I'd consider the dirt that splashes on it after a rain.

for me, a dark gray.

thank you!

Have you considered painting it the same color as the white stain? Then it will look more a part of the whole house. It would be helpful to see more of the foundation in other pictures. It appears quite tall in some places.

It's not 12" of exposed foundation. It's three times that amount.

Stone Veneer

Paint it to match the body of the house. BM Cloud cover.

Yes, it is quite a bit of exposed foundation in places. I like the idea of the house being the same color as foundation. I would like to do stone veneer, were it in the budget

I had my house painted SW Alabaster a couple years ago - the foundation was painted the same.

I don't have nearly as much foundation showing - so, stone wouldn't have made sense. However, since your budget doesn't allow for stone, I would want the foundation to blend into the rest of the house.

If stone’s not an option, I agree with matching it to the rest of the house.