Remove the shakes and go with something more permanent like cement board siding. A whole lot less maintenance. I was thinking about a moss green siding, cream white trim and a bright red or orange door.

Assuming the shakes are in decent condition, the fastest cosmetic fix (while you recover from the inter renovations) would be to clean the shakes and paint them with a solid color wood stain in a charcoal to even out the color differences.

Same with the railings and deck.

I like the board and batten suggestion-think: "modern rustic"...and the deck railing needs some thought-maybe that is where to go uber modern/contemporary. It is feeling so 70's right now, and to get some design elements in, that bridge the decades, will help make it a modern classic.

Hi

I did not see in here what you really want to do with the cedar shakes and what your budget is so here are two alternatives for you to consider. Keep in mind that shakes are built to last so I think it would be a pity to toss them and waste all that money if you can pretty them up and take a well deserved vacation from all your renovations!

1. Keeping the shake - clean and stain them all one color - that would make the "pattern" look more consistent. I would go pretty dark on them (like er612s photo). If you choose this, then I would finish it off by putting a smooth stucco/cement over the bricks. I think the smooth next to the shakes would maintain some of the original character while giving it an intentional modern vibe. Also, plenty of houses around here (NY Metro) are being updated on the outside with large white exterior trim drawing a division line between floors/highlighting angles etc. Sounds strange but looks very nice to the point that split level homes now look cool. You could consider incorporating a concept like that to break up the expanse on the front over the deck - tying it to the height of the awning over your front door. It looks like you are missing a window on the bottom over near the door which I would pop in for consistency sake and then on the bottom between the two windows (If space allows) but a potted tree or something with light aimed on it. Swap out the awning for something more modern if you go this route.

2. Toss the shake - hardie board for sure lap siding- probably with the same white trim highlighting the difference between the floors and trimming out the windows. The stone would probably look ok then as is or it may still be smoothed out. My dad is a contractor and would vote for this option as he would argue it is easier, faster and may be more cost effective over the life of the house. Sometimes I suspect that he just lies to me though to get his way :)

Hire an architect! Vertical siding of some neutral color to match the stone could be beautiful if it is the right color and style. The windows should also match the overall vision. I think it will be money well-spent even if you have to do the work slowly. I'm not sure if this is in your budget, but it could make all the difference between a house that looks "fixed" or a house that looks like every piece was planned and meant to be.

Wow this house is a beauty just waiting to be funkafied. You seem game for vintage and different. I suggest continue with the salvage. This painting I did several years ago of the Design Center at Goddard College that a small group of us along with two architect builders built in the late 60s. The second semester the building was completed with nothing but Vermont salvage for the windows and siding. Break up that expanse of wall with windows before deciding about the stone.

Corrugated steel panels for the siding give a nice industrial look?

From my own experience, hiring an architect would be the very best use of your time and money. You can find one that will bill by the hour for design consults, sketches, whatever you need to talk about -- and you can call a halt at any time, whenever your budget runs out or you get a firm idea of which direction you want to go. Be sure to look at their portfolio first, and interview before you hire. You will need someone who is practical, positive, and very respectful of your budget and concerns. I've done this on two projects so far, and it is FUN!

I don't have any ideas just wanted to say how wonderful I think it is that so many people have really put on their "thinking caps" for a stranger! All of the ideas are thoughtful and followed through very visually to give these folks not only options but an idea of how the house could look. Like having a brainstorming coffee date with friends you didn't know you had, from all over the world :) Well done everyone! Please post photos of what you ended up doing, I'm excited for you!

if it were mine, the shakes would have to go in favor of either an earth-tone siding or perhaps log siding to go with the stone. Log siding

We bought a shake house last Fall. We are tackling staining it this year. We were a little intimidated by it at first, but it seems really easy to care for, actually. We are using the power washer to clean it and then just adding stain (no seal) and we think it's coming along quite nicely. And, for repairs, we just pop the broken one out and slide a new one in.

In this pic, the bottom section is clean and stained in a semi-transparent cedar tone. The section closest to the roof isn't clean, but just below is where the cleaning process had been started. You won't believe the difference in those shakes until you start cleaning them!

In the following picture, the garage doors are complete ( they are the reason we started) around the top of the doors is clean but not stained. The section at the bottom between both windows is clean. None of the top has been stained. We are doing this on our own over weekends. So we clean sections on Saturday morning, let it dry, and then stain on Sunday.

