I think it captures the look of a modern victorian pretty well. There are some cosmetic changes we would like to make and it's a little difficult to envision the materials we've chosen.
The lowest stone pictured is a cultured stone, but we would really like to use a natural stone. The culture looks nice, but can develop cracks, which ruins the illusion of being solid stone. Since the finish isn't throughout the stone, any chip off can reveal the underlying concrete.
The middle stone is also a culture stone, but I think it looks very natural. Perhaps we'll save some money and use it.
The top material has my largest concern. As per HOA rules, 60% of the front of the house needs to be either brick (non-white) stone, concrete, stucco or truvit. The side and back elevations must have 50% of those materials applied to the first story. No vinyl or aluminum siding is allowed. The only other alternatives for siding is cement board or wood, which is,in my opinion, a horrible option.
While cement board is very resilient and low maintenance, it still requires repainting every 10-15 years, and is subject to some decay, due to its organic fiber content. Installation is more difficult and can result in breakage. The cement board facsimile of a cedar shake is only 0.25" thick and has very light surface grain imitation.
Wood siding requires paint every 2-5 years for protection, which is an unacceptable amount of upkeep and cost.
We found a polypropylene siding, which is technically described as a thermoplastic siding. It mimics wood siding wonderfully with a larger shadow line and wood grain, while having much less maintenance. The option we chose even has some surface coloration that mimics aging of the shake, adding to its realism. The material cost is about the same as cement board, with some savings on installation, and a lot of saving on maintenance. We're hoping that the HOA will reason with us and allow it, especially since our house sits 250 feet back in the woods.
The rear of the house has less Victorian charm than the front. I hope that will change when the finishes are applied. Railing and dentil molding can add a lot to the look of a house.
