look into Romabio for the brick. they ahve a limewash classico, and the masory, which gives a thicker coverage (like paint would) The benefit is it's natural lime, allows the brick to breathe, very little maintenance and will patina over time.

heres the romabio masonry, moderne white

As for the rest of it, up to you. black and white is popular. black siding w/white accent are also popular. I like the addition of some natural wood. board and batten siding mixed w/reg siding is also an option.

(imagine brick on these following pics)

Thanks Beth!

Thanks Beth!

Thank you for those visuals @tozmo1! Super helpful I appreciate it! I’ll look into those and see if it’s not too late to change the Hardie board. Thanks!

The fact that your HOA requires the brick means you have to work with it.

Either pick a Hardie color that complements the brick (which is a totally no maintenance feature!) or use @Beth H’s suggestion and look into Romabio to match whatever color the Hardie board is. Is a deeper color on top up for discussion? I know you fought a battle to get

If you love your house, it doesn’t matter what it’s called. I think it will be lovely.

Consider shingles on the walls above the brick.

Glad you are not painting the brick. It makes a low maintenance material into a high maintenance material.

Consider a water table (drip cap with apron below) type transition between the brick and siding above, it will help make the house not look like a production house.

Thank you all very much. I will look into the shingles and water table. Yes, we threw around an idea of dark above but we are thinking probably a no-go on the HOA end. We also felt the white would flow well into the interior decor we are hoping for. I really appreciate all the helpful ideas. Not an easy decision on the exterior. Wish we thought through things before more, but hey. first time here! Thanks all

Our render came in for a visual as one option… !

I like the lines of the roof - a lot! The whole house is lovely.

Another question - is it required to have the white garage doors? Can they be a wood similar to the front door? I know this is a “rendering” but it allows you to see how everything works together and those white garage doors are getting a lot of attention. Your front door looks like it’s a natural wood, so if you can match the garage doors, that would also look better with the brick.

I will definitely ask! Thank you!

Mark, you should really research Romabio. it's not paint and it's not high maintenance. maybe in 20 yrs she would have to apply another lime coat, but that's it. It patinas naturally and doesn't harm the brick. Is it NO maintenance? not exactly. but applying a coat every 15-20 yrs and losing that ugly mauve/orange toned brick color is worth it.

amwall, this is pretty.

(but this really isn't your brick color!)

now have the rendering done w/white brick.

also have it done w/white brick and the black board and batten. wood door, wood posts.

you should see all 3 options

https://mymodernwhitefarmhouse.com/about-me-my-modern-white-farmhouse/

I think you should keep it green. As a builder friend of mine told me many years ago, "Every neighborhood needs a tarpaper shack."

I would worry about having white all the way down to the ground with regard to keeping it white. I imagine mud splashing up on it and green algae growing on it. I'd have to be ready for an annual house washing. And even then I imagine splashing mud up as I try to wash, putting patios or mulching all around to prevent mud splash, and then those little mushroom things growing on the siding wherever I mulched. All that will happy with brick too, but I won't notice it until it's bad. Maybe it's better to see it all the time or maybe it's better not to. I don't know. But I think I'd prefer brick.

To live with my own house I have concrete patios on three sides. The fourth side is a grass walkway on a very sunny west side, so no algae. No mulch so no mushrooms. And no mud because the grass is thick in all the sun. I had a real problem with all three on the east side until the patio was poured.

Beth we did it white initially for HOA approval. Took them a month to come to a yes but we had to change orientation siding because the felt it looked too farmhouse. And I think ultimately they felt bad saying no because we are nice people lol. I still love the white, but I do feel like everyone is doing that these days, and our brick is different and unique. We are back to get HOA approval now. Hopefully they don’t make us do the original white lol. I just want this house up so we can move in !!

The stone is different above as we had a few options….I know the brick isn’t true red like the render above but think it’s the general idea as it will be cleaned and there are some red hues other the brown. I’ll post here when it’s done (eta far away lol) but then you can see whatcha think! Thanks!!

K L, I agree. I would be wanting to clean it all the time. We also live in the suburbs of Chicago. I’m not super excited about a white garage for that reason as well… but I’ll see what the darker garage color shows. I’m afraid the wood tone type will be too many clashing browns… as with what Beth mentioned the render looks more true red than what our brick is. Thanks!

I do like the white siding with the brick, especially with contrasting black windows.

If you make the brick white, the last rendering with wood garage doors and a wood front door is really pretty.

If you leave the brick natural, those decisions will look different and I would want the woods (house door and garage doors) a richer, darker wood.