Left door is where we started and the right is after cleaning.

Clean on the left and stained on the right.

At the end of the day, you have to do what's right for you, but I thought it might help to know that shake can easily and relatively cheaply be restored. It also seems like it will be easy to maintain. We put vinyl on our old house, but it just made the house bland. The shakes have character.

I love the quirky rustic look of the shaggy shingles against the stone but I see that you have to do something. It would be better if the shingles at least had a consistent color. I like your idea of the metal windows, something like they used to have on garages. Maybe metal railings on the deck would help calm things down.

"oh my!" I actually said out loud when I saw your photo, hehe. First of all, congratulations on your new home. Now get those shake shingles off ASAP. :) I love, love, love black painted homes. There is one near my house that truly makes a statement and I drive past it sometimes just to admire it. I do like the stone though. It's made a resurgence it seems and people are putting it on everything. Lucky you, it's already there. The stone combined with the black paint and maybe some updated larger windows and metal railings, would give your home a modern rustic vibe with a splash of industrial. Good luck!

You mentioned the possibility of going rustic.... Would you consider replacing the shingles with rough board and batton (sp?)? We did this to an old outbuilding in a prior home, stained it for protection from the weather, and faced the two-foot high exposed cinder block foundation with fake stone. Looked really good! Wish I had a picture to post....

I think remove the shake shingles and add a hardi board siding.... something in a neutral tone or even red.

hi i would suggest a white color will do? its just nice to look at.. windows and door design will be noticeable :-)

As a designer, I have to weigh in as well. Not addressing structural because I am assuming/hoping you had a good home inspector upon purchasing. Not knowing your budget, I am suggesting the least expensive "cure". In keeping with current color trend, I would match one of the darker shades in your stone (which looks fine in the pics) but not black. Dark taupe or grey would compliment the stone and make much of the shake texture fade away while still keeping it interesting. I would then add a pop of color on all other wood (deck, window trim, etc.) with wood stain that comes in many! shades now. A dark blue is very complimentary with taupe and grey while not "screaming" color or if that doesn't scare you, there is always red, cinnamon, mustard, etc... Post an update after you're done! BTW, I live in a log home that is painted with a grey stain preservative, white porches (2), all other trim black and raspberry doors. Door colors are easily changed w/o getting into a big project but make a large impact on the look of the home... That blast of color makes me happy with all of the other sedate tones and I get many compliments. I have also used the dark blue with taupe and grey on clients homes & they were very satisfied. Different but not weird.

Neglect of regular maintenance is probably what allowed your shakes to get in their current shape. James Hardie makes cement shakes that will last and keep maintenance at bay for you. Here are two styles of them. They can be painted or your can have them custom painted at the factory.

You should definitely hire an architect for consultation in the least. Architects are not as expensive as people seem to think and you would likely get a great return on your investment for a nominal upfront cost.

The photos posted of the Shakes are unrealistic to what you have, no offense intended. I've worked with older shakes that looked to be in better condition that what you have. I pressure washed and stained them, it made them look a bit more consistent, however yours look like the consistency is done with. They are cut longer than any that I've ever seen-leading them to curl out at the bottom, and some look more stained while others look dried and shifting. Get rid of all of it, get rid of that stone and reuse the stones for lining beds around the house to get some nice landscaping done. After looking online, I agree that the corrugated metal look will look the best with your setup. There are different kinds though, pick your preference. I'm leaning towards the vertical with some heavy window work. Keep the thin lined fascias and gutters they are keepers. Take your time because it looks like crap now, but I think that you have a ton of room for potential with this gem of a place, and none of us have even seen the inside-make it your dream home and do not hal-a%^&! Underneath the Shake and Stones is probably just flat plywood. Plan out your lighting first, and do a fair amount to accent and take up some nice space, then put up the corrugated sheets. I'm tending to like some of the wood mixture that I will include in some pics here, got to be careful with it though so it doesn't wind up being cheesy. Also, so colors mixed in can be awesome if done right. The deck would look nice if redone, but do it similar, and wait to do this part until you're done with the house layout so that you can get a better idea of what would look nicer. One super ideal just for fun, two story deck with a door from the upstairs! This way you can get a cool view from the upper unit. Here's some fun pics just for the fun of it.

One more personal preference tip, if wood work anywhere is gloppy, electric sand it. Stray away from hand painting if you can as well, rarely does anyone do a good job. Cover areas up extremely efficiently and get a compressor and spray gun to get nice flat even coating.

