Also, seriously considering getting new windows installed as well.

Perhaps a curving paver pathway to your front door.
This looks like you are on a ranch= big property. Paint the door a punchier color and update the trim.

Thank you - not really a ranch, but yes, it is in the country with 15 acres. I could do a pathway with pavers, but not sure where to put it exactly, where I took the picture from is from the front fence which on the other side is a pasture. To the right is a gravel road that pulls up to the cement drive by the carport. A few years ago, my parent's also put down satillo (sp) tile on the porch - not a fan, but still too new to rip up and replace. If you say punch of color on the door, what color would you consider? I am leaning towards painting the brick as I think it really dates the house. I am thinking of a tan color that would go with the roof and then maybe black or dark charcoal shutters? But then what color would I paint the trim and columns? I am not good at coming up with design schemes on my own, but I know what I like when I see it...what a dilemma!!!

I get you on the color thang..lol..
Benjamin Moore has a great color selection as does Behr Paint (Home Depot) and Martha Stewart has her paint line (Home Depot) with matching color swatch guides attached to her cards.

http://blog.protectpainters.com/2012/03/15/exterior-paint-color-schemes-create-fantastic-exterior-color-combinations/

If anyone wants to take my picture and digitally add color to it somehow to give me an idea of how it would look with tan paint and black shutters and a different color door - feel free! I would LOVE to see how it would look. I would, but I don't know how... ;-(

I hate to see nice brick painted but that is just my opinion. I'm in FL and we don't see brick very often. I also wonder if painting brick takes away from the home value. Also you have a brick chimney (I think) which would need to be painted as well.

I think putting in a wide and winding paver sidewalk (as the other poster said) to meet the driveway would do a lot for the look. I also think that changing the profile of the columns would be awesome. Maybe thicken them or add some detailed accents at the top and bottom. They just seem too spindly for the house size.

The recessed brick portion to the left and right of the front door could be jazzed up with two tall plants in large pots. I also think the left side of the house needs a tall tree or a group of taller things to balance the feel of the house. It seems to just end on the left, like there is nothing to interest the eye in looking any farther.

I really think the beauty of the brick is hidden by the white trim color. Maybe adding larger shutters and then putting a wide wood trim around the sidelights at the front door (painted to match your new wow trim color) will make the door appear more prominent.

So what color would you paint the trim? And I like the idea of improving the recessed area - those are things I don't ever think about! I would LIKE to avoid painting the brick if I could, just don't know what trim color or shutter/door color...as far as the columns, would you go square like craftsman style or larger round?

Hilary McCurley Spend your limited dollars where they count! Paint is great but is painting your front door a different color going to give you bang for your buck? It's good to have a long range plan. Where are you at as far as budget, priority and commitment? Just how bad do you want a beautiful home? Chances are you have a lot more potential there than you realize. For example, you have a huge amount of unused yet valuable space all across the front of your house that has a concrete slab and is covered by a roof. Over time, and without a ton of effort, this could be converted into more usable (and effective looking) exterior or interior space. If you know what you want and where you are going every dollar/hour you spend will take you one step closer to getting whatever that is. Start by realistically examining such things as how long do you plan to own your house? What is lacking there? What style do you like? Does that style reflect your life and who and what you are? Everyone is brilliantly creative when they learn to start where they truly are. This may seem way to complicated when all you wanted to do was paint your front door, but trust me- all those beautiful makeovers you have seen on TV that are whipped together on a dime- everyone of them started with a well conceived plan.

I would paint the brick a white color,then sandblast it for a white washed look.Then I would paint the door red and the shutters black.

Thank y'all for all your comments and suggestions. Hillary - we are looking to spend around $10,000 on the exterior (would be nice to spend less, but that is about our max outside because we have some interior work to do as well.) A couple of our close friends live on the same road as us, so we do have company over quite a bit, and would love to have great curb appeal as well as an entertaining area in the back. If need be, we could spend more, but would really like to keep it around $10,000 - we live in a fairly low cost of living area in South Texas, so that budget would probably go quite a bit further here than other parts of the country. The house right now just seems so blah...and it also still feels like we are simply living in my parent's home. I think part of the reason I want such a drastic change is that I want it to feel like MY home and not my parents if that makes any sense at all.

I think there are huge possibilities here but they do not include painting the brick.
Brick homes are so hard to find and so expensive to build these days.

My suggestions started by looking at the roof and working down to the lawn.
Clean the roof and the chimney brick for a start.
If the columns are in good shape but just need painting and no dry rot, then have a carpenter beef them up. I like the round look since everything else is boxy on the house. Replace the front door with a door that allows more light and is wider- the side lights are dated. Maybe a door that is stained. Paint all of the trim on the house to pick up the grout color between the bricks more of a neutral/taupe tone - that will work with the roof. Replace the shutters and make them a shade or two darker than the trim- Use a shaker type shutter that is solid and does not have louvers. The front porch needs some definition, maybe look into painting it with a paint that you can add sand to, this makes it less slippery during rain and gives some texture

Since you have a budget you would like to stay in. I think that you need to spend most of it on landscaping. If you are not yard people, keep it simple for low up keep. Get a professional landscaper in to help you. Remember to buy trees as large as possible based on your budget.

These are a few suggestions from just looking at your picture.
Good Luck.

How about some trees, large shrubery and a path between them to the house. Painting brick is not something I would do as from then on it has to be repainted or sandblasted back to expose the brick. Having some interest on the path to the house would add and cost less. Plant the right kind of trees and it would give you some reprieve from wind and perhaps some shade. Do not plant to close to the house as they could fall on the house once the get large enough to be blown over.

There are 5-6 large trees right where I am standing along the fence line that my parent's planted 30 years ago when they built the home. You just can't seem them in the picture. I guess what I am most looking for are ideas about paint color for the trim and all woodwork under carport and eaves....and also for the front door and the carport door...any suggestions there???

This color combo is awesome :

Your home is nice like it is however I think that a good combination if blue gray and red brick would compliment it . No shutters - just enhance windows with nice trim.
. Landscaping will add a whole new dimension - plant two small blooming trees on both sides, curve some beds from the entrance and plant with low growing evergreens, ornamental grasses, perennials and annuals. Create a walkway that goes to the most travelled destination or one to invite guests or visitors to the entrance. I just imagined one on my drawing, below . Couldn't see the sides that well so couldn't make recommendations there.

It doesn't sound like you use the front of your house for entering. Don't spend too much if it faces the pasture. Wider shutters, fresh paint if needed, and four hanging ferns or flowers to offset all the plants that are at the same height. Just don't hang the pots in front of windows. Spend your money on a great grill and outdoor seating for your family and guests! And don't forget the lighting. It really creates a great atmosphere in the evenings!

What if you made, or had made, six louver panels about 3' wide and as tall as the posts (1"x 4" boards nailed at an angle inside a frame). Place them all across the front line were the posts are with one on either side of the middle post and the last two on the inside of the two end posts. These could be made out of pressure treated wood and stained or painted a color. Then, instead of a long skinny sidewalk, you could create a sort of patio/sidewalk coming off the center of your front of your porch. If you start pretty wide, say in about 2 1/2' or 3 ' from each center post and then (as it goes away from your house) it would curve outward like an open arms staircase. You have such a big front yard it seems that everything you do should be grand and inviting. If you lay a rope out on either side you can get an idea of the big curve outward. Then if you hang ropes down from the beam where your posts are youwill get an idea where the 6 shutters would stand. For the patio you could use large scale pavers, natural stone or gravel, edged with local rocks. The patio line that is closest to the road should end in a big soft curve with a stepping stone or gravel pathway leading to the point of entry that is the most commonly used.
Then for landscaping plant four ornamental type trees, one in front of each post, and fairly close to the house. Ideally they would be trees that would grow to a height that would obscure your roof and have a trunk that would stand in front of each post, without blocking the view of the louvers too much. In the Carolinas they use Crepe Mertles, Miniature Magnolia Trees or Pear Trees. The trees would create a taller series of vertical lines that would obscure and soften the look of so much hard roof. And, if you getting flowering trees, (or Bougainvilla) they would be glorious at certain times of the year. Next fill in around the trees with beds of low lying plants such as low Hostas or Impatients. The lowest point should be where the two gaps between the shutters are and then graduating up just a bit around the two middle trees with more height around the two end trees. If you don't want to have all four trees alike make the two in the middle the most decorative and the two on the ends bigger and more plain. All this would add some much needed vertical lines as well as soft, interesting curves to the look of your house and an opportunity for color. Also, by adding the shutters, when you enter the front porch you would have a sense of a more intimate space. Put a big bueatiful potted plant for drama on either side of the from doo, and think about closing in both ends with more louver panels with a low section in between to give a window sill effect that will frame the view and give you two wonderful outdoor rooms that could be furnished and even screened in. The thing to keep in mid for that very front elevation is to keep everything vertical as you already have more than enough long and low.

I would like to suggest that you paint the trim & garage door Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige SW6106 or something similar. As for the shutters & front door, you can really pick anything that you like.

That is so funny you recommended Kilim Beige - my dad painted their entire new house Kilim beige, along with their bay house and rental properties. We always tease him when in doubt go with Kilim beige because that's his number one paint choice for everything! I'll definitely have to take it into consideration! :)

Okay, hypothetically, if I WERE to paint the brick (not sure yet), what color scheme would you go with (brick, trim, eaves, front door, carport door)? I keep thinking that no matter what I do to the rest of the house, it is still going to look dated simply because of the brick color. It is not a color you ever see anymore - to me it screams 1980s...

I've never done this but have always wondered how it would turn out. If you have a brick color that you just love could you sponge paint the brick - only the brick and not the grout - to change the brick color? Make the paint more like a color wash instead of a solid thick paint. Maybe use two or three colors and just sponge dab the paint on. Not a thick cover over the brick but just subtle tones to change the color. If you like darker brick you could use a deep smokey color while still allowing some red tones to show through. If you like the washed look you could sponge a creamy beige or two. If you like a deeper red you could sponge that on. I would think if you prepared the brick properly then carefully sponged the wash color on it would last for a very long time and wouldn't require constant maintenance. This would take some time and labor but you could do it for very little money.

For the columns I think I would cover them in flat pieces of wood to form an octagon. This would widen them and change the look of the house.

I think the trim color will depend on what color you end up putting on the brick. Just remember to pick your color while keeping the color of the roof in mind.

I understand why you want to put your own stamp on your family home. It is a beautiful place and I'm sure you will do wonders with it.

landscaping will make a huge difference - hire a landscape designer

I added a bit of color and changed the brick color. Please excuse my amateurish art skills.

Hi Tiffany, If you go to SW website, they have an app where you can upload your own pictures and add paint color to see what your house would look like. I just tried yours out with the brick painted kilim beige and it really brightens up the space.(sorry, too much time to save and copy... i'm working on my own brick ranch)

I am no longer a fan of painting exterior brick, myself, but did paint a huge fireplace once. The initial coats are a pain in the butt because the brick absorbs the paint...there is special paint for brick.

re: the columns... I'm a fan of square like you have in your idea books...round seems old fashioned to me. In fact, you have some great ideas in your idea book... trust your own instincts.

What style do you want the exterior? more modern? And excuse me if I didn't read... but what exterior colors do YOU want? that could help us narrow things down.

I am leaning towards a tannish (is that even a word?) color that would compliment the roof. The roof is not my color choice, but it was replaced in the last 8 years or so, so too new to replace simply because it's not my taste. I don't have my SW paint swatch book here with me, it's at home, but I think I was looking kinda something like Softer Tan 6141 or Harmonic Tan - not per say those exact ones, but somewhere along those color lines, with a lighter color for the trim. We are now looking to replace all the trim and eaves and under the carport with a sort of Hardie Plank material. And I agree, round columns date a home in my opinion. Also looking into new windows, adding shutters and painting the front door. Thank you for all your suggestions, I'll definitely get on SW's website.

some color ideas. hard to find red brick ranches for some reason.
the top facade color is nice on first: Traditional Exterior by Mount Pleasant General Contractor Suiter Construction Company, Inc.

