13 Siding Ideas for Exterior Makeovers: Stone, Board and Batten & More

These 13 exterior siding ideas run from vinyl you can hang yourself over a weekend to stone and brick that demand skilled trades and a budget measured in tens of thousands.

The $0.70–$2.00 per square foot added for old siding removal is the kind of number that changes which material stays realistic once labor is broken out.

1. Stone with Wood Siding

Stone with wood siding pairs a natural foundation layer with warmer horizontal boards above. The stone grounds the house visually and handles splashback from planting beds better than wood alone.

I would check that the stone extends high enough to clear your local frost line if you are in a cold zone, and that the transition line does not land right at eye level from the street.

The mix works best when one material clearly dominates; this split reads about 60/40 wood to stone, which keeps the stone from looking like an afterthought.

2. Board and Batten

Board and batten runs narrow vertical strips over wider boards, creating that rhythmic shadow line you see on farmhouses and modern builds alike. It suits almost any gable or second story where you want height without fuss.

Dark colors hide the seams well, but light colors will show every gap as the boards shrink and swell.

If you are painting it yourself, budget for a solid stain rather than paint; it flakes less on vertical grain and you will touch it up half as often.

I would use real wood for the battens even on a fiber-cement field; the thin strips are where cheap reads cheap.

3. Stone Veneer

Stone veneer gives you the weight and texture of masonry at roughly a third the installed cost of full stone. Standard horizontal lap siding above the stone keeps the budget in check.

The transition matters most. Veneer sits proud of the wall plane, so your siding starter strip needs to account for that bump or you get a gap that collects water.

I would run the stone to a logical break, like the bottom of a window sill or a belt course, rather than stopping it arbitrarily mid-wall.

A lantern at the corner anchors where the 2 materials meet and draws the eye past any slight color mismatch.

4. White-on-White

White-on-white reads clean from a distance but demands more upkeep than any other siding choice. Every water streak, spider web, and pollen film shows by June.

The photo saves it with contrast from the dark window frames and the warm stone pavers; without those, the house would float away.

If your trim, siding, and soffits are all white, vary the sheen, satin on the body and semi-gloss on trim, so the planes separate in sunlight.

I would also spend the extra on a paint with built-in mildewcide if you are anywhere humid; the alternative is washing it twice a year, and nobody does that.

5. Light Coastal Colors Siding with White Trim

Light coastal colors with white trim borrows from Cape Cod and Carolina Lowcountry without needing the porch columns or the cedar shingles to sell it. Soft blue reads as neutral from the street, which matters if you might sell.

I would match the stone to your driveway or walkway rather than fighting it; the white trim does the bridging.

On a ranch or split-level, this palette stretches the house visually, low and horizontal. On a tall two-story, I might swap the blue for the same value in grey-green to settle the proportions.

6. Sage Green Horizontal Lap Siding

Sage green horizontal lap siding works with white trim and a dark roof to look settled and deliberate, not trendy. The arbor gate in the foreground is a nice touch, but the siding itself carries the house.

Horizontal lap is the default for a reason: it sheds water, forgives slightly out-of-plumb walls, and every siding contractor knows it.

The sage here has enough grey in it to stay quiet as landscaping matures around it; a brighter green would fight every leaf.

I would order samples and look at them in morning and evening light before committing; this color shifts dramatically.

If your roof is lighter than charcoal, the whole thing goes cottage instead of grounded, which may or may not be what you want.

7. Classic Grey Lap Siding

Grey horizontal lap siding with white trim is the safe choice that still looks considered, not default. A black downspout does the heavy lifting against grey lap siding; without that dark punctuation, the whole thing goes flat.

I would check my roof color against the grey before ordering. A warm grey with a cool black roof fights itself, and the mismatch shows from the street.

Charcoal or dark brown roofing settles this pairing immediately. If your walkway is aggregate like this one, pull a mid-tone from the stone for the siding so the house reads as one layer, not two.

8. Dark Vertical Siding

Dark vertical siding reads modern because the eye travels up, but the real move here is the natural timber against it. The warmth keeps the charcoal from reading as a bunker.

Vertical siding shows every wall imperfection; your sheathing has to be dead flat or the shadows betray you.

I would budget for a rainscreen gap behind it, especially on a south wall, because dark vertical boards trap heat and moisture together.

A concrete porch floor does quiet work under dark vertical siding; anything warmer would compete with the beams. If your porch is wood, stain it grey-brown and let the columns carry the warmth alone.

9. Mixed Lap Siding and Stucco

Lap siding above stucco splits the house by function; stucco below handles the abuse from lawn equipment and pets, while the lap stays cleaner higher up.

The break has to land at a natural line. Here it sits under the windows, which lets the white trim bridge both materials without a mid-wall seam.

I would keep the 2 colors within half a shade on the same card or the contrast turns the house into a diagram.

Stucco needs control joints at regular intervals; plan them into windows or corners, never arbitrary stripes across the field. 2 small windows over grass is a humble composition, but it works because the materials agree.