We has a very similar situation and architecture here in the Bay Area, we bought for the AMAZING view. We sandblasted the cedar shingles and used a Cabot stain of 40% Grey and 60 Green. Replacing the windows is a great idea, making them bigger would do wonders in terms of natural light and making the exterior more appealing. The stone work on your hose is dated. You can use veneer more modern stone like thin horizontal field stone. Lastly staining your decks, we used a reddish orange wilkens glossy staining -- really adds flair and makes for a modern look. Think about replacing the outdoor railings with Stainless steel Cable railings (leaving the orig posts, just re-stained) The are all pretty affordable (the window and bigger openings are where the majority of your costs will be

I'd rip off all that horrid shingling and start again.

Paint the shakes and keep the stone. or do a Board and batten siding instead of the shingles.

k at houses in Provence France. the stone goes well with those farmhouse designs

The OP hasn't posted since Sunday AM..... I think we've lost her/him.

Replace the shingles with hardy board siding, paint a rusty red. Trim in in charcoal gray. This would give you a rustic look.

The shape of your house is lovely and the brick work is stunning. I have never seen shingle / wood of that nature on the walls of a house. If the house is water tight and is re cladding is to expensive then I would suggest getting a professional in to stain the wood as dark a black as you can and this will possibly hide the overall look and leave your house shape and brick work as your feature.

John Belushi-built a new house with old products-stained-rusted tin for roof and old barn wood look for siding-maybe you can look for his house on the internet-I watched this on TV, but cannot remember the name of the show. Tin on the side of the house is another thought-fresher modern look-or an older look like the old barn look or style..

why not a log siding would look great with the stone. you can do that or board and batten on bottom and add a belly board at the top of first floor then do shakes.

What program are you all using to take a photo and work with your exterior changes like that? I am planning to reside a double wide which looks totally out of place in the surroundings and have been wanting to do that with a photo to get ideas.

Also in reference to the subject I think you have a really great old interesting house!

Have you considered mixing materials? Metal (not necessarily this siding in the picture) and a rustic colored wood, both of which blend with the rock? Could make a great visual impact to split level too - wood on top, metal on bottom or vice-versa.

If you are thinking of wood-like siding, barn siding may be a great material. It requires very little upkeep.

I've read through some comments, mainly those with pictures. I have to say that if you want shingles, remove what you have and use new shingles. ( ones that don't look so...bushy? ) a flat surface where the texture comes from the shape/style of shingle. I would only use black if you did this, otherwise I think black would only bring out the 'heavy bushy' look of the shingles. If the stone looks good, keep it, unless you hate it then it's a no brainer and take it off. I like the option of mixing metal with wood. I would use metal that has a vintage look, but not like a rusty old tin roof. I also think using a brown gray color would be better if you mix materials; better than black. Just remember that all colors have undertones. So pick a black or gray that have brown undertones so it will stay on the warm tone. If you go with a blue undertone then the color will take on a cool tone. Have you thought about how using a deep green color would look? The green paint can go to almost as dark as black, but even then you can tell its a green. I'm sure your surroundings would bring the green out even more. Maybe your husband would feel more comfortable with that. I wouldn't move your front door. While it's just a door, it changes the original set up, which is why it's placed where it is. Ya know? Once you choose paint color and complete the painting/change in shingles, paint your door. Afterwards that's when you can decide on a trim color and where to use it. ( windows,doorway, railings etc.) you might want to just power wash the railings and deck, then stain in a color that coordinates and or contrasts with the house color.
You could change the style of the front and back doors as well. Keep rustic but pay extra $ for a unique design, maybe design your own. I did that with my iron gate. Anyway these are my thoughts. I hope you find what you need to make your house the home you always wanted, inside and out.

Like most, my advise would be to remove shakes. I may be tempted to either stucco or shingle those other parts of the house. Deck should either come down or at least replace railing and stain or paint the color of the house, looks very dated now. I think a soft teal on the front door, which I think should come to the middle of the front of the house. big pots with very noticeable plants would complete the look.

If you plane renovating on a bigger scale, then I would call an architect for help.

