I'd pick out my brick/stone first if I were you. Reason: it's a lot easier to find paint (which literally comes in a kajillion colors) that will coordinate with your selected stone/brick than it is to go the other way round. In fact, as a general rule, starting with the material that has the fewest available color options and then building from there is usually the easiest way to go. Roofing also tends to come in a relatively limited palette so I'd probably choose stone first, then roofing, and FINALLY paint colors for the remainder. If you like the idea of grey for the hardi and shakes, that's fine...just don't try to settle on a particular grey before you find a stone/brick that you can love and have picked out at least one possible roofing shingle that will go with it. If you choose brick or stone with a cool cast or a bluish/greyish undertone, you should have no trouble finding greys to coordinate with it. Of course, before you actually buy anything, you should have everything selected. That's what samples are for. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting samples of two or threes brick/stones and putting together the best shingles and paint colors that you can for each of them and THEN deciding which combinations you like best. Finally, because the house has so many different exterior materials, I'd probably try to stick with a monotone color palette except for contrasting front door. Otherwise the overall effect might be uncomfortably "busy".

I live in a 1937 Cape with a full dormer on the back. My windows are 6 over one, as were the originals that I replaced several years ago. I have a daylight basement, so the back is 3 stories. I have a stand-up attic above the bedrooms and bath on the second floor. The back bedroom windows make for a great view out to the back yard. My office is on the far end in this pic, with large windows on the front and back and three windows on the long side. I love this house and hope to live in it til the end.

Shead - I've been thinking about your suggestion to swing the garage out (similar to the first photo) and I think it's a good suggestion. It will also resolve the roof issue that PPF mentioned. I'll take that up with my designer when I meet with her next month. Do you have any suggestions for siding as well? Cpartist - The kitchen in the plans is just a preliminary concept that my house designer included. I've since met with a certified kitchen designer to create a detailed kitchen plan - the plan now includes a sink in the island. Re: east/west axis. There were several factors we considered with direction. Our property is south of the road. We want to see the front of the house when we drive up the driveway, not the back or sides of the house (if you look at the first drawing I posted, you'll see what I mean. Keep in mind that the driveway actually has a much slighter curve than that depicted in the drawing). We could turn the house so that the large expanses of glass in the kitchen, great room and basement living room face west, but I don't want the late setting sun to shine into those room at that angle (I have that in my current office, and it's very aggravating - I have to close my blinds to work in there later in the afternoon and evening). That being said, I'm open to reading your ideas about how the house should be situated. Patricia Colwell - You stated that the interior needs work - can you be more specific? I like the layout of the house (although I definitely like the idea of changing the direction of the garage). What exactly is it that you think needs work? bot494 - Thank you!!! You are one of the few who actually provided an answer to my original question, and I really appreciate it! I love the look of Hardie, but I've read so many bad reviews online that I'm leery of going there (the contractors I've talked to also don't recommend it). The LP Smartside sounds similar to the Maibec siding we are looking at. Can you get it prepainted? (the Maibec comes either stained or painted). I like the idea of using both lap and vertical - what colour(s) would you suggest? Or do you think a natural wood stain on all the siding will look good?

the quality of paint and proper application will determine its longevity. there are quite a few stain free white houses out there