In addition to the good suggestions by CPartist, I wonder if having the columns be all white, vs half white/half brick, would really make the front porch pop? (quick-y photoshop below)

PS Glad to have you back from your vacay CP =) Hope you had a great time!

If you plant a large number of Crepe Myrtles in a few years they will be tall enough to completely hide the front of the house. And they will be colorful in the summer!

Sorry you didn't have a knowledgeable person to help with the design of the house.

Landscaping is the last resort...

I might consider paint. The white trim seems a bit too stark, and rather busy.

Get a different color port-a-john and dumpster.

Thanks, everyone. Would anyone consider painting or staining the brick?

Oh, Jebuz, No. It's a brand new house! Why is that you go right to painting the brick as a solution instead of painting something that's already painted, like--like the rest of the house!!

The brick on the left side is just a silly height; it never should have gone up that high, but when it did, it should have gone all the way.

Lower the contrast of the paint colors.

And turn off HGTV.

I like the white trim with the dark (blue/green?) siding. Not feeling the brick, but it's probably too late to change the columns. Totally agree with painting the garage doors. I'd also paint the backplates or whatever they're called for the lights on either side of the garage. Hopefully there is a spot for a great light or lights by the front door to highlight the entrance. Then get your landscaping and live with it awhile and enjoy your new house!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your honest feedback. If you could indulge me and answer another question I would really appreciate it! If I paint the garage doors does everyone agree that matching the blue siding color would be best? Just wondering if a beige that matches the lightest brick color could work too. Or would that look strange?

The columns should have been all wood or all brick or just have a base of brick. For a true Craftsman look tapered columns would add so much. The brick on the left is an issue and should have gone to the top, and it should cover the foundation too. I dislike the white belly bands on the second story. They are a distraction that makes you look there instead of to the entry. They also seem to shorten the house and squash it down. Paint those to match the siding as PPF showed.

And to answer the question about landscaping our builder is putting it in but I was thinking of planting a flowering tree or something.

I think matching the garage door to the siding color would be great. Let's see what the experts say.

First of all, IMO your house has a nice strong and solid look to it which is pleasing. It seems that the problem is there is too much white trim. My eye goes directly to the horizontal bands and the porch columns. Also, and this is just my take on things, the blue doesn't really go well with that brick.

I think if you paint your garage doors a darker color, and then paint over the horizontal white trim (belly bands) on the second floor, plus maybe paint the columns the blue color or brick them all the way up, it would make a big difference.

Another thought would be to paint the blue a different color that blends in with the brick a little better.

I would hate to think that I had to plant a bunch of trees to hide my brand new house. But once you add some landscaping, it will pull everything together and the house won't seem so stark.

The exterior colors and finishes on the exterior of your house are not harmonious.

The "warm" red of the brick and the "cooler" gray of the siding conflict with one another and each battles for visual dominance.

The white (light) trim and garage doors create light vs. dark value contrast which always attracts and holds the eye.

Said differently, there is simply too much going on, too much competition for visual dominance and much, too much visual constrast.

From an exterior point of view, you house would be much more pleasing if:

--The siding color was a "warm" hue, rather than a "cool" hue, and one from the reddish family of the brick colors;

--The trim and garage color was not a stark white and high contrast, but rather a mid-value of the hue family used for the siding. You have so much trim, and it's all painted a strong contrasting white which creates a very strong, "look at me", visual contrast with the siding;

--At the very least, the huge, oversized garage door should be painted to match the siding color and not be a strong visual contrast as it is now.

Have you considered paying a day's fee to a color consultant to help you pick new paint colors which will improve the appearance of your house?

If I paint the garage doors does everyone agree that matching the blue siding color would be best?

Yes because you want your front entry to be the "star" of the house. The first thing you see. Not the garage doors so do anything you can to minimize the garage doors.

Just wondering if a beige that matches the lightest brick color could work too. Or would that look strange?

Absolutely not. See above for why. Why would you want to make the garage the star? And why would you also want to emphasize the brick more than it is?

Thanks everyone. I'll plan on painting the garage for sure and maybe the belly bands as well if it's not too costly. The blue is LP siding which I understand needs to be repainted every 5-7 years so I guess I can change the color at that point to maybe a beige or green to go with the brick more? Thanks for the suggestion about getting a color consultant--I'll look into that when we need to repaint. I obviously need the help!

Ok silly question from across the pond ....why do you use so much siding on housing or a mixture of brick, siding and stone I have seen all three at the same time on some houses ?..we tend to use brick and/or plaster and most houses are brick built not wood framed

Shaggy,

Homes in America have traditionally been built using available materials. In some parts of the country homes were mostly wood because of the abundance of trees and in others they are brick, stucco or a combination. The ability to move materials and the movement of people has use of materials moving also. I am originally from California a single state large than the UK where the styles and use of materials include all wood and lots of stucco. I now live in Illinois where homes built with stucco are few I am just guessing, but maybe this is because of maintenance concerns. A newer trend is the use of one material on the front and a less costly material on the sides and rear I guess is an attempt to reduce cost and maintenance. Hope this helps.

Do not introduce another color (beige) on your house. You’ve got plenty going on already. Match the doors to the siding.

I’d like to see it when the portapot and dumpster are gone and your driveway is in. Come back then, with new pictures, and let us see what kind of plantings will showcase your house.

"...why do you use so much siding on housing or a mixture of brick, siding and stone I have seen all three at the same time on some houses ?..we tend to use brick and/or plaster and most houses are brick built not wood framed..."

Wood, and sawn lumber are plentiful in North American, and have been used to frame and finish houses for hundreds of years. Cheaper and quicker than masonry walls.

As for the number of exterior finish materials, until 50 years or so ago, common sense reigned and it was common for only 1-2 major exterior finish materials. Houses looked unified and were enjoyable to see when walking or driving through residential neighborhoods.

Thereafter, America came under the Giant Housing Blight where builders started using as many exterior materials as possible on the front elevation of houses, and resorted to the cheapest possible material for the sides and rear elevation of the houses. Houses took on bizarre shapes and forms with no reason or purpose. Small children started disappearing and strange lights and noises were seen and heard at night. No one knows where this Blight came from nor why it happened, but it seemed to engulf large geographical areas. People entered these abominations, with all their belongings, and were never seen again.

My advice to you is forget vacationing in America and go to Italy where the views and wine are better...

Paint the garage doors to match the siding. Take the brick off the front pillars. Brick the cement under the porch. (IMO the house would look lovely with no brick at all.)

Thank you ..Diane R and Virgil Carter Fine Art lol

Yes, now that Virgil has managed a mash-up of McMansion Hell and Stranger Things, I may never sleep again!

Painting the garage doors is a good idea, but I think the real issue is proportion in the design. There's so much of ... everything, yet nothing that grabs your eye /directs you to the front door. Everything kind of "blends".

I wonder if you could improve the whole thing by adding to the porch /the area circled in red ... bring it forward, give it a gabled roof, and make the posts more substantial. Of course, that's way more expensive than painting.