I don't understand what's holding up the rock at the bottom of the chimney. It might be a veneer. I happen to love the chimney --- the way the large vertical interrupts the long horizontal. The size of the forms and their position is just great, IMO. Sculptural. Much better than adding a gable.

That said, it might just be a veneer on wood over a metal pipe chimney and you could remove the whole thing with relative ease. I would, instead, do my best to get the chimney to go down to the ground.

For the blank wall on the left, add more plants to that bed.

Go to city hall and get copies of the permits for the house so you can see what was built when. The photos look like the chimney is lacking support.

I suggest you get estimates for removing the chimney completely. Then you can do what you want.

Bring the chimney stack to the ground and remove the black wrought iron stuff. Please step way back and get pics of the whole front of the house with the sun at your back.

Here are some more photos, can’t get sun on my back until the afternoon. the rock is not a facade, they are full size actual 6” deep rocks. We removed them inside the house. The fireplace is supported, although oddly. The only reason I can see for leaving the left side open is because of the water pipes (this is the shutoff for our water main) We plan to enclose the lower half of the stack below the eave. I prefer the look of lap siding so I want to re-side the entire front with lap siding including the new enclosed lower stack. I also want to run the siding into the gated foyer and cover that rock up. The house was built in 1960 and is very mid century modern in its styling. I prefer a more traditional look . thank you all for your ideas!

That’s just so…weird!!!🙃. I bet the water can be moved.

Thanks for info and photos. I suggest you consult a structural engineer since the photos, especially of the concrete blocks, show the current situation is not as originally built. A plumber can move the water line and main shutoff. That will give you a lot more options. An electrician can move the sprinkler timer boxes.

An easy thing to do would be getting the walkways and driveway pressure washed. Then you can take their color into consideration when you choose new siding.

I have a 1956 MCM ranch it has a huge stone FPthat has a support in the basement that holds that up and I sure would not mess with that. I always wonder why people buy a home that is in no way what they like and then ruin the house with no regard for the original If you wanted traditional this si not it and honestly without $$$$$$$$ will never be outside . I aslo think the interior does not always have to match the exterior in style . I think the stone is the best part of that house but it sure needs support before the whole thing falls down

@apple_pie_order - thank you for the constructive advice. i agree with moving the water and sprinkler timer, its on the list.

we are in california so no basement, i will look into a structural engineer Hubby is a retired general contractor and electrical contractor amd we’ve done alot of renovations on this house, ready now to tackle the exterior. @Patricia Colwell Consulting - if you saw the property and the view we have out back you wouldnt wonder why we bought a MCM with the intent of making it our own. The entire neighborhood was built in the 60’s and is a nice enclave of many styles

We removed the gate, here is an updated photo with the sun behind me. i put a table in front of the missing lower half of fireplace stack to help visualize it filled in. Now I’m wondering if board and batten siding would be better than horizontal lap siding. Can anyone recommend an inexpensive software so i can try some different looks? Open to any advice or recommendations

The thing about chimneys is that they should look like they can support the weight of the whole chimney all the way down. The rock chimney is top heavy. Lap siding is not going to look like it can support a thousand pounds of rocks directly above it.

If you still have the rocks you removed from inside the house, I'd use those on the outside chimney all the way to the ground. A pro mason could do a beautiful job. It's a good thing your husband is a retired general contractor so he will have good contacts.

I think you’ll want to stay horizontal w/any siding to keep with the long lines of the house. I know disinterested in keeping the stone, but you may want to keep that option open due to how the chimney intersects w/other elements of your house/ foyer. I’m not sure just covering everything up with siding will execute well with your various nooks, crannies, bumpouts, etc. Whatever you do, you should really call a structural engineer out to assess your chimney’s support before doing anything IMO.

I would also seriously consider adding a skylight or solar tube in your gated foyer area so people can see your front door (with the bonus of more sunlight coming through those clerestories).

To me, white board and batten is very 60's, common for ranch homes of that era and would look great with the chimney stone.

As mentioned, the long horizontal line of the house saves the proportions of the chimney, so no gable or pergola.

Paint the garage doors the same white as the siding - which reenforces the width of the house visually.

I agree about the solartube for the porch...brilliant idea.