The house would look better if all the roofing matched. Maybe you can add a small overhang to unite the two garage doors and the front door. The brick is one of the typical brick colors and would probably look good with a gray exterior and white trim (not cream trim). Improve the landscaping, add some color and make the front door welcoming with a urn or large pot of colorful flowers.

I would be trying to find a way to remove the trim around the door and pull the garage roof across the front as below. Get referrals for an architect who is known for renos.

View from the Front · More Info

View from the Front · More Info

Hello RD. Doug's design works really well. Well done Doug. Best of luck on your project RD. Jerome DeMarco ART.chitecture

I think you're definitely on the right track by painting out the jumble. so, yes, paint the siding, the bricks AND the garages all the same color - your olive green sounds fine. Removing the shutters and beefing up the trim is a great idea too. I also second Doug's design for unifying the garages and front door. Then, add in new landscaping to focus on the front door and below the large window. I always like the idea of a little bit of a outdoor sitting area there if it works in your situation.

Some of these options will cost $$ so they may be a longer term project.

To increase the curb appeal more economically, paint just the garage doors and the shutters. Remove the tall shrub covering the front window, and plant some taller shrubs at the far left of the house. If your siding is still in good shape, leave it white.

I wouldn't paint the brick. It is an attractive neutral brick color. The gray painted brick looks very "in" now but may look dated in a few years when gray is associated with the current time period. Likely other changes will give a better return on the money and time spent.

The brick looks like it's higher on the middle section than on the right section. Is that right? I'm guessing not, but just due to the angle of the photo. If that's the case, can you post a photo straight-on, so we see the house in a better view?

Do you know the house's history? Was that the left side of the garage added on later? They did put brick facade over it (good) but that made me think that maybe the brick could go and you could have all the siding match.

The problem with the brick, IMO, is that it goes too tall. It kinda makes the white part of the house look squeezed. What's behind those windows? Could you make those windows bigger? Or add a porch to the front to hide some of the brick?

Your house reminds me of this Martin Short character.

The brick stops at an awkward height. Like they ran out of bricks and called it a day.

I think the cheapest fix would be to paint the brick white to match the siding.

Gray green would be nice too if the rest of the house is ready to repaint.

I would keep the door surround and I really like the door too but I can see why you want an update.

Please let us follow your project. We love after pictures.

I would wait on the portico. I guarantee that something inside will cost much more than you had planned on.

Thank you all for your input! Love the idea of extending the roofline and adding a portico (thanks Doug). It will all come down to $$$, so appreciate the thoughts on more economical options as well. We’ll post an after picture at some point, but it will likely take a while to get this all done. And the inside is another story...
LOVED the Ed Grimley photo/reference!
The Jensen’s