I would move the front door to the center and put a small roof over it; above ideas are nice. Change deck railings to match overhangs (steel cable, metal panels, vertical metal slats inserted on an angle...). suggest removing shingles and residing with horizontal corregated metal sheeting on the bottom 1/3 and vertical siding on the upper 2/3rds. Could go rustic with rusted or patina-finish metal and board and batten siding or more contemporary with powder coated metal in dark green or rusty red and a cement siding in a complimentary color. Put your window boxes under the two upper windows with red geraniums like in Switzerland. Add a stone patio in front of the small section of house and continue it around to parking around. Cover up all those utility boxes, panel etc with a built out closet paneled to match the house. I would change windows based upon the rooms inside and choose a colored cladding that matches the metal siding. Good luck and have fun!

I liked a lot of the comments in this article and thought the steel corrugated approach was worth a look. Here's an attempt, just for variety. It still needs something, but I hope helps visualize one option. Oh, and that red junk down there is your new fence - you're welcome!

Thinking outside the box and away from all the wood. What if you took it off and did stucco with the rock and then did all new stain wood porches. That would look very updated but still kind of woodsy and cabin like. Gives it a whole different look.

Cable railings go well with wood frames and enhance your view! We found this photo that also features black siding and a rustic setting:

or if you decide to go lighter, you could do something like this:

you could put the box window were you thought of bumping out the front rooms on the first floor. Also i suggest removing the shingles and going for more'normal' cladding.

I have to mention something no one has brought up-or if they did I missed as I skimmed through the postings-those old dried out shakes are extremely flammable. I live in an area that has suffered the worst wildfire season in history and people who live in rural areas in particular are being encouraged to reroof or reside if they have wood shakes. On some of the remodeling shows they nickname the houses they are working on. What sprang into my head when I first looked at this house was "The Mangy Sasquatch House". A lot of the decking also looks like it's unsafe and may need replaced or repaired. The house has so much potential but for safety if nothing else please get rid of the shakes.

They make great kindling, looks like a life time supply!

Barn red.

A lot of good ideas here. Please do yourself a favor and hire a designer or architect to help you plan out your renovation. Not all contractors are designers but many have worked with designers and architects so they can recommend someone. Some contractors will just install whatever you want them to and once it's done there is no going back.

Some suggestion on design:
1. I think that new larger windows are in order here. The small windows that are currently there are out of scale with the building size and do not enhance the overall design of the structure. Embrace the contemporary style.
2. Your main entrance to the house should be visible as you drive up the driveway or at least from the parking area. It should draw you in.
3. Once you have developed a plan that works for you time and budget wise you can proceed without fear that you will be redoing things over and over.

As an example: I would start by installing new windows, painting the siding and staining the deck. That would be a big ticket because Windows are expensive. Then say a few years down the road I would reside the house, adding additional insulation if necessary. If you can afford to do it all at once then go for it but I wouldn't reside my house before putting in new Windows that would improve the overall look of the house.

Leave it like it is It is different, and beautiful. . . you don't need to look like everyone else. Save the money for a vacation.

I like the stone work! And def second the previous comments on the vertical board-and-batten siding ... in wood or a high-quality composite. The lines will complement the roof and make your funky little house look less squat. Corrugated metal, also vertical, could be an interesting strategic accent. By the door (s) perhaps? And definitely ditch the deck railings and go for something more modern. Cable is a great idea, or glass and metal. Good luck and please post some photos of whatever you decide :)

Houses in my neighboring 1950-60s community have tackled stone problem with contrasting colors. I've seen black, too, but I love one that is a mid-deep olive green with stained wood accents and steel against its formerly hideous orangey-yellow and tan stones. Where other homes have beiged-out to hide the stone in a sea of monotonous blah, this house is rocking the rocks. It looks contemporary in our city, but would also be comfortable on a road headed to Yellowstone National Park or on field along a creek. The right shade of blue could work wonders, too, or slate, shale, greys and browns with undertones of other colors. You'll be surprised how nice the stone looks when made to pop out against well chosen shade of paint. BTW- I love the window suggestion with the large framing. That would be an awesome statement on the long facade of your home.

I would suggest removing the shingles for sure, and creating an outdoor room/ patio with screen to bring your inside out. also adding a set of sliding doors to accomidate your want for a big window.

I like someone's idea of vertical board and batten. It would emphasise the roof line, then maybe a med light mossy gray solid color stain to compliment the stone, IMO.

I like someone's idea of vertical board and batten. It would emphasise the roof line, then maybe a med light mossy gray solid color stain to compliment the stone, IMO.