I would pain it charcoal And paint the door a color like RED

OK I found the door painted the same color as the trim because it blends with the windows

Prime the trim in white. It will be a drastic change from the dark color trim. Then decide which light tan color from the stones would be a good trim color. Aim for one shade darker than the brick.

Limewashing a house to get rid of the brown impression from a brown roof is not going to work. Changing the roof color will work.

I like the dark contrast and think it works well w/those gorgeous windows.

I would remove the shutters (they're too small for those windows).

if you want to paint the fascia, then go w/the same color as the brick. but I actually like the way it looks now. the dark mortar plays well w/the darker tones. Wait until you limewash it and see how it looks before deciding on trim.

this one was a dark, red brick and they used Romabio on it. And Painted all the trim white. But they also have white windows. (they also removed their shutters)

I think the contrast you have right now works well. I know that most people on H do not like decorative shutters but I think they look fine on your new house since they balance the size of the upper and lower windows. The house Beth is showing above is a very different style. I wonder what the "before" look was and whether this is an improvement.

ash,,here's the before. and yes, big improvement

i was only showing the pic because of the white brick w/the white windows and white trim. Her windows are bronze. I just think doing all white and leaving only the dark windows would look weird. I could be wrong, but I like her dark trim. If she had white windows, then I'd say go w/the white

i sorta like it as is! also, everyone always makes the shutter comment, but all houses that have shutters have shutters of that size, so how can everyone be so wrong lol. ive never seen a house with giant ass shutters before, have you? also i agree with catky

well, she's a rather well known blogger and it's her house. to me the before pic is like every other brick colonial house with the front door portico. She wanted more of the French Country type of home. I think it looks a lot brighter, up to date, and cleaner. To each their own.

st5330,,,,Shutters are supposed to be able to close and cover the window. When people say the shutters are the wrong size, it's because if they did close, they wouldn't cover half of the window! It's out of proportion. See? too small:

People often change out the windows on older homes, often going larger, but don't change the shutters. Ditto w/having shutters on bay windows. just, no.

on this particular house in the photo with white brick before/after house, the shutters are fine because they fit the window. But in her after pic, she wanted a diff look so she removed them.

Beth, I think you are exactly right. I think the bronze windows add to the house's appeal. The contrast makes the house interesting. Style is similar to what you might find in Normandy, France. The house above is more a Federalist style. If you google Photos of Federalist houses, you will see probably half have decorative shutters. Personally I think it's weird to say that all decorative shutters should be removed. I think the above house looks much more welcoming in the before picture. I find the stark white off-putting. Just my opinion.....

it's already white, so I don't think going a shade brighter will be off-putting. It's already pretty white. maybe it just needs a good cleaning.

I like shutters on some homes. on this current home they don't look bad, they just look too small for those upgraded windows.

Re Beth and before/after photos. That's an impressive and understatedly elegant transformation. I admire your ability to envision and achieve such a lovely change.

hazel,,thanks, but that's not mine! It's this one

https://www.younghouselove.com/painting-our-brick-house-white/

Richmond White is the color they used w/Romabio (you can get their masonry paint color matched to any color)

BTW, the price for getting your brick house painted w/the Romabio is around $1.50-2.50 a sq foot. That includes materials. that house took seven 4 gallon buckets. (about $1700)

Thanks for all the thoughts guys! So first, there is another thread that I started when I thought this one didn't work. My first time posting on the boards here, so you may see another lol.

Second, the back is an addition and so the brick color is slightly different than the front. It all does definitely need a good cleaning, but I think to unify it a bit more with limewash would be nice. I'm not a huge fan of the dark brown mortar to be honest. I don't lilke things bright white, but I don't like the heavy contrast either.