Hi all! The lastest…The HOA declined a brown door… and prefer a white garage. Here are some renders ….. any insight? Like it, love it, hate it or Should I run just from this HOA lol. We already have the brick up and they just added siding (see last photo) not the clearest shot with the sun! I think I’d love the look without the stone… I see where HOA may be coming from with all the different colors… where in the community everyone sticks with 1-2 max and all the homes have such similarities. Note, they also had us switch the siding to more horizontal because they felt all vertical looked too farmhouse.

Forgot to add they recommended a black door… we also did a white door in a render just to see all colors…

I like the one with the black door. It looks more "finished" than the one with the wood door. I'm OK with the white garage doors. Is the siding white? It looks quite yellow to me.

Don't pay attention to anything but the columns. I made them larger as a suggestion to help emphasize the first floor.

@nester44

Is the siding white? It looks quite yellow to me.

That's the light from the setting sun.

I like the white garage door and black entry door. I also like the more substantial columns if there is still time and if it also appeals to you.

If you are in an area that gets snow and ice, please consider radiant heating in the driveway and entry walk. It's well worth the cost! https://www.warmzone.com/ is the company I used, even though I'm on the other side of the country. I used a local electrician and concrete person. The concrete people have to know not to poke at the wet concrete with metal shovels as they are installing. Plastic works, and there are other methods. It's marvelous not to have to shovel or worry about slipping on ice. It's the sort of improvement that is not economically sound AFTER the driveway is in, only before or if you have to go to the expense of ripping out an old driveway. Then tell that HOA you're shocked! Shocked I say! That they didn't install it in all the sidewalks and all the homes in the whole neighborhood to save the HOA tons of money in snow removal expenses over the lifetime of the community. And why weren't they more environmentally conscientious to avoid all that salt application and damage to the lawns, the concrete, and the regional watershed.

That'll fix 'em! 😁

Oh, and when you start landscaping, you really need to get rid of the big metal thing in the front yard. 😁

Oh good idea K L! I will look in that! The big metal thing….hahaha, can’t even visualize the house with that thing sitting there. Thanks for the visual PPF that looks great.

Nester yes, it’s white! Definitely reads yellow with the sun in that picture.

The black door looks good.

What was the reason for the brick if you planned to paint it ? I just read the fact the HOA nazis have rules beyond my imaginetion . We have few HOAs where I live and I will say I would never live in an area with one . To me what happens is all the homes look like cookie cutters and take all the personality out of the joy of home ownership. Now you are stuck so no point in really asking for ideas to make your home unique

I think the black door looks great with th windows of the house, and white garage doors are fine. Looks like you won't be painting the brick -- yay!

I do have to say running everything through an HOA is one reason I will NEVER live in one.

I know I feel ya @artemis_ma It is the price we pay to live near our family LOL. Hope they are worth it..... jk jk!

I like this one (too bad about the wood)

But why are you doing two diff stones/bric? if you do the stone, lime-coat the brick white (or black)

otherwise, just stay w/the brick. too many things happening w/the brick, the white ledger stone, the board and batten, the regular siding,,

I like the black door way better than the front door.

how would a black door w/black garage doors look?

Here, I gave you black doors w/this style. the ones you have in white are a tad too 'busy' looking.

Get over your inflated sense of self-importance, HOA. Not your house.

@Jj J - These posts make me committed to NEVER living with an HOA.

@amwall123 Did the HOA disapprove the black garage door or just say "they prefer" white? If the doors can both be black, that looks the best IMO. You already have three things on your house - brick, stone, board and batten. Keeping the doors the same color makes a difference when @Beth H. :posts the options.

@Jj J seriously! It is a bit upsetting....I hope they are nice to us over there...LOL. Yes, they prefer white. Hoping for the best! I think seeing it in real life is much different than the render when I held up the large garage sample yesterday. I have lost enough sleep and some added grey hairs over this matter! Beth I do wish looking back there was no stone. I agree about a lot going on....Patio furniture will blend that out a bit. HOA requested the various siding options, too so such is life. At least the inside will look FAB if the outside turns out to be a bust. Thanks for all your help and insight all!

I hate HOA's and would never move to a place that had one. I think the people who run them (some, not all) are on power trips and love playing god. I would never give my money monthly to something that tells me how I can decorate my home. As long as it's not purple and red, I hardly see the issue w/'wood' doors, or black garage doors. That's ridiculous. If they're this anal over these subtle design issues, what are they going to be like w/real problems?

