taller, sturdier and VISIBLE fence needs to be put up around all the trees you want to save. You would then need to make it very clear to your general contractor that these barriers are inviolable - put a penalty clause in the contract if need be - because sub-contractors and their workman will be looking for a handy place to park, to put equipment, supplies and material, so if it's close to the house, it would get used. And they will all think, that since it's only them, and only this once, it won't matter. You need to have an agreed-upon-beforehand spot picked out for the topsoil, the burn-pile from stumps (put that where the heat won't damage any trees), excavation for basement, etc., etc., as well as where the lumber will be stacked, where the dumpster for construcion debris will be - remember the truck to bring a new one and take the full own will need to turn around - as will the trucks bringing fill needed for making it level if you are on a slab, and the cement trucks, lumber trucks, 'dozer operator etc., etc.. Construction nowadays takes a LOT of heavy machinery, and it takes up a LOT of room. I had a new, detached 36' x 24' garage put in last fall. The actual foot print of the earthmoving to make the building site level and then to make the rest so it was smooth and mowable covered about 60' x 130'. Even though my drive is very adequate for my car, or the propane delivery man, one 'dozer operator had to park his rig (truck and 'dozer-trailer) at the foot of the hill, before the last corner, and off-load there, as he wouldn't have been able to turn around in the space available. If you are going to be drilling a well, if you will be having your power and telephone lines run in (or buried), you need to allow room for the equipmant to do those things too. Well-drilling equipment can be BIG, and usually comes with several "sevice" trucks. And if you have the contractor, the electrician and the plumber, noy to mention the dry-wall people and the painters, all there on the same day - you are looking at at least 4 trucks/cars, and maybe 10. Plan ahead! I'm not trying to scare you, but these concerns seem to be under most people's radar - until you've done it once, you just don't know. A good, experienced contractor should be aware of all these, but will not be as concerned about your trees as you are. This is yet another area where you need to be proactive - a "broken" tree can't be easily replaced.

And Parry Sound ON is NOT easy to get to - I've shipped cork floors to Parry Sound....it cost THREE TIMES to get it there than to Barrie or Orillia. So that $50K option is not even CLOSE to the real cost of this thing. Moving the WALL will be $15K - $20K. The cost of materials and man power in that area of Ontario are UNBELIEVABLY high. Transport costs for ANYTHING will be triple that of "civilized" areas...like Barrie. So...moving the stairs will be more than $50K....and then the wall moving will probably require a structural beam. Those beams are $5K in Toronto....but once you get into Parry Sound, they triple in price just for transport. See where we are headed here? I've seen "bunkies" cost $30K in that area (prefab then moved onto the property). That's easy peasy money to spend in that neck of the Ontario woods. If $50K is not in your budget, then I recommend that you save your money, get into the swing of things with extended family living around you and THEN decide the final layout. The existing home will either be "good enough" or you will need to do a complete tear down with a redo. Or you could do what many in cottage/lake country do - add more buildings to your property. So many of these properties have 3-5 "out" buildings added simply because it is cheaper/easier/faster to have them prefabricated and then brought in then it is tear down and build new. The building season out there is VERY short. Mud is a constant battle. Winter comes early and stays late. Big transport trucks can only go into these areas if they are DRY and COMPACT and there is NO RAIN in the forecast for at least two weeks. I've seen many people have to bring in gravel to their driveways/access roads (a few thousand just for that) so that they could get a delivery....and then the fall storms set in and nothing was possible until late May the next year. Things get interesting in these areas of our great country. And interesting normally translates into "expensive". Please take your time with this. You have a stunning property that will take quite a bit of time figuring out what NEEDS to be done (like a new roof) vs. what you WANT done. Plan ahead and always plan for delays and bad weather. It will keep you sane.

I agree with @anj_p re the railing--definitely paint it black or charcoal, a good dark color. That will update it instantly. (You could go for a bright color, actually, a nice red or blue if your tastes run in that direction--Rustoleum makes a really good wide selection of colors for metal.) And whitewashing the brick is a good idea, too. We had a hideous 60s brick on our exterior, as well--really drab "designer" shades of tan and brown, not attractive brick at all--as well as a section of rocks, like big round rocks, which were sort of an ivory/light tan. We had the entire house, brick, rocks, and all, painted gray with white trim. (All paints are Sherwin-Williams. House is "Earl Gray," trim is "Extra White," and the door is "Oceanside." [Which I love and used for my lower cabinets in the kitchen as well.] The light is dim in that last picture, so you can't see just how much the door color pops, but it does--I get compliments on it all the time.) Sorry I don't have better pictures of the Before--I thought I did, but I guess I don't. But you see, hopefully, how much of a difference it makes in terms of making the house look more modern and "clean." There are a sizable number of people who see painting brick as a travesty, no matter what style or color the brick is, and I see their point with a lot of bricks, but not those pukey-looking ones on this house; there was nothing classic about them, they were just a bland veneer (and the rocks photographed MUCH better than they looked in person, trust me! Every house on the street has them, and every neighbor I've talked to about them hates them). Point is, don't be afraid to paint the brick. I think the gray stone siding is fine, though I don't think replacing it would be bad, either--that's really up to you. But I agree the gray with the color on the sides is not a great look. It would drive me nuts, lol. So if you whitewash or paint that brick on the columns on the railing (why did they leave those orange, I wonder?) and the sides of the house, paint the railings a good dark color or a nice bright color, I think you'll have gone a long way just with that. Taking the planters off was a good thing. A quick coat of paint on the trim will make a huge difference--you said you want to replace it ultimately, but if your budget won't stretch to that yet or you're still deciding on styles etc., this is an instant update. I'd paint it darker! Here's an example of a gray house with darker trim. I think it looks really nice (and trim is pretty easy/quick to paint, so if you hate it it's an easy fix--but I think it would look nice): Another quick(ish), easy(ish) update would be to add siding or stone or something to the cement area under the porch, or paint it the same color as the trim. Or plant some shrubbery there, some nice dark greens to give it a classic look and hide that cement. (I actually love cement, but with this house front there are so many different colors and textures and materials I think it would be better to unify/lower the number of them. It's a lovely house, and looks like it has tons of potential. I really, really hope this has been helpful to you!

I actually like the warmer wood tones. adds a bit of warmth and depth. you could always stain them a darker color if you want. Taupe? why taupe? This?? this is taupe siding. Sorry, I think that's a horrible choice! taupe will meld into that roof color and just look blah. especially if you remove the stone. What would you like to see? How about some contrast? I'd cover the stone w/romabio, and do a composite wood siding over on the far left. then I'd paint the siding a crisp white, do black trim. the cedar posts, it will look great. (but you could also do other shades too. ) what about a dark blue gray siding? as for the stone, since you want to remove them, why not get a small container of the Romabio and wash them to see what you think? (and if you really hate it, it washes off w/in 72 hours. Comes in a bunch of colors. If you get the Masonry Romabio, you can have it tinted any color you like) lime wash is the Classico: