Could you show more of the house? What is the color of the door? Does the house have shutters?

This is a picture of the door, that will be replaced, but it will remain white. We are also replacing the driveway and walk way.

This is the roof, that will also be replace. (Sorry the pictures are sideways, don't know how to fix it.) Thank you so much for your help. The house is a split level.

Jamie, most of my neighbors have a brick foundation and vinyl siding. Most of the houses are off-white or beige in color. I think with the color of the brick, and if you went with dark brown or reddish-brown architectural shingle, then a khaki brown or gray color siding wouod be nice, especially with the white trim! I'm replacing my siding this month, and just had my roof re-done today. I went with smoky gray shingles and I'm doing the siding in med dark gray with white trim. Hope this helps! Good luck!

I think the house would stand nicely against the others by joining the cult of the gray.

You can also sporadically paint/stain some brick to bring in a bit more of the grey color. There is a several tone kit to do this. http://www.dyebrick.com

Jaime, your house does not have a brick foundation. It is a band of brick that runs around the bottom part of the house. From what I see this only serves to a make your ranch style house which is already short look even shorter. I would suggest painting the brick the same color that you decide upon for the siding. Good luck with your decision. Please post changes.

I absolutely agree with Lainie- paint that brick! Oranges, browns, tans are going out of style right now. Painting the brick will give it a much more modern look. Painted brick is very popular right now in the Seattle area and the young professionals there really like this look. Paint the brick the same color as the house, a tone-on-tone or two color will chop up the house.

Next, choose a color. Drive around your neighborhood and choose a color you don't see! Remember, brown, beige, tan are going out. Gray is the color tone you want. A gray house with white door and window trim is a classic. You can use a multi tone roof too! Dark colors will make the house recede on the lot and look smaller, light colors will bring the house forward. You can use this to your advantage to make you house look better on the lot.

Good luck with your project!

Jamie - are you guys willing to paint the brick? Some are and some aren't but a lot of the things on this house are more contemporary (the sliding windows with no muntin /grids) so painting the brick would definitely help that along. Since you are using white windows and entry doors, the right answer is going to be a variation of camoflauge (green undertone) gray and let's go a little deeper than the pashmina tone after all to get more contemporary - it will work with the brick painted or not. Now you really need to do white trim - white fascia and eave anyway. That is why painting the brick is a pretty good solution. You can simplify the house - for contemporary, you don't want to use shingle siding, that is more of a classic house with shutters sort of approach - you've headed in a more contemporary direction here.

Test this shade - it is paired with a pumpkin color much like your brick and a warmer white . . so it will work even if you don't paint the brick. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/rivergorgegray

If you are out there flipping houses - some things don't cost anymore but give you a lot more cohesive style points. Like windows with different muntin choices, or different siding profiles . . the little things add up to a lot . . you can come here and find me on the boards and I'll give you some different options . . just go to my page and find some recent post and post under me - I'll come find you . .

since you are headed contemporary here - sort of - definitely get a darker roof that doesn't have any red in it - a warm gray / brown gray / taupe would be best .. let me recommend a white barn industrial sort of light fixture for the house . see http://www.lightingdirect.com/millennium-lighting-rwhs17-rgn15-r-series-1-light-outdoor-wall-sconce-with-dark-sky-compliant-17-warehouse-shade-and-14/p2282578

it is sort of throwback modern .. fresh and nautical .. if you decide to be committed to modern, you could go to a dark teal against the white / very modern . . like bm narragansett green http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/narragansettgreen#ce_s=narra

and splurge on some large scale modern font house numbers in white - don't put them by the door but up front on the two story part of the split - not centered but possibly right justified as you approach the house . . those little architectural details will "ding-ding-ding-ding" sell the house . . .

I have a similar problem. I have considered painting the brick in order to have more "flattering" options. I need to post a pick and ask for advice too.

I like the "Grey cult" in so many applications.

I have a 1958 red brick ranch home...getting ready to paint it an olive green. The door is black,,,trim,windows and garage door is white. I want black shutters... is this too much black? I live in southern Indiana. I think this would look charming on your home as well. Good luck!

I would go with a gray that is either the grout/mortar color or a darker gray that is in the brick. It would make the house look richer and upscale with a darker color.

Your home is not a arts and crafts

but love the combination of colors

If you decide to paint the brick along with the siding, you can use most any color. Otherwise I agree with those who are suggesting some shade of gray.

Please remember that a light-colored roof is much kinder on the environment than a dark one that absorbs sunlight.

try Resene " Tea "

saw your dilemma on the same page as this image and thought I'd share (although I agree with painting the brick and heading to grey)!

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-front-porch-traditional-porch-new-orleans-phvw-vp~1058722[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-front-porch-traditional-porch-new-orleans-phvw-vp~1058722)

I like the idea of a dark colour like benjamin moore "iron mountain" or a grey-green colour like benjamin moore "barnboard". I also like the thought of the shingled wood siding particularly on the short or small walls and maybe a sandstone sill that runs along the top of the brick to create a nicer/cleaner transition from the siding to the brick.

Paint SIDING AND BRICK THE COLOR ABOVE/ paint TRIM IN BLACK, ADD BLACK SHUTTERS, and paint or buy new outdoor light fixtures in black.

Oh I forgot, paint front door black but use a High Gloss paint for the door And Shutters. Have all house paint sprayed on, heavy coat for brick. It's faster. Trim of course would be by hand.

I agree with the idea of painting the brick the same as the siding. I think a medium tone, green-based soft gray would work with the landscape and stand out from the other surrounding houses. Roofing with a similar gray/green architectural shingle would also help it fit the landscape. Black or nickel lighting and an inviting entrance door, say, in deep blue. Good luck!

I would not paint the brick. It introduces long term maintenance. Also, you're going to have to pay to have the brick painted which increases your costs. I know you're flipping the house but someone would have to continue to maintain the brick. Plus, I think you can do something with the colors of the siding and trim that would complement the brick. Three options would be a dark taupe with a darker trim, a gray with white trim and a darker brown with tan trim.

I don't understand why anyone paints bricks, which are a tough, permanent building material meant to be maintenance free if maintained properly. Once painted they present another long-term maintenance problem that must be re-done regularly as long as the home exists. Look at the brick: there are myriad shades of terracotta, buff and gray, from light to dark, that would look good on this house. And yes, something like a grayed green would work too. Slapping paint over brick should be a last resort; this house isn't in that state at all.

Many people prefer painted brick and several design genres rely on them. In most climates, painted brick require virtually no maintenance for 30 years and often much longer. I like painted brick for many reasons, though if staining will accomplish the color tone change, that is generally a better solution. Why?

The one viable reason against painting brick is that the masonry itself has properties of steady state insulation based on the porous nature of the brick clay itself - holding a cooler temperature, heating up slowly in the sun, losing that heat slowly a long time (through the night).

The distributed air within the fired clay allows it to expand and contract with heat with no actual movement. Using something like an elastomeric paint (often touted for masonry) can seal the very pores that help to provide this capacity. Typical latex paint in modern formulations are simply absorbed by the top layer of brick, leaving the pores capable. If too much paint is layered on at once rather than in proper lifts, and it seals all the pores rather than allowing the clay to soak the paint in, then in extreme climates over 100 years time you can see spalling (where the top layer of brick will break away from the lower brick body embedded) in the wall. Of course, certain kinds of pollution have the same effect on unpainted brick - and there, paint can save the brick.

Just as there are people passionate about shutters being the proper size, there are people passionate about unpainted brick. The practical reality for most homeowners is that they will not close their shutters to a storm or ever have to repaint their brick in their lifetime of home ownership. So these are, as practical matters, design questions more than maintenance questions. Many people here asking for paint colors are not asking because the house NEEDS painting, but because they simply wish to give the house a different face.

libradesigneye, thank you for the information. Perhaps there are materials now that do a better job than paint on brick used to do. Here in my town we have brick houses that are 100+ years old and have never been painted; most look great. But maybe there are instances, as in areas of major air pollution, where painting brick as well as wood makes sense.

The brickwork on my house was already painted when we bought it 19 years ago. We have only had to repaint 1 time, and that was to change the color. It's been about 10yrs since that paint job, and since the contractors that re-did our i ground pool, splattered my brick I now have to repaint. Otherwise who knows how long until it would've been necessary. My shutters need repainting regardless so I'm doing that too.

My parents house had brick like this and sunny yellow siding with white trim. The door was a rich terra cotta. It was a warm inviting home. Then after Mom died, the woman he married had it painted a depressing grey. It was an ugly symbol of the darkness she brought. Just because it is trendy and neutral doesn't mean it works in every case.
Go with a warm white to keep it bright and neutral. The bright white door is too stark. It and the lamps and house numbers should be black or bronze for a bit of contrast. A bright contrasting color could be a good accent. Olive green, deep teal, mustard gold?

In addition to paint, a new light fixture and house numbers would add curb appeal. Click on the image to see the changes.

In the first photo, the siding appears to be a light green, which looks good on my computer. Personally, I would paint the house this light green and then paint the brick white and have white trim. If you are replacing the roof, I would suggest a white or nearly white metal roof and white shutters for a light and airy atmosphere. You probably would want black porch lights and black house numbers so that the latter easily can be seen.