100%! These are such minimal problems.... I agree with ya. Think they just want the cookie cutter neighborhood ya know. We bought the lot knowing we'd have to jump through some hoops, it is what it is. I will post a pic of the finished product though :) (If I remember as that seems far far away....LOL).

who wants to live in a neighborhood where everyones homes all look the same? lol. It's like something out of Stepford. the tract I'm in was like that. No HOA though. all had the same tile roof w/the same beige and brown paint colors.

I was the first to break out of that BS and went completely diff than everyone else. Recently just redid it w/white/black/charcoal gray tile roof and wood garage doors.

I don't know how many neighbors stopped by to ask me 'who did your roof'? or, " your house is so pretty".

Most people have little design sense and even smaller color imaginations. they just don't know what's available so they stay in the safe zone.

I have chosen to buy homes that don't have HOAs. I know I am not a great rule follower and don't want someone telling me what I can park in my driveway, but I also see the benefit of an HOA. I had a neighbor who took down the fence around her property (corner lot) and replaced it with a different fence. She then came to me and the neighbor on the other side of her property and insisted that we pay 1/2 for the fence she replaced that were on our shared property lines.

I had 1/2 of one side of my fence that was different than the other 2 1/2 sides of fencing.

The other neighbor had one side that different than the other 2 sides. Found out later that he believed her when she told him that he had to pay half. I told her to pound sand, but I was still stuck with a fence that didn't match the rest of my fence.

Both of my sisters lived in neighborhoods with an HOA and have had the HOA step in to resolve neighbor disputes. Funny thing is both of their issues dealt with fencing or property line hedges.

Where I live we have private trash pick up. My sister's HOAs were able to negotiate better rates for trash pick up by having one company work the entire subdivision. They also get the snow removed from their driveways where I have to shovel mine.

I think sometimes we hear all the horror stories and think HOAs are impossible, but they may actually resolve a lot of issues that people don't bother to publicize because they got the results they were looking for and aren't angry.

Ok, I'm going to be the one that paddles in reverse... 🥴 I live in an HOA community, and all our outdoor work had to go through them. They were easy on us. They even asked me if I wanted to join them. I thought it might be nice when I retire maybe. Then maybe I can start suggesting new developments all have roads, driveways, and walks with radiant heating and no more snow removal. 😳 Just keeping it light...😁

K L yes! I think it all depends who sits on the HOA and I think you would make a positive impact! When you retire- do it!

For a house I manage through a trust, the HOA was very easy to deal with when we were selecting new paint colors. We feared our selection of a deep blue/green historical color would be rejected in the community of grays and greiges but the head of the HOA said, "Thank goodness. Maybe this will inspire some other people to do something interesting." You never know.

I agree @tozmo1 I have felt so flattered by the copying. I put in a new driveway, and four more appeared on our street. I finished my garage interior, and two more people on our street finished theirs. I added a back patio and covers, and both my neighbors did something to theirs. It is really fun to inspire. And those who were inspired had fun too. One person on the HOA lived nearby and appeared outside somewhat frequently on his evening walks. He was really interested in the process. I bet it would be interesting to be on an HOA. Imagine all the ideas you would get to hear about.

I am not surprised that Houzzers feel a dislike for HOA’s. However, many people don’t have a sense of design and are THRILLED to have someone tell them what their roof, siding and garage door color should be. I think this design community is in the minority.

I normally encourage people to paint their brick if they won't like it. I don't understand why you put brick in if you don't like it, but beyond that, that is nice brick. Don't paint. A white house will show all the dirt that collects on the brick. You will need to powerwash it periodically.

I hope you don’t paint the brick white. I’m afraid it will make it look like EVERY new build and flip in my neighborhood. i initially loved the look, hate it now, it it’s been waaaay overdone.

Re HOA comments on here. Lots of misperceptions & incorrect generalizations made about HOA’s on here. I have one home with HOA’s & my primary home does not. For way too many reasons to list I prefer the one WITH the HOA. By the way, our homes within the HOA are not ”cookie cutter” looking homes, they’re beautiful custom homes , landscaping designed by professionals chosen by the homeowners, or not.

TLTR. HOAs have pluses and minuses. There can be crazy people on the board who love to micro-manage, and there can be shared goals and keeping things nice. Part of it is who is on the board, and part of it is your personality. I don't want people telling me what color to paint my house, whether I can have my garage door open, and how often I have to mow. I totally get that people pay a lot of money for a house and want to keep things nice. I'm not about to turn my house into some rat pile. I just don't like those who want to exert control over your life and often overstep the boundaries of what they can legally require. Something to research before you purchase and something to ask yourself before you purchase.