Exterior Front Stonework — Kelly Bernier Designs

Do you have stonework on the front of your exterior? There are so many options to be considered to enhance the front of your home and stone can be a great way to add an interesting, custom look. Our architect we are working with assumed we were having stone installed on the front and I think it is because it seems every new home build is using stone for the front exterior. My first thought was yes, I definitely would like some stone work mixed in as well as painted siding. But then I started researching in depth looking through Houzz and Pinterest for ideas and inspiration for our new home and thought for the style of our home, maybe stone would not be the best option. Our front exterior looks similar to the below photo, (although we did make quite a few changes):There are a few possibilities when positioning stone on your front exterior wall. The most popular way is to bring up the stone halfway on the wall or use the stone completely from top to bottom. In the photo above, the stone is only partially way up. Here are more examples of the stonework halfway up the wall:

source

source

source

Another way to customize your exterior is to use stone from top to bottom:

source

source

source

If you notice, the homes with stone on the entire front are very large houses. I think the whole front being stoned would not work with our house because the house is not BIG enough. You need big to have all of those stones! I feel the stonework halfway up the wall is chopping the house in two and I am having not liking the molding along the top of the stone. It exaggerates the line between the paint and stone and makes it really stand out.Another idea I have read is that stone works especially well around entrance ways, adding definition.

source

No thanks, it looks too heavy to me. You can tell that this is also a very large home. You could choose a smaller and lighter stone, but I still think the stone will look overbearing just around the front door.

So, what do you think Mike? I am voting for no stone. Our house is not super big and I like the idea of just a nice paint color. Speaking of exterior paint colors, oh no!, more decisions to stress about. I am not sure what I paint colors I like best. But first we have to select roof color.(Always select paint colors last when working with roof and stone colors). More projects!

I found these photos online when looking at exterior stone and thought they were such a great example of what does NOT work:

First of all, look the the greenish gray roof. Does it work with the blue stone? NO. Does this red color stain work with either the roof or stone? No.

source

Does the brown garage and shingles work with the blue stone? NO. How about the wood beams? NO. They certainly do not work with the stone. Very random. It looks like a hot mess and does not work. Be sure to compare the items you are working with before you install together.Have a great Holiday weekend everyone!Kelly