I’ve ruined the exterior of my home!

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We are currently building a custom home. The exterior is a mix of smooth clapboard style siding (Smart Siding) and cultured stone. The windows (Marvin Integrity) and doors are white fiberglass (except the front door), and I knew I wanted the siding to be white/barely off-white. I opted for BM Dove White for a white that wasn‘t so stark. I wanted the doors/windows to look very close in color. They look almost identical, so that’s good. I’m NOT a fan of the color next to the stone though. It really pulls the gold tones in the stone, and I’m not loving the combination! If I had to choose between changing the stone or changing the paint, I would change the stone, since I can’t change my window and door color.

Is there a way to lighten or change the stone color at all without it just looking like we slapped paint on a stone wall? I love the organic look of stone as well as the subtle color variations. This color combination just isn’t playing well together!

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Comments (16)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
I don’t usually like stone and wood combos but this looks good. I’ve seen this color combo on old farmhouses in New York and Connecticut. Once you have landscaping in I think it will like it. If you hate it at that point get the stone lime washed.
User
3 years ago
I'd change the paint. Leave the stone, leave the windows & doors, and find a paint that isn't so white.
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Many years ago they passed ordinances to retain original build in historic CO mining towns. Apparently this got pushed a bit with approval of additions and interior changes. These towns are so expensive to live in or stay that those who work there have specific buses allocated for transportation from outside of the area. Every inch of land in these towns and a home's sq ft are gold. Think revenue in taxes too. Those who go there would most likely not be up to a small victorian scheme, they want what we are seeing in the transformation. 'Tis their lifestyle and they are willing to pay for it. Not that I like what they have done. But the means to the end is money for the city, bringing in people, tourists, ect. The other end of the spectrum is what has been done to some of the mining towns by changing them into gambler's paradise. Original exterior, but tacky gambling mess. Income for the towns again. Guess they at least have the ability to retain them.
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It's the house I've wanted forever - someday.
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Comments (6)
I live in my forever house - someday. We had similar issues. Location: it's in a mixed building age area - my house is the oldest in the neighborhood 1884 Victorian farmhouse, my neighbors all have smaller late 1940's-70's ranches. Good thing is it's not a cookie cutter neighborhood. Bad thing: there are areas within a mile or so away that are a lot less nice; a big block of low rent apartments, and across the golf course there's a much more modest neighborhood with many more crime issues. Good news: We seldom have any problems; we were broken into once about 11yrs ago, one of several homes that summer, but once they caught the teen, no more until my new neighbor moved in last year - someone broke in and cleaned out the house while they were on vacation. But we're reorganizing the neighborhood watch, and everyone knows everyone, so overall it's a good place. House: It was both a dream and a nightmare when we bought it. Large rooms, lots of charm, great windows, large lot. But we had one previous home owner who stuccoed over the brick exterior, and another scary homeowner who divided the house into a duplex. Lots of work. Wayyyy more work than we first thought. Bad: stuff like two days ago, while I've been busy getting bids on painting and a few other things we wanted to do this Spring, a hunk of stucco fell off a column for the portico. We had suspected a problem for a while, but hoped it would wait. Decided to see what was going on, tore off the stucco, found the original Victorian porch post underneath (YEAH!) but it's rotted and need immediate replacement, so guess what just moved to the top of the project list? So much for my new mill work! My advice is, know what you're getting into. Check out the crime reports for the area with the local police. Drive around at all hours to see what happens in the area. Talk to the neighbors. Get a super picky home inspector. Plan on things taking 3 times longer to fix than you expect. Watch This Old House so often you feel like you're on a first name basis with Norm and Tom. Have or develop good DIY skills or the house and the contractors will eat you alive. Always ;-) Hunzi in her 14th year of the 5 year renovation
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Are my cabinets ruined? Absolutely sick to my stomach!
Q
Comments (15)
It's not that the contractor didn't notice, it is that he isn't going to bring it up if you don't. You have to be responsible for holding them to the exact plan. It's crazy but that's the way it is. There were several things that I let slide that I should have insisted be redone. The painters were supposed to match a wood stain on a small portion of front exterior of the house. We gave them the exact can, but they instead used paint. It ended up being about 1/3 of the front of the house was painted and 2/3 of the front stained. It didn't match at all. They never brought it up - no mention that they were using a completely different product. The lead contractor was on site at all times but didn't say "boo". When I saw the finish and asked about it, they said it would take a while to "oxidize", literally this is what they said. It never would have matched - I could have waited til the end of time. I had to push on them to get them to admit that they used the wrong product. They agreed to "paint " the remainder of the house to get it to match, but I should have insisted, or sued, to get them to remove the siding and replace it so it could be stained. Everytime I think about it I get angry. The point of the story, is to make sure you get a resolution that is satisfactory to YOU. Don't compromise - they are the ones in error.
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I think I've lost my mind....two extremes
Q
Comments (25)
If you're thinking Arts & Crafts bungalow, you can always look to some of the originals, many of which now have painted trims (though honestly I *wish* more of them still had their original stained trim, ours included!) It was also very common to paint trim and cabinetry (and thus use "lower grade" wood, which in those days meant redwood or fir instead of oak) in the kitchen, bath, and bedrooms and have stained trim and casework in the dining and living rooms, and that worked fine. That might be a way to manage costs while still getting the look you love. And I've seen some gorgeous kitchen remodels using cherry or fir cabinets with painted white trim and white built-ins that mix it up a bit in houses where the trim had already been painted but people didn't want white kitchens (and didn't want the cost of replacing original trim!) Fir in particular is one of my faves with soapstone, though it is a soft wood so it will ding. We also have a painted gray and white kitchen, which mixes it up a bit in a different way. There's no rule that painted cabs must be white---and honestly, a lot of the reason that listings for houses of that age have painted cabinets (especially white) is that it's a very easy way to clean up and "modernize" older cabinets for resale. (At least, that happens a lot where we live---people paint and put on new counters to sell an older kitchen.) Some of those were probably put in as stained kitchens, but had woods that aren't "trendy" these days and thus dated the kitchens. I love our painted kitchen, but if we'd had the resources, we would have seriously considered QS oak or fir (even the fir was far more costly than our paint-grade poplar). I'd be sure you're okay with the tradeoff before switching gears.
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houssaon
3 years ago
I would leave it.

As someone else said, once you landscape, it won't be as noticeable. Make sure you have a variety of leave color and texture and heights. Don't block windows. Plant far enough away from the sides of the home that there is at least a foot behind a plant at maturity.
PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago
If you want to soften look of Stone, use a Romabio stain wash on it.
PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago
You can make it as strong or light as you wish.
eld6161
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I would leave it. If you didn’t point it out, no one would notice.

I’m sorry but I totally disagree with painting brand new brick. If anything, I agree with Hot Rod, you can always paint the siding.

You are doing what we all do when under the stress of either renovating or building. You are focused on the one thing that is happening at the moment and obsessing.

Relax. You have a beautiful home.
lmckuin
3 years ago
Don’t panic - it’s not even finished yet. I think once it’s all done and you have landscaping done, it’s going to look fine.
JustDoIt
3 years ago
I like it.
strategery
3 years ago
It's just a house. It's fine.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You're right it looks terrible sell the house to the first offer you receive. Is your private massaging on? Open my message before the others.
jemimabean
3 years ago
I actually really like it. I think that you need to wait until the house is finished and landscaping is in before you make any big decisions. Give it some time to grow on you and if you still hate it once your landscaping is in and you’ve lived in the house for six months or so, then consider painting the siding. But don’t make any hasty decisions right now.
flopsycat1
3 years ago
It looks great.
kalon0430
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks everyone! I suppose my thread title was a little dramatic 😂 I’ll give it some time to grow on me and once landscaping is in I’ll definitely have a better idea of how it will come together.
mononhemeter
3 years ago
Not a pro. I agree with everyone else that it looks fine. Perhaps it will grow on you, but if not, you can always change the siding color in the future. If you do repaint, consider hiring an experienced designer to choose the color.
PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago
Your siding color is fine, it's the stone that is unusual color choice. So, I agree, get in and you can always white wash the stone to a more desirable tone later. With Tall green plantings and other landscaping, it will help integrate the stone as well. Perhaps place some large bolders in a more grayed tone (moss bolders) into the landscaping design and that will help too. So, don't loose heart. When building a new home, we tend to examine each element with a microscope. Once things are settled, they often look more relaxed and turn out fine. Good luck. Your title was great! No worries there.
ILoveRed
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Is it cultured stone or natural stone?

can you post a picture that is closer up?

I’ve ruined the exterior of my home!

Comments (16)

HALLETT & Co.

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houssaon

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Original Author

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Flo Mangan

ILoveRed

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I’ve ruined the exterior of my home!

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kalon0430Original Author

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