Paint not stain? While I don't have a home like you're asking I can tell you that "Dark Ash" exterior wood stain is simply gorgeous! I used it on my fence. Everyone always goes with warm reds and oranges--too "hot", which is the opposite of the "cool" colors I have in my shade garden, a work in progress. What I wanted was the look of the pale grey weathered wood tones and Dark Ash is it! It is as close to weathered grey there is, and it has a grey-blue undertone, yet it is not blue, and look like a light tobacco brown when you stir it in the can! I am so happy with this color that I painted the red brick with it and WOW! Who knew how great common red brick looks stained! I even bought Dark Ash exterior paint for concrete and painted the floor of my front porch, where the brick edges are. LOVE it! The porch just looks like the grey of concrete. As for your project, if it is paint you want, first decide if you want a yellow-based or a blue-based grey. A warm grey or a cool grey. Since you're on a lake I think a cool grey would be lovely. And a cool grey can have a bluish or a greenish undertone. However, if you go with a yellow-based grey in a green it will have a olive undertone to it. If you have some spare Hardie board you might get some paint samples before making your decision. Your home looks like it will be charming!

Take large pieces of your exterior siding, paint each piece a grey from a major paint company for every grey they produce, do the same for each major paint company, temporarily nail each piece painted a different grey to the side of your house so you can compare them all at once, and observe them over a 24 hour period.

At some point of performing the above exercise you will probably think to yourself, "You know, that first grey I considered will probably work just fine."

Good luck.

A true gray, as in one that doesn’t have any other colors in it, like what you would pick off your computer monitor can sometimes look blue when viewed in comparison with the warmer tones of nature. For that purpose you might find that a gray that is ever so on the warm side will end up looking more neutral and harmonious with its surroundings.

For instance in the Sherwin Williams line, Network Gray and its family of colors are about as neutral as you can get. But in some environments it will look like a soft blue. On the other hand SW Dorian Gray has quite a bit of warmth in it, but it will appear fairly neutral is surrounded by even warmer colors.

I really appreciate the good advice! I'll definitely paint a few pieces of Hardie and see how I feel about them over a time period! I would love to hear more from others as well. What color grays POP with black windows so I can look at more samples.

Msmiss: I was thinking of exterior paint, but I appreciate you posting! I have leaned towards cool grays, but really don't want a blue house.

I don't know if SW Repose Gray is available for exterior paint, but it's a very nice light gray color.