Here are the pics..

Here is the backyard view right after our storms yesterday.. one of the biggest reasons I can look passed the exterior that I less-than-love :)

Anybody?? We were thinking of trying to get to this style.. Maybe with the charcoal and old English red stains.

The mortar color is what is giving you the different look from your pic. Learn when to put the paint brush down and step away from the project. The brick is just fine.

Sophie's right that it's your grey mortar and not your brick that is making the difference. Why not try painting your gable and trim dark grey, adding grey shutters and painting your front door and storm door black? I would paint the door on the right a color to blend with the brick or the same dark grey as the trim as well. If you paint your downspouts a color that matches the brick, it will make them disappear. Good luck with your project!

Have you spoken to a mason? I think if I were you I would buy a few similar bricks to experiment on. I am not opposed to painting brick. I just thought in your case you have so much brick and it is nice to have a house that will require less paint maintenance.

Thanks Emmarene! We actually are having two windows added and 1 window made larger so, I was thinking that I'd test some stains out on a few of the bricks that are removed for that.

I know everyone thinks its the mortar that's throwing me off but it's really not that.. I hate that my bricks are all one color! I don't mind that color being in the mix, I'd just like some variation. I guess I'll get the windows added and shutters up and see what I think from there :)

I would redo the portico in white insted of brick and as for the pic you posted this in neither stained brick or even close to your house style

embrace wht you have instead of trying to make it something it will never be. I can’t tell if shutters would work on all the windows , but above all else i would look into some good landscaping and a new mostly glass front door in some great color

Wow, hate that all the bricks are all one color. I think there are tons of people dealing with tacky 1970s faux-variegated or hand-painted brick who would love to have that problem!

The house has no style right now.. Hence why I'm here trying to figure out which route to take it. I realize the brick in the picture isn't stained but it does have some variance in brick colors, which is what I like about it. Here is a before and after that I posted on another thread of my house when I added the things needed to get it to that style.. I only had Microsoft paint to work with so its not a great picture.

Just adding the windows with shutters and trim, white columns instead of the brick, and an opening in the center of that wall on the porch..

Thanks for your comment ACM, we must have different tastes in homes.

Though I have no personal experience with the stain............it sounds like a better solution than paint. Limewash is also an option because, like stain, it won't peel like paint.

Thanks so much Beverly, I actually just saw the limewash option when I was hunting around the web yesterday. I might try to see if I can edit or have someone edit a picture to see what mine would look like that way!

Thank you Patricia! I think I've decided I'll make do these things and add some landscaping this spring then take a step back and see if the brick is still actually bothering me. I appreciate the feedback :)

Hi Adware, I understand your issue with the bricks, and I think it is a huge undertaking. As I see your home - the issue seems to be the front peak. Its heavy looking and is causing the center (and most important part of your home) to be dark, unattractive and uninviting. I think I would work on modifying the columns (having two - and going to the corner). I would also remove the front slats to open up the area and install a hanging light. I would also remove the wall to the grass area - leaving it open. I would also look into enhancing the front with double doors or a door with sidelights. Instead of adding planters to the windows, I would move the walkway farther away from the house enabling you to have a planter. The planter should have a 'showy' tree such as a Star Magnolia. The side door should be painted the color of the bricks or perhaps (something custom) to try and mimic a window.

The walkway, columns and masonry can be done in just about kind of stone or rock. Adding wood will also help. Bringing in some foliage to break up the brick and the roof line will help and the additional textures of wood and stone will compliment the brick.

Its easy to be down on the brick, but right now there is nothing else to look at when you look at your home!

Thanks cathyjoco! Right before I bought the house they installed this wooded ceiling that is flush with the front slats.. I noticed it right when I was thinking the same thing :( Do you have any other ideas of how to make that space look less large and heavy?

Inside the front porch.. I wonder how hard it would be to run lights into there? There are none at the moment other than the wall sconces. My first thought was also a great big front door but the interior unfortunately won't allow for one any bigger.. Whats a door with sidelights?

Hi Adware,

Doors with sidelights are in the pictures. On each side of the door there are panels with lights. They usually compliment the door.

Perhaps you can look into removing the slatted ceiling and open up the area. From the looks of the pictures it is quite large but causes the front door and area to be very dark and unflattering.

I would look to open that area up - and raise that entire porch to the house level - and the steps to the house level , would be on the perimeter of the porch.

There are many lovely variegated bricks, but I always think of monsters made of something like this:

%^)

CathyJoco I'm definitely going to look into opening up the ceiling.. I think that would be a great improvement especially if we decide to raise the entire front porch up to the front door. I'm wondering now if theres a way to DIY a faux larger entry way using some kind of trim to create what looks like side panels..

ACM I think the problem there is that they colors are too contrasting and the slop job that was done. Not what I'm going for.

If you can't widen the door - I would think that a good handyman or carpenter would be able to create a frame around your existing door to include side panels.

He should be able to pull of a slat or two from the ceiling to take a look inside there.

I didn't tell you before but your view was beautiful. I think by working on this area - and your planters, you will begin to look at other things and the brick will fade away...

What you can do - to help with sizing - is put some paper/cardboard on each side of the door and sit about 30' away.

I'm going to try that tonight and thank you! We haven't moved in yet but that's definitely what made us think it'd be worth all the work we'd want to do on the exterior. We got such a great deal on the house that it made sense to budget a good bit of money towards all these upgrades.. Now I'm just stuck with trying to figure out the best way to do it. The interior is old fashioned too but all cosmetic and easily upgraded! I'll share a few more pics.

That stone wall, back deck and updating the detached shed are all other things I'm bouncing around ideas on as well :) (The furniture here is not ours!)

Yes it looks dated, but like you said pretty cosmetic. The view is very soothing. After working you could just stop and enjoy your glass of wine!

Old post I know but curious if you ended up pursuing staining. I'm considering it and would love to hear about someone's experience.

I just had an addition stained. It turned out amazing! See "Has Anyone Used A Brick Staining Service." I have before and after pics posted.

And give those pigments 5-6 years of aging. UV exposure will change the look yet again. It’s inevitable. Back to not matching. Or turning pinky clay looking. Etc.

Well that just burst my happy bubble. :(

Its been a while and I just noticed there were some comments here. Karen, we haven't stained the exterior yet - I bought some brick stain and tried it on some test bricks and couldn't get a noticeable enough result to make all the effort worth it. We did a little landscaping and a few smaller projects this summer - tearing up the outdoor carpet from the front porch and replacing the aluminum around the basement windows with decorative blocks. I just checked out your other thread and your stain turned out AMAZING. I'm sure your contractor that did the work would have warned you if it wouldn't hold up against time so I wouldn't worry too much. Your home is beautiful by the way.

Thank you adware. Your comments and compliment were much appreciated. Thank you so much!

Did you ever end up staining your brick? We have the exact same brick and mortar situation as you and I am wanting to stain the mortar and stain some of the brick to add some variation.