First off do not clad your gable in stone! Your house is brick, so adding a stone cladding will not be an improvement by mixing these materials. Consider a hardieboard type shingle (or one of many faux or real shingles out there) to harmonize with the brick and your roof color. The uploaded pix is really not clear enough for specific details to see but going with beefier columns could help here. Upload a clearer focused picture of your exterior and someone may help you out with the other issues. Best of luck.