The house was originally built in 1981 and was custom for the owner, so it doesn't quite fit many of the typical architectural styles. All the windows and everything on the front is original I believe. I don't plan on changing out the window/color as I quite like the contrast they would provide with a white house. The roof is still in decent condition so we wouldn't have to replace for another 5-10 years so we are stuck with brown/red for awhile. I do have plans to remove the stone from the front as well and replace with brick to unify it all

I've definitely looked at Romabio. Would not be going for a stark white, but maybe a slightly warmer tone. The following two photos are kind of the inspiration I was going for. I mentioned earlier replacing the stone and not whitewashing it because I've seen it done and it's not my favorite look. Originally I was going to push it more colonial, but the more I think about it, doing a french country influence works slightly better with the window styles. (I know the bottom is more tudor, but the color scheme and roof are similar and work well).

And the shutter issues are a toss-up for me. If I keep them I would probably either replace with a bit wider and/or paint a different color. I will probably decide after we limewash.

Jenna, I think it's wise to wait until after you limewash. It's personal preference, but most shutters you see are not sized right, and/or the house and windows aren't the right style for them. Beth is right, shutters, real or fake, should look as if they would cover the windows when closed. Each shutter should be half the window's width. Some can pass if they're just a bit small. When way off, they just become shudders.

Yeah, and those windows have 3 parts so idk if there are even shutters that would be “functional” 😂

I've seen some pretty crazy shutter situations. We had neighbors that put them on their kitchen garden window and a front bay window. Definitely shudders!

FWIW, this link has been posted many times on Houzz.

https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

I don't think it's brought up in Architecture school.......enough beating this old horse.

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Again, personal preference. Jenna, it's whatever looks right to you.

What that shutter-article-that-keeps-being-reposted reminds me of is how the ideas of Karl Marx have been passed on from generation to generation, infecting the world with a hideous idea that sounds fantastic. The idea has decimated countless societies over more than 100 years, but is still being promoted! The shutter article is not without crucial flaws.

So what’s the general consensus on when to tackle landscaping. When purchasing a new house with mature landscaping. Wait to see what comes up? They obviously had a landscaper at one point, but I don’t know if anyone has been by recently. I know I’ll want to tackle some of it as soon as the ground thaws, but I’m guessing I should wait. We may also need some regrading, but those bushes on either side of the door are driving me crazy.

I think you're spot on painting the brick and mortar. I would do a very warm chalky white. I also agree with getting rid of the rock. Rather than brick, I might try a smooth plaster or stucco finish and paint it the same the same as brickwork. I love the windows and especially the verdigris copper roof over each bow window. Any accent or trim colors could play off the verdigris. It is a lovely house. Good luck!

Concentrate on brightening the dark trim. I would take my cue from the nice verdigris copper roofs and take a verdigris effect paint and apply it to selected parts of the windows and trim and perhaps the storm door. In any case to the window frame above the entrance door. Along the roofline frieze this would look great too if you leave the dentil pattern dark as accent. The key to using the verdigris effect paint is not to overdue it here. Just selected elements like the middle of the central strut in the smaller windows and a border frame area. Verdigris signals tradition and worth while being a cheerful but muted color.

I have no idea what you think you will gain by limewashing very light colored brick. Those windows that are shuttered should never have shutters so remove them. I guess the only part I would limewash would be the stone in the entry and get a new door with glass in it and no storm door.I like the dark trim IMO it works well with the roof and then do some landscaping .

house is beautiful, love the dark trim. I would change the door color to something brighter or more glass and put some color into the landscaping. Is that a storm door? if so remove. The door seems pretty far recessed on the porch to even need it.

Usually the Fall is the best time to renew the landscape unless you live where winters are severe. I would wait to see what you have, walk around the neighborhood and see what is doing well that you like and collect photos of gardens. You could get some big pots and try out color combinations while you wait for Fall. You also need to learn the shade and sun patterns and the efficiency of your watering system.. In very cold regions, Spring is best. Summer heat uses too much water and stresses plants that haven't established a good root system yet. I like your house and your idea of getting rid of that dark grouting. The verdigris is lovely and could lead you to try plantings that play up that color.

Did you end up limewashing? Could you please share photos? I have the exact same brick and mortar from the 80s… and it’s impossible to match. We have had to repair several areas and the new bricks are so obvious. Am thinking the limewash is the way to go to gently blend it all together and brighten everything.