Thanks everyone - the lower half is unpainted and the top half is freshly painted silver cloud. My trim throughout the rest of the house is white, and the banister will stay stained but the stringers are being replaced and will be wrought iron.

Hi Daniel, you have a very beautiful home and I'm certain that when you're finished it will be fabulous. You are correct, it would have been better to not trim the 10' siding and then just transition the stone to the ground. That said, you've already cited the best 2 options. Take off the 10" horizontal board and start your stone there or leave the 10" board in place and install stone accordingly. You might consider using a medium to darker color of stone to move your eye lower when viewing your home. Do not highlight the horizontal board with a different siding color. Possibly paint your fascia a darker color as well. Wishing you the very best, Jerry Jerome DeMarco ART.chitecture

Beth, so the last photo you posted is kind of backwards of what the the long term is going in that spot.. The plan is to build out another similar styled "dresser" (not really) with a set of plans I have for a fire wood log holder. It will be of same height, like width, with the wood topper and painted the same colors. This will be to hold logs and also to keep the balance and symmetry. As far as running the stone all the way up, that isn't something we would like to do at this time as it isn't cost effective for me, as I am not versed in stack stone enough to feel comfortable doing it myself as well as the fact that since the room is already lacking in space by the addition of the fireplace at the last moment, and it requiring so much floor space into the room for fire code, adding the dark stone all the way up will close in the room more and make it too heavy. I do however completely agree with you on the mantle and paid a LOT of money for a custom slab of wood for the builder to hack it off and not wrap it around. We have another one we purchased to dress the fireplace downstairs as they only left it on a completely bare wall but a similar orientation but only protruding from the wall by 18 inches not 38inches including the hearth. Thank you so much for all of your in sight and help. I really do appreciate it!

You get an exterior designer to draw what you want not your hubby and not your contractor and IMO you do nothing until you can see what this will look like. I agree all one siding material or for ever the addition will look like an add on. I like the idea of the portico but those windows need replacing and if you want the faarmhouse “look those shutters need to go. I have no idea whay an aluminum roof on the portico IMO it should match the rest of the roof.To be honest all this work will be hidden if you do not remove some of that overgrowth and replace it with foundation plantings. IMO all calpboard would be the perfect choice for siding everywhere and I would have done white . I need to see the stone for the cimney but IMO if farmhouse it the look you want don’t bother with the stone.