I want to update the exterior look of my house. It's a brick front (the rest is siding), but the brick was somewhat randomly painted (not all bricks were painted) by a previous owner and then not taken care of. I've attached some up close pictures of the brick from the front of the house. Here are the options I've considered:

• Leave it. It just makes me a little sad every time I look at it and wish it was a different color. I don't plan to leave the house any time soon so I don't like this option.
• Limewash. I like this idea because I've heard it's better for brick but since it's already painted I've read it won't take over brick that's already painted and I want to get rid of the random colors.
• Paint. I know this is controversial. I personally fell in love with painted brick when I lived in the south (it's more common there than where I live now). I'm just nervous about doing it because it's very permanent. I'm not worried about the upkeep though.

My budget is DIY work. Thoughts about what might be best considering the state my brick is in?