I would not do red with the brick...but green (dark ) green is ok. I would rather see creme shutters and creme trim...the brick is the focal point and it looks pretty good. Maybe do some planting in the front yard area...and even some hardscape!

May I suggest you focus on a few smaller items cost wise, then catch up to the painting and when you need to do new windows, that will be the time to add a lot of charm.

First, order some 7" classic house numbers to replace the not quite seen ones over the garage. A traditional font is fine, even the classic script would be nice. An oil rubbed / bronze post light fixture - maybe a pretty lantern type that hangs from its own bracket? go a bit oversized. With earth tones on the house, consider a dark red orange front door - something that will make you smile when you approach - sw fireweed is a good tone to express the idea .. If you replaced the older wrought iron railing with one of the wood look vinyl/trek type railings along the porch and stair, in a mid earth tone, that will help bring back some of the traditional sense here. You have a brick bungalow that could be a darling classic home - some flowering evergreen shrubs layered behind flowering groundcover in the beds would add to that feel.

When you do need to replace windows, try single or double hung bronze with muntins only on top - they will appear more traditional but also more custom. For the picture window, flank the center glass with smaller single hungs again with the upper muntins only - this is going to bring back a lot of classic charm to this home. If it is in the budget, electing for some brick mould trim (goes over the brick) around the windows, would help your proportions. You probably wouldn't want shutters then, though the proportions are nice here for a corbel supported slatted plant shelf under each of the windows on the front if you run drip irrigation up to them from below and plant something easy to keep / trailing ivy sort of thing. Window changes would give you the most classic, homey cottage look immediately.

As for paint, when you do paint the house again, use a dark-as-the-brick / roof earth tone on the foundation stucco beneath the brick to ground the house. On the eaves and garage door, Vickie is right that a cream - classic and historical like bm putnam ivory is better than the tone now on the house that has a red undertone.

Last thoughts. You can buy concrete stain in nice brown tones - that would upgrade the stairs and porch a lot.

As a drive by here's what i see : Good looking house, but a boring garage door and driveway. Since my last name is not Rockerfeller i would leave that driveway ASIS and concretrate on improving the garage door...Add upper windows to it and add hardware (black). I would also change the garage door to a different color....but to what color ? Well, that's where i'm at a lost

Thank you for the ideas! I love the idea of cream paint and wood look railings and I think the window suggestions would look stunning. Do you know where I could find brick mould trim? We were actually thinking of painting or staining the brick but don't know if that would be a major mistake. I was then hoping to paint the garage door so that it disappeared back into the house. I think it's too prominent. The only thing we've decided on is replacing the siding with vertical siding. With maybe some shingles under the triangle. The other three sides of the house are currently the cream horizontal siding. Thanks for your help!

brick mould trim would be sold with new windows . . . like shingles on gable, think replacing all siding should only happen if siding doesn't function - otherwise paint. A carriage garage door would be great. Painting brick is tricky - if you live where there is strong freeze-thaw cycle it can pose a problem with the thermal advantages of your masonry, but can give a great cottage look.

I would make the porch and stairs stand out more - bigger, lighter. With landscape uniting driveway to stairs.