Eclectic Porch by Charlotte Landscape Architect Bruce Clodfelter and Associates
Traditional Exterior by Western Springs Architect Studio 1 Architects

more. Is that a bluish gray on the far right already?

Traditional Exterior by Atlanta General Contractor Dresser Homes


i'm partial to greenish: Traditional Exterior by San Jose General Contractor Chris Donatelli Builders
Eclectic Exterior by Decatur Architect A Design Group Atlanta, LLC

I was also thinking if you lived where there is limestone, that could make a nice base to your square columns. this picture shows color I think you liked with red driveway:
Mediterranean Exterior

well, i'm a putz! thought I attached all photos... you'll have to look them up by search the names above.

Now that the weather is going to be finally cooling off, we are ready to tackle the outside of our house. Our carpenter is coming next week to give us a price to replace all the facial boards (I know that's not spelled right, but you get the idea). Then we are going to have the painter come and paint all the trim, the eaves, and the front door - we are also going to replace the shutters and possibly the columns. I need HELP! We are not going to paint the brick for the time being, but the outside of our home needs some serious curb appeal help. Once we get everything done on the house itself, we will look at updating the landscaping. Any ideas, suggestions, will be greatly appreciated! Oh, and I'm not a huge fan of the gray blue shutters or doors...not so colonial - we live in South Texas....

The thought just popped into my head about actually closing the covered carport into a garage (our original carport was turned into a living room and the carport was added on at that time. Maybe this would help with the curb appeal? Extra windows? Just throwing a thought out there...

Pebble Stone Coatings has the perfect product to provide you with a home that exudes beauty and curb appeal by just changing a few minor things. For your home, a Pebble Stone walkway and patio surface would help to bring the appeal without changing anything else. With a variety of colors and designs, your driveway would be customized to you!
Visit our website at www.pebblestonecoatings.com for more ideas and information!

Give us a call we can do it for you in a 2D rendering, currently running a special on it $130.til end of month. Then back up to $250.00

2D renderings .

Window people are coming tomorrow to give us an estimate and I can't decide what kind/color windows would go best with my house - I have such a hard time visualizing how it will look. Any opinions or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!! We are about to paint trim/eaves and replace columns. Thanks!

Are you keeping your shutters? If you do decide you want to enhance your shutters, here is an article that explains how much of a difference it makes to have shutters sized correctly and functional or at least look functional. It does make a huge difference on your home
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

Replacing your columns, replacing your shutters per the article above and painting the trim (and front door) along with a good landscape and hardscape plan might be all that you need to do to change the look to something you like a little better.

We will be replacing the shutters - thinking a charcoal/espresso color. Columns will be replaced with square ones more than likely. Just can't decide what style of window to go with.

Here's my favorite with these classic ranches for a custom look for less. Go for a traditional single or double hung window everywhere you have the scale for it, and get standard grids / muntins / grilles but only for the top light. It imparts a cottage look for less. Can't see your other elevations to know how to add windows that work from inside and outside . . back wall . . but french door sliders with top row grids plus the strategy for all the windows and wowsa. . . a great look for not too much. If you have small bath windows up high, you can grid both sides and go slider so you get closer to square panes. . or awning windows if you have a perfect square close/ somewhere. Since your trim now is light, white is likely what you will gravitate towards. It will always work with this color brick, and you can do contrasting trim around it if you have any trim. . . if not, you can either skip it and embrace the white with a colored front door // colored siding / stucco areas in a medium warm greige (good with this sort of salmon / red)

the secondary door in the carport storage needs to be the same color as the wall so it doesn't read out. . . and the front door would be gorgeous in a glossy blue-green-gray like templeton gray from ben moore . . or I might trim the house in a camo color like bm gettysburg gray then coordinating for the entry door . . mountain moss in a gloss . . . . deeper tone for carport and posts and fascia crownsville gray in between . . .

