I suggest getting rid or at least thinning out of the ball shaped shrubs for a start. are you planning on sticking with gray for the roof? Gray does work with brick and would be very easy to find complementary colors for your siding, trim and front door. Maybe consider a metal roof

And I agree stay away from shutters. The scroll metal porch column could be wrapped with wood if you want to change that.

i hadn't even thought about the shrubs! good idea. we're thinking shingles - either a medium gray or a grey with some brown or red in it? like this one from GAF (Appalachian Sky):

great ideas! love the door color and i hadn't thought about a taupe-y color out of the shingle for the trim and carport. great idea and i love the pics you added!

as a side note, that carport conversion will need to be completely re-done so we can make the walls whatever we want (siding, etc).

You could go with a board and batten siding on the conversion. Continues your natural feel, as opposed to a horizontal lap siding.

Kevin saw some of your suggestions on other threads. Having a hard time picking trim colors for this brick midcentury as well :( Any suggestions?

ab, My first inclination is to pull one of the taupe, gray colors from the bedford stone. They definitely work with the stone but the roof is so brown that there might be a little conflict if the trim color is too gray. One other option would be to go away from the beford stone and maybe go with a sage green. Regardless I would do away with the storm door if possible (or go with a full glass version) and then restain your great MCM front door a deep walnut.

We too have the batten board that will be painted

My vote is to paint the brick. A soft grey-green, is one option, but not darker than the top pic. Add some shingles to the sides in select amounts-sorry, could not find a pic. for that. Paint the door a pale blue/grey/green. Add a nice creamy white trim.

Don't take the pics. literally. It's just to give an idea of how it could look.

Re-do your landscaping and add some outdoor lighting.

Good luck!

@ab-start your own thread or message the person, please.

@luvourhome, thanks for the great ideas! i'm on the fence about painted brick. while i really dislike the red-orange brick, painted brick is so expensive and we'd have to redo it every few years, right? i'm torn - i like showing off the natural material, but i just wish that material was a nicer color!

but i love the last two doors you posted - color and style!

Michelle B how about horizontal slat siding just on the lower or upper part of the house that has two levels? and slatted carport? check out the updated mid-century designs to embrace the architecture you have. We have been doing it slowly the last couple years inside and it has been so much fun.

Encino House · More Info

heres a mod article too: http://livemodern.com/buildblogs/f7c66e3f9dad8a59e31bc692064f36bb/

@Michele--thank-you. Well here's the thing with brick--sometimes it begs not to be painted and other times? It does. My first thoughts and impression of you, your new baby, and your home and descriptions just shouted to me, "New life and fresh start, but add a bit of fun." (Hence the door choices)...

You have your own space, a new family and a gorgeous parcel of land!

Please don't take this as an insult--the red brick ranch home is extremely common. Frankly on this site, it's probably one of the top questions as per my guess, lol.

You will find people on this site that are anti-brick-painting at all costs, some don't care, and others are house specific. Having said that, I'm really drawn towards painting your brick.

It's a difficult decision and not reversible, but it allows you a clean slate and more chances and choices to add your own touches. Yes, you will have to repaint every few years, so ask around and get some really good references of painters and go and see their work! See how neat they are on the job, before and after and so on.

Painting brick can give a whole new lease on life to a home. And it's easier to repaint a colour if you get bored of it. Brick is brick. Whatever colour the brick is, is the colour.

Think about it and make the right decisions for you. But I say your home would rock with a lighter and fresher approach and some texture added in. Also, I would have suggested a dark grey roof, too.

Try and open up that front door area somehow. Even adding a straight-on set of steps would help a lot. Then I think a curved walkway would add a nice softness.

Good luck!

The red brick also has a before/after.

Make a budget. Make a list of all the priorities and all the extras. Get a knowledgeable person to help you plan and design. Have a contingency fund. Example. Your budget is 2000 for painting. Allow 3, but keep that to yourself. Always give a lower number to your pro. It's easier to find an honest one that way. Do your own research beforehand about your square footage and paint costs in detail, etc. Then see what a pro says. See where their figures jive or not or why/why not. You will soon see who's a money grab and who's legit. And never tell them your true budget. That cushion is your safety net, not license for them to extract more money.

Never get just a verbal estimate for anything. Everything to the t in writing. Never immediately agree to a suggestion. Wait 24-48 hours or more and let it sit. A good pro will not rush you. One to avoid will be highly impatient.

:-)

@luvourhome -- thanks a ton for the wonderful advice!

We have a 1956 orange brick PLAIN exterior ranch. One white wrought iron corner column, one large picture window trimmed in white, 2 small windows trimmed in white, all facia, guttering, trim...WHITE! The front door inset, not visible from the front, but visible when driving up to our home is pale gray with a full window white trimmed storm door. The porch is a long narrow concrete slab. No side walks. Low shrubs in front of the picture window, magnolia bush and other low growing plants in front of the 2 small windows. I like the landscaping but the rest of the house is so boring I could cry, a total yuck yawn. I welcome any and all suggestions! Sorry, I have no photo, my device is not cooperating with downloading pictures at this time. Think “orange brick and white monotony“

Before you choose the roof, find out if the window trim is paintable or vinyl that will not take paint. Once you know that, you can select colors confidently. I would not paint the brick. There's no going back. Modify the rest of the colors to make the brick/stone work for you!