The blue gray is beautiful! I would also suggest thinking about changing your shutter color and front door color to give that nice contrast you see in the inspiration picture.

Thanks for feedback! We are adding an addition to the back of the house that will be siding. Unfortunately the color selection doesn't have a match to the blue gray. The gray is too gray and the blue is too blue. What do you suggest? Would it be best if we do white siding? Trying to visualize what would look best. The off white paint option may be easiest to match with siding.

Nice home.

Please don't paint the brick; I sincerely believe you will regret it. Anything painted inevitably needs to be repainted and, as it gets that way, can look really awful, especially painted brick.

A new door or new color for your existing door could enhance your home's curb appeal. Fortunately with your home's brick exterior and gray roof, you can choose any color you like, including a dark bold cherry red or cobalt blue or emerald green, or even black (flat would be preferable to glossy) -- perhaps adding a brass kick plate, with the objective being to make your door the focal point of the front of your home.

You could paint your shutters a different shade of the same color you choose for your door or a flat black and still leave your window trim and fascia (and any gutter) white.

What your home really needs, however, is a front porch -- one that you could paint any color you want or leave it a stained wood finish. A medium flat gray would look really good with your gray roof. A shed roof with a porch about 6' deep is your least expensive option but adding a gable just over the door would add great curb appeal to your home.

http://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/38e19d450f58d655_4-8460/traditional-porch.jpg

Something else you might consider is a front yard patio on the side of the yard where you'd not be putting a porch, perhaps one with a arbor which could be painted any color you wish.

If your budget will not permit you to build a porch at this time, perhaps you could build the concrete and/or stone and/or brick floor and use it as a front yard patio till you can add the roof. (Referring to your fourth picture -- a house w/uncovered front seating area to which a roof could easily be added later.)

Did you catch this brick to beach reno done on HGTV's "Fixer Upper?" Go to the blog and Magnoliamarket.com to see photos of the entire thing. You can also watch the episode at HGTV.com.

I know on TV they just love painting the brick but they don't have to repainted it in a few years again and again. Forever. With regard to your addition have you checked to see if the matching brick was available ? Any other material just screams add on. You'd be surprised we had one extra brick from our 1960's ranch and they matched it right up.

I agree the neither the blue or the gray matches the inspiration. I would look at the off white as your next go to color.

Another voice from the don't-paint-the-brick group. That goes double for houses near the beach where humidity will do a number on your paint job within a few years. Think about whether you want to deal with scraping and repainting every few years when you could be enjoying the beach.

Can you provide a close-up of your brick, just in case you change your mind? The best color for adjoining siding is whatever secondary colors appear in the brick--grays, taupe, or brown. Also take into account the gray roof, which occupies a third of the visual space. So medium gray siding closest to your roof color would be harmonious in back, that is if you stay with the red brick for the main house.

In that direction, then a medium shade of teal for the front door would echo your beach-y setting.

(Removing the shutters would give your house cleaner lines and save you one more paint job. Or paint them whatever gray you use on the addition to tie the front to the back and the roof.) You could try the teal front door and no-shutters look right now! Follow up by getting some garden beds designed with native beach grasses and beach rose shrubs suitable to your area and create a cottage garden in front. Plonk down a couple teal Adirondack chairs to complete the beach-y vibe. Again, this is a nod to the beach without the high maintenance decision to paint the brick.

Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions! We ended up going with a taupe for the siding. Not sure if we'll end up painting the brick right away but we will be painting the door a beachy color and removing the shutters.

Thought I would post an update! Thanks for all of the suggestions :)

LOOKING GOOD!

Looks so refreshed :)