I think you need to do some work on the deck I would have done a multi tiered deck to avoid that long flight of stairs and maybe a nice glass railing to keep it a bit simpler. I like this color for siding with brick, IMO if you want shutters they need to be larger and I have to I really dislike that stone with the brick.I would not bother with shutters

Unlike Patricia, I don’t mind the mix of stone & brick - creates interest. I do note the almost identical house next door with contrasting colored door & shutters. How do you like that look? Your shutters almost disappear being so close to the brick in color. What I noticed about your house first is the roof, then the landscape. Is the roof due for replacement or can it be cleaned? The newer or cleaner roof next door makes your roof stand out as needing help. The first steps I'd take with the front, while working on back & interior, is to cut back or remove some of the shrubs on both sides of entry. They're overgrown & close up the entry. The hedge under windows needs a good trim to bring it below window sill height. Doing that one simple step will, I think, give a new perspective of this nice home & help you decide about door & shutters. if you do paint them, I think you need to be mindful of the neighbor house color & not create a glaring contrast that will be the first thing noticed from the street instead of the focus being on each house separately.

Thank you both! I dont really like the stone either, it’s original to the house.. would it be a big job to replace it with brick you think? or perhaps it could be painted?

We’re repairing the roof and yes good idea to better trim the bushes in front.

was also thinking to perhaps plant a nice cherry tree there?

@Patricia Colwell Consulting do you think it would help to paint the deck the same color as the siding?

The siding needs to blend with your brick, as suggested by jck. I would also use the same color on the shutters and front trim with a bolder color on the door. This style house is often a stone/brick blend I would leave it as it is integral/historical to the original design. The front plantings needs some trimming but other than that it's a very cute house. We had a deck we put on an opaque stain--it wears better doesn't peel etc. but I never really liked it. Natural wood just seems to be what decks are 'supposed' to look like. The finish needs freshening. But honestly the one THING that smacks one first is the roof. It looks waay past needing replacing.

Thats a beautiful house! I wouldn't change a thing in the front but in the back the siding area looks pasted on and the stairs and deck clunky IMHO. A darker color that works with your brick like a deep taupe or charcoal would blend your sided area in and perhaps a wrought iron stair rail would improve the look of the deck and stairs.

I would not paint the brick ever yes if changing the deck is not in the cards then the same as the siding IMO would be a good choice and

@DC Reno I hope you agree with most comments here that the stone in front is nice & should be left alone! You mentioned cherry tree in front - not sure about that. Flowering cherries are high maintenance pruning wise & fruit cherries sound messy. Don’t know where you live so no tree recommendations but it really looks like there are enough established trees around your house. I’d do the easiest & least expensive fixes recommended - prune all those shrubs & hedges to open up your entry. Fix the aging dirty roof, & try @jck910 suggestion of pulling a color from stone for the shutters & door. For the back, you could try the same color for siding but if deck is in good shape, I’d clean it & leave it. It looks like a long stair run from deck to yard but if it works, leave it. If not, is it possible to build a mini deck / landing half way down & stairs coming off that either straight out to yard or in a switch back direction?

Such a beautiful house. i would not change the stone or brick. i think it needs a good cleaning (the stone and maybe the brick?). i would pull a grey from the stone for the shutters (keep the shutters - they will pop with the massive amount of brick) and a dark gray for the roof (or slate look alike?), or clean it if its not time to replace, and do similar for the back, a grey color but not too dark. and this is coming from someone who doesnt like grey, but i think it will tie it together well. also that sage in patricias picture is good but the red of this brick may be too dark? you will have to photoshop and also get paint samples and try them in the different light during the day to see which works.

The front facade of the house is handsome and seems to fit its surroundings. I would not touch that. The shutters could be a color that did not blend into the brick so much, maybe the brown of the rest of the trim. If I were going to throw any money at the front I would either get windows without grids or I would do simulated divided lites where the muntins were the same color as the window, not white plastic. And of course the roof.

It looks like the backs of all the houses have just grown organically and it's been function first, not esthetics. Personally I really dislike pressure treated wood decks especially on older houses. The deck on the house I grew up was detailed to match the house. Everything but the floor was painted to match the house and it had a more formal railing that matched the architecture of the house. But it was steel and wood construction, and was probably more expensive than the standard deck. However, its still on the house 53 years later and has needed only minimal repairs.

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful!

i dont like the stone at all honestly, but agree its probably smart to try to change the shutters and door first to see how that will improve the overall look. Perhaps a grey for the shutters?

Yes the back of the house is a mess! We’re spending our budget indoors, so cant replace the deck but I think I’ll try and match the deck with the siding and do a medium grey to make it blend more..

@KW PNW Z8 I’ve already killed one cherry tree so you’re probably right!!

I love the house. I would not change the brick. I'd paint the shutters darker, to match the trim. I'd paint the siding in back to match, as closely as possible the brick.

I'd move some of your rhodos, so you have shrubs, not a hedge.

Spend on a new roof or have it professionally cleaned, paint the shutters, trim the hedges and remove whatever is growing over that upstairs window.

@decoenthusiaste good catch on what looks suspiciously like ivy over that upstairs window! Totally missed it., Could it be this home was ivy covered & some cleanup already done pre sale?

I don't know what that ivy is either, but it's gone now! We'll also have the roof fixed and clean. It's a slate roof so I don't think it needs replacement yet, but a cleaning and repairs sorely needed.

Can anyone recommend a program or an app where I could play with color options for the shutters, door, deck etc? I am not very good at these things and don't use photoshop but if there is another app I could download I'll learn how to work it! I think that may be the best way for me to visualize things..

@DC Reno wow - slate roof - nice! Grey might be a great color for shutters & door. So many shades of it - really - that it’s hard to pick - I’d go darker than roof. Check the paint sites for visualizers - you upload a pic & add your color. I’ve heard Sherwin Williams has an easy to use one.

@KW PNW Z8 thanks! I did some visualization yesterday and grey looks nice!! I feel just changing the shutters makes a big difference. Also in the back, a light grey for the siding and deck looks very nice in the visualization.

Now hopefully these small changes won't be too expensive.. :)

@DC Reno “They” always recommend getting samples of your paint colors & trying it on for size in each of the different light exposures - North side / South side etc. Color depth or strength increases with the size of space it covers.

No help here, but I like the cute little Hobbit house in the backyard.
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@flopsycat1 Me too! @DC Reno that little house mught be an excellent thing to try your colors out on!! It would be cute if it matched your house.

Haha, yes might do that! :)

Okay, ou were all so helpful before so I'm coming back! It's crunch time and I need to pick a siding for the back. I am leaning towards going dark. I did this (very poor job) visualization with SW Peppercorn and I like it with the brick. Any thoughts? Does it work?

(We will also paint the deck, but will DIY that later. The siding will be painted now as we did some other work upstairs and closed the two windows on the side).