In a deep tone the entry door carvings will be a little more classic . . can go grayer like storm cloud gray if you prefer . .. not as rich a contrast . .

Vinyl White Windows. Larger shutters, painted high gloss black. Apple red front door. Gloss black columns. Two tall white planters placed in the middle of each side. Two very large and impressive light fixtures on each side of the door. Staining the brick is a better option than painting. But I would do the trim, windows, door before you do anything with the brick.

I don't think I would paint the brick. Get new shutters (it is said that shutters, if you were to close them, should meet in the middle and "close"). Paint shutters and door a dark chocolate. Add some trees and/or tall shrubs to give the front some depth and dimension. This would be way less than $10K and will give your new home a lift!

It definitely needs curb appeal.... try some large rough hewn porch posts in front. Change the trim color. Add a gable style rise at the entry, maybe even a cupola with a lightening rod. It also looks like it may need a new roof. Metal??? not dated composition.

Tiffany, if you don't want to look "colonial", what if you did a Texas hill country style? You're in the right state, for sure! It seems most of the examples have dark trim windows with simple mullions, like libra suggested above, although white would work as well. In that style, porch posts are rather rough-hewn looking wood, with a 8" or so high larger trim around the bottom, with angled pieces at the top in a "Y" configuration, still with the center post in the middle. Open board and batten shutters in a pretty color (personally, I'd go blue/gray or green/gray) with a black metal detail. House trim in a neutral tan to blend with the recent roof. A series of black pendant lantern lights hung under the front porch area. A wood door, simply styled (or paint to match your new shutters). A hanging swing on the left hand side of the porch, where you could sit in the shade of YOUR new tree planted in the yard on that side of the house. Could always add a couple of chairs and a small table to include your friends. Could you plant bluebells in between the newish shrubberies? I've always loved the photos of Texas bluebells!

nwduck has got it . . if you can get it, now with the vinyl paint, some will sell you painted vinyl windows . . spray them before you take possesion / install - then a mid tone gray would be super . . choose a concrete gray or a gray in the green / camo direction

oh and just read back thru all - can stain brick to get look . . . what about a light off-white stain? someone tells me they do this now . . . in the camo shades like sw cargo pants http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7738-cargo-pants/ the brick would definitely read hill country style like that . . maybe the dark green gray trims I showed but with windows in a sw fireweed tone . . rookwood copper red . . . so they pop and the house looks custom . .

Thank you for all your suggestions...got some really good ideas that I hadn't thought of before. Now, one last question - how do I decide if I should get the mullions in the windows? Most ranch homes I see do have them, but I can't make up my mind! I don't want to install windows and they automatically date the house. I am trying to increase the curb appeal as much as possible and want windows that blend seamlessly with the house. I am leaning toward a beige color window, but can't decide on the style. The trim will be a tannish color, not sure about column color (suggestions?) and the shutters and door will either be a dark charcoal/espresso color or black...so mullions in windows or not? By the way, before yesterday, I never knew what a mullion was!

Mullions on the top half of double hungs look custom or for price/availability go to single hungs . . don't get sliding windows that are incongruent. Maybe top row mullions on any sliding doors or french doors you have . . that is traditional but fresh. Look back up to my first post on windows. . .

I see white in the brick you have so be careful with tan trim and windows unless you are painting brick or staining brick . . . tans and whites only work with a kind of khaki / green / sage undertone tan . .

if you are painting or staining the brick so it reads a warm white . . . something in pale tan at that scale will do it . . like bm grant beige http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/grantbeige amazing how the lighter mid-tones work like whites on the exteriors . . best to go one shade deeper than you think on exterior and possibly one tone lighter / more muted inside . .

this scheme would still work with gray trim and cranberry door btw, though it wouldn't be my first choice. . . . . .

then I should like to see a blue-green gray trim like knoxville gray http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/knoxvillegray
stonybrook for the stucco http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/stonybrook
then a front door in the cottage tone . . http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/azores of blue green .. . and bronze toned hardware . . .even windows would be lovely

but getting a mid-tone trim for contrast on either the brick you have or the warm white