Grey Stone Veneer Siding for North Carolina New Build
By: Sarah
Linda B. and her husband Rick reached out to us to help them with the exterior design of their new build home in North Carolina. Importantly, their golf course community’s HOA required that at least 50% of their façade was either brick or stone. “I was puzzled on how to incorporate stone into the design and have it work well with the other materials on the exterior,” Linda explained. Read on for how we used a grey stone veneer siding in concert with other building materials to give this couple a design they loved.
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The before
Rick is a general contractor and has built dozens of homes. However, as Linda explained,
… when we decided to build our new home, probably the last home we build for ourselves, we wanted the house to be unique… I saw ads on social media for brick&batten and was very intrigued by their attractive designs.
Linda provided our team with a draftsman’s drawing, the original plan, the floor plan, and several inspiration pictures. She and Rick wanted to see mixed building materials on their home and a color palette of lighter neutrals with black accents.
The design
We offered Linda and Rick two color palette options, both featuring James Hardie siding along with a limestone grey stone veneer siding.
Above, we suggested a combination of vertical siding and lap siding in Panda Gray, part of James Hardie’s Dream Collection. Trim is in Benjamin Moore’s Black Beauty, our top exterior house color of 2022.
For the second design, above, we used James Hardie’s Snow Owl, also part of the Dream Collection, on both the siding and trim. This version also showcases more of the grey stone veneer siding around the entrance.
Our other design recommendations include a metal roof accent on the dormer, black exterior lighting to coordinate with the windows and front door, and wood porch columns, lintels above the picture windows, and an exposed truss accent.
When I reached out, I found [the brick&batten team] to be friendly and excited about our design. I sent in my inspiration photos and shared my ideas. I was worried at first that I didn’t tell them enough or send in more pictures. However, there was no reason to fret… they nailed it! Rick and I were both thrilled with the design they came up with.
The process
Linda shares how our photorealistic rendering was pivotal to their construction process.
Rick kept the brick&batten photo with him and told each subcontractor that the exterior needs to look just like the photo. When there was a detail question about the roof or front steps, we referred to the design.
She also made use of the clickable resource list that came with the visualization.
Thankfully, brick&batten provided links to the products they used in the design, and we incorporated almost everything… from the windows, front door, and the stone to the light fixtures. This was extremely helpful! I even ordered the outdoor chairs and for the front porch. Each item absolutely enhanced the look of the home.
We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.
The actual after
Linda and Rick followed the look of our first design option closely. We love how the siding and stone work together, while the dark trim and accents as well as warm wood details give the façade layers and visual interest.
They even carried our design concept around to the back of the home:
Grey stone veneer siding makes all the difference for new build
We loved helping Linda and Rick determine how to make stone siding work to both satisfy their HOA requirements and give their home stunning curb appeal. And the couple is beyond satisfied with their results:
Rick and I never could have come up with this design ourselves. Throughout the building process, neighbors commented on how much they liked the look of our house… different than other homes in the neighborhood. We’ve had passersby stop to take pictures and even had one family knock on the door and ask about the design because they were building themselves and wanted to duplicate some of the features.
Partnering with brick&batten was the best decision we made during the initial design phase. We would do it again in a minute. We are delighted when we pull into the driveway! We just love it. In fact, we’ve already contacted brick&batten about designing the exterior of a commercial building Rick is starting this summer. 100% recommend!
All homeowners deserve to love their curb appeal. Whether you have a specific design limitation that’s leaving you stumped, like Linda and Rick, or you don’t even know where to begin, our designers are ready to help. We’ve seen it all and we get great joy out of seeing our clients’ visions come to life. What are you waiting for? Start your exterior design project today.
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