10. Cedar Shake Siding

Cedar shake siding costs the most and takes the most work, but nothing else reads as immediate texture from the curb. The white columns and trim here give the eye a place to rest; all-shake would overwhelm.

I would budget for a solid-body stain, not a film-forming paint, and plan to recoat more often in full sun than in shade.

Uniform shakes are easier to install, but I prefer a staggered exposure for shadow variation; it costs more in labor and wastes more material.

If your house is not this scale, shakes can look like costume jewelry on a small facade. A single gable or an entry bump-out gets the point across without the commitment.

11. Wood-Look Horizontal Siding

Wood-look horizontal siding in this warm tone is almost certainly fiber-cement or engineered product, not cedar, and that is the point: you get the grain without the maintenance calendar.

The dark trim around these windows and the base is doing more than framing; it hides the joint lines where planks meet and grounds the whole wall.

I would run that dark band slightly above grade, not right to the dirt, or capillary wicking stains it fast.

If the product you choose has a pronounced grain, order extra for the cuts; the pattern repeat is obvious when 2 identical grains land next to each other.

Real wood weathers to silver-grey; this stays where you put it, which I count as honesty, not compromise.

12. Light Vertical Wood Siding

Light vertical siding with a dark metal roof is a pairing borrowed from rural sheds and modern Scandinavian buildings alike. The standing-seam roof here is the sharper material; the siding has to hold its own in texture or it disappears.

Vertical boards need backing that stops the waviness you get with wide, flat planks.

I would spec 1×6 or narrower, or a ship-lap edge, or both. The light tone here has enough yellow to stay warm; a cooler beige goes institutional fast against grey metal.

Small square windows suit this language; anything with divided lights would shift the whole thing toward cottage, which is fine if you want that, but it is a different house.

I would also plan the roof overhang carefully; too little shade and the light siding chalks, too much and the house goes gloomy.

13. Brown Brick Exterior

Brown brick on a full facade reads permanent in a way no siding swap can match.

The dark grey roof here settles the warmth of the brick rather than competing with it; a brown roof would go muddy, and black would read too stark against this tone.

Brick ties you to the grout color as much as the brick itself.

I would check the mortar in daylight before the mason leaves the site; grey mortar cools the wall, tan mortar warms it, and the wrong choice is expensive to fix.

The roof pitch and hipped shape here are doing work too; low-slope roofs with brick can look institutional, so the vertical wall area matters.

On a budget, this is not a DIY option.

Brick requires skilled labor, and the cost sits upfront for decades of near-zero maintenance. I would only commit if I planned to stay long enough for the payback to come from time, not resale premium.

Choosing the Right Siding

Start with how much maintenance you will actually do, not what you wish you would do.

Wood and fiber-cement will ask you back every few years with a paintbrush or sealant in hand; vinyl and metal just want a yearly rinse, nothing fancier than a garden hose or a careful pass with a low-pressure washer.

If you know you will not keep the calendar, pay more upfront for a material that does not ask it.

Your house style narrows the field fast. A rustic cabin almost demands log siding; contemporary builds can mix materials without looking busy.

Vinyl and composite wood sit at the budget-friendly end, while brick and cedar shake run higher; your total spend depends on square footage, labor, and whether you are stripping old siding first.

Climate matters in the details. Check that your choice handles freeze-thaw cycles if you are north of zone 6, and that the color shift from UV is something you can live with; sage greens and warm beiges move more than greys.

When it comes to the different types of siding, James Hardie manufactures the #1 brand of siding in North America. You can learn more about the material, or explore some of the design options you’ll have to create your own dream home.

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Siding Maintenance Tips

Wash siding at least once a year. Wood or fiber-cement calls for a softer touch, a brush that will not scratch and soap that will not fight the finish; anything abrasive takes the coating with it.

Inspect in spring for cracks, warping, or mold. Catching damage early keeps water out of the wall assembly and postpones larger repairs.

Keep gutters and downspouts clear so water runs away from the house, not down the siding face. Trim back branches that rub or hold moisture against the wall.

If you are in full sun, plan to recoat more often than the shaded north side.

Cost Considerations

Most full replacements fall in a wide middle range once materials and labor are tallied; the spread reflects house size, regional labor rates, and whether the old cladding needs removal.

That spread comes from material choice and house size more than anything else.

Vinyl and composite wood are the least expensive options, with cedar shake and brick running higher. Removal of old siding adds $0.70–$2.00 per square foot on top.

Your own labor changes the math. Vinyl and wood lap siding are within reach for a careful weekend worker; brick, stone veneer to a high transition, and any material that needs a rainscreen gap behind it are pro territory.

Fiber-cement and engineered wood-look products split the difference: the boards go up like wood, but the dust requires respirators and the cuts eat extra material if the grain pattern repeats.

I would get 2 bids and ask each contractor to break out materials, labor, and removal separately. The line items tell you more than the total about where your money goes.

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