Compman, can you post a picture of what you are referring to? I'm imagining those pyramid shaped lighted postcaps but you must be talking about something else (yes i realized you mentioned stone..)

Hi lazy-g, I miss the tree too! (But not the little crab apples.) We had about 18 years of beautiful blossoms, then a few years of diminishing blooms and finally a year of nothing (no leaves or blooms), so it had to go. At least the front room is nice and sunny now, and there's a small hydrangea tree now planted near there. The hydrangea will never be the same as the previous tree, but I'm hoping to sell in a couple of years so maybe the next family will plant another big blossoming tree.

What are you doing with the windows? The shutters? How about the landscaping? Without knowing anything about the scale or scope of this project, the impetus for-, or goals of this makeover, it’s impossible to give you any meaningful advice. With that being said, I do the think you should wait until you‘re ready to add the (desperately needed) roof over the bow window on the left to tackle the posts. In fact, I strongly urge you to stop all exterior “remodeling” and develop a solid plan (hopefully with the guidance of a design professional, which, generally, a contractor is not) before continuing. Changing the architectural elements of your house on the fly (like you seem to be doing) NEVER ENDS WELL!!

As the pros indicated, the roof is "wonky" -- and the more angles you add the more it costs and the more likely you are to have maintenance issues. Consider rethinking the roof to have one center ridge and one left facing gable and one right facing gable ... plus a smaller forward facing gable over your front entry door. Personally dislike a "hip" roof ... or multiple hip sections on a roof. Too much of a pain to ensure they're properly vented and if they're not, that can create huge costly maintenance issues. Would keep the entire exterior of the home one siding only. Having brick partially up the exterior wall visually creates an "unfinished" vibe ... as if you ran out of money and couldn't finish with the brick. Having lots of brick on the garage but not the entire house short changes the house -- as if you value the garage more. Also, if the foundation for the garage is not also already poured, instead of a three car garage pairing attached to the house -- giving the house a bit of a McMansion vibe -- and, lot size permitting, of course, consider creating a separate structure with three equal sized garage doors connected to the house at the kitchen via a screened porch or breezeway. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ATeVpfMurrJkhaHlc5UYO3hEx6CFH8QZcHEWMHEKMf326HPzl7xVaec/