I prefer the original cedar. Instead brown/rust pull the gray color from the stone. I do not like the white

The cedar on the bedroom side has become totally destroyed and warped (can't tell based on pictures). So ultimately I need to replace it anyways and that's why we thought we would modernize it a bit more to our style. any other thoughts for making the home look modern? I'm open to any ideas whether keeping the stone or changing the stone or replacing the cedar with something else besides stucco.

I would replace it with the vertical cedar then stain it all the warm, darker gray in the stone. Paint the garage doors the same.

the entire house is covered in the cedar now, all sides. if I do a dark grey all around won't the house feel very dark and gloomy?

I much prefer your second rendering.

Can you show us what it looks like now?

I don't care for the white stucco versions. Too monolithic, no texture and the light colour "advances" towards you in a way that is not pleasant or balanced with the rest of the house.

IMO that larger upper portion should be the same colour or darker than the rest of the house, to visually recede. I very much like the angled wood on that section because it gives it some movement rather than just being a block. It moves the eye across the house in a way that is very pleasing.

It's a very attractive house shape.

@partim

What it looks like now is the 3rd picture with all the cedar going at an angle.

Check our project for Loud Place in our profile when we have taken a contemporary house like yours and turned it into a modern house.

@RT Studio, beautifully done. The bump out in your project being the dark grey lended itself nicely to the lighter grey elsewhere. In my house it's all flush everywhere so I feel like doing the part above the garage one color and the right side another color will look disjointed. but doing the whole house dark grey might feel too dark, maybe I'm wrong and since it's outside with sunlight it won't feel too dark.

I LOVE the diagonal lines, and consider that part unique and cool. I'd keep all of the siding and paint like Beverly's mockup. after that, if you don't like the stone color, maybe have it washed with sheer grey to tone it down (but don't paint it solid color).

I think Beverly's idea may work fine. Regards.

I like to envision what it could look like, and take cues that work toward that goal (even if you don't ever meet it). So accentuating the horizontal on the "base" to break up the dominance of the verticality with what was done above the garage. Blending in the garage and entry doors to the same color as the "base." Smooth "bumpouts" with only reveal detailing.

I prefer the darker base and lighter on top to not feel top heavy. So with the existing window color the horizontality can be dark brown wood. Lighter stucco color above.

Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated.

@3onthetree, my only concern with switching part of it to horizontal is that the rest of the house is the same exact cedar siding in vertical. If I switch the right side to horizontal I fear that it would look non cohesive with the sides and back of the house being vertical, any thoughts? Would be nice if I could keep parts of the house siding in tact not to add to the cost of redoing the entire homes siding. In my mockups with the stucco (above garage) I figured it would have been all 4 sides around the house and right house siding would have stayed in tact all around.

thanks again!

Isn't the stone only on front?

The stone yes is only the garage but then rest of the house all around currently is all vertical cedar.

I would leave the vertical cedar all around except diagonal on the upper left. I don't care for the dark gray with your stone or your roof. I like your stone. I would do it it all in dark brown. More authentic to MCM and looks better with the stone.

@partim would you replace the diagonal with same cedar style just vertical?

@RT Studio

The house you guys did were the windows already black or did you guys paint it somehow, hard to tell on before pictures...I have Andersen Windows which are terratone in color. I think would be nice to make them black but not sure how durable it would be and what paint to get.

Tisucka, We replaced the windows with dark bronze windows.

@Roman K I would keep the house essentially as it is now, but use the same wood diagonally on the upper left, and vertical on the rest of the house. Either the darker or lighter warm wood tone, but the same on both.

The stone yes is only the garage but then rest of the house all around currently is all vertical cedar.

That was my point. Stone is only on front, So whether you change it to horizontal wood siding, brick veneer, stucco, muenster cheese, whatever that is different than the other 3 sides, just like most any house it is ok to present a face that is different from the other sides. Later you can change the sides as money and more remodeling allow.

If I'm not mistaken some comments have you changing the siding to exactly the same thing as existing.

I think it should stay as it is, except with the wood colours the same on the whole house.

It's an attractive contemporary house. I'm trying to talk the OP out of making it ultra-modern which would, I fear, be a remuddle. The same way I'd try to talk them out of adding shutters or Tudor trim.

OP said "Do I basically have no choice but to change it if I want ultra modern."

That's what she likes.

The house is really out of proportion and the modernistic add-on was DIYed without regard to any design points, IMO. The right side doesn't look to match the left side. It may have started out as this:

I don't see where the OP said that the left side was an add-on. Even if it was, to my eye the house is well-proportioned as it is.

"Would be nice if I could keep parts of the house siding intact not to add to the cost of redoing the entire homes siding." The brown roof, warm-toned stone and existing cedar are attractive in themselves, look good together, suit the contemporary style of the house and are in good shape. None of those things are ultra-modern and if they're not changed then an ultra-modern piece on the bedroom area will not look good.

All that needs replacing is the warped cedar on the (left) bedroom side. I suggest replacing that section with similar diagonal wood, perhaps in a colour closer to the cedar on the rest of the house.

LOL it's a well-established response on Houzz to convince the OP that their house is attractive as it is, and try to talk them out of a remuddle.

Good observation on the addition. The addition was done in 1989, two owners back. It is a sugar maple split level. Here is an example of what it used to look like prior to the addition. Note this is not my house just a random photo I found on google images. So the addition was adding a second car garage and putting bedrooms over the garage. The other addition was to make that whole right side maybe 6-8 ft wider.

forgot to attach the before (just not my house)

I found another similar house, here is before and after. Do you guys think that it looks too dark when painted all gray/black. I like the modern of the gray but the brown is definitely cozier, but brown is just too old fashioned looking. So what I liked with the white stucco is that it brightens everything up so I'm afraid of simply staining everything gray in fear of it looking dark and gloomy. Or am I wrong and it won't look dark and gloomy?

It's absolutely fine, just a shame to cover the stone.

I like the modern of the gray but the brown is definitely cozier, but brown is just too old fashioned looking

Here's a web example where brown wood looks perfectly "modern" with grays.

Here's one with a lighter color introduced, just to show the palette of colors working together. YMMV based on massing and proportions though.

Will you be keeping your brown roof?

Given the roof is in good condition I really don't want to change it though I definitely wish it was a black or dark grey color. But there are black parts to the roof which makes it more workable. Here is a close up. I've always LOVED that look of the dark grey with the wood offset. I just wish my wood was more this plank style like in the picture rather than the board and batten channel look that I have (here is a close up of my siding). I also think if doing that wood as you show in the picture, it would look better horizontal on the right side of the house rather than vertical.

@er612 's version IMO is the only one so far that has reduced the visual mass of that "________" above the garage, simply by keeping a similar palette but using a darker color on the base. If you leave everything as is and just use color, I would suggest not painting or attempting to stain the natural stone for feasibility reasons.