The established shrubs are too high. Can they be trimmed? Also I like Patricia’s idea of keeping the brick, but adding an earthy color or the trim areas.

Patricia is spot on with color and shutters. Now, grab your gloves and tools and pull all the shrubs out. They cannot be trimmed and eventually look like something. Once you have the suggestions Patricia has made work with a local nursery, or consult with experts here (don’t start a new page, just upload pics to this one). Once you have the old shrubs removed you may have some additional ideas for curb appeal. Don’t forget lighting and approach to the house.

Definitely cut back the shrubs, or replace them. Sometimes when you need to cut them back a lot, you're left with sticks.

I wouldn't paint anything white. I'd spruce up the wood siding on the right--you could paint that a color that blends with the brick. The sage green as Patricia suggested would look beautiful on the wood as well as all the trim.

Is the roof in decent condition? It looks a bit worn and may have to be replaced. No shutters anywhere--they just don't go with your style home.

Maybe one of the rendering experts here could chime in and do a virtual makeover for you.

thanks Patricia for the suggestion of keeping the brick and paint. there's something drab about the brick. i wonder if the paint you suggested would give it some life? and i agree about the matching trim.

Mrs. Beasley, the landscaping will have to be redone. we mostly plan on keeping only the mature trees and redoing the rest of the landscaping.

Definitely trim the hedges. If