Stacked stone would look amazing! Especially if the front pillars also incorporated the stack stone. Just watched a neighbor do the same with a house very similar to this one. Absolutely stunning, it transformed the whole look of the home.

the front of house is ok..the picture is the back of the house. Just contractor said that rock is $$$$ and everything is just a little bit more than what we expected! we are upgrading more than we should. this might be an option in the future...

I agree. Stacked stone on the lower part.

There are a lot of faux options as well, the cost is a little easier to swallow! Home Depot & Lowes now carries these, they are light weight and easier to work with. I was impressed you really can not tell the difference between the faux and the real deal. Not to mention this would be a job that could be easily handled by the average weekend warrior which in terms of labor would save you a lot of cash. Good luck with the rest of your build.