Cpartist did an awesome job on this. Either one of her designs works well. I agree that it should either be brick and siding only, or stone and siding. I say that as someone who has brick, stone, and siding (which was originally painted three different colors when we bought) on her house. All of the new builds in our area are exactly what you're describing, but that doesn't mean they look great. When I see a house done simply and with taste, it stands out to me because it's so rare to find. Really think on CP's designs. I think that you'd be glad that you did.

Thank you everyone for the informative comments. We are in a high flood area, the house is extremely TALL. I guess we were trying to add stone.. to cut off the height of the house. I agree with everyone that the stone will be overwhelming. I guess the confusion is the bottom portion of the house below the deck since the house is extremely tall, I do not think that adding lattice will look nice. Our new design dilemma is the mortar color. We have chosen a light gray, I am now second guessing myself and might go exchange for a medium gray. The front door, does need TLC. Thanks for all the information !

Hillary, I am not a professional so I try to think of things that could be done by a homeowner on their own without spending a lot of money. If the grids in your doors cannot be painted then I would paint the door white. I would trim the tree so that the trunk is viable. Evaluate plants to determine if they should be relocated. It is not attractive to cover the lower windows. Plant something attractive and flowering near the door. Grow grass in the small bed at the end of the landing. The entrance will have a cleaner look with that bed gone. Any plants you choose for the center of the foundation should say low.

Wow that’s so helpful! I’ve tried doing that with PShop but It wasn’t clean enough to really tell so I so appreciate you taking the time to do that! I’d love to play around with it more, but I don’t have your skills! (Ie. My trim is dark) but I LOVE a what a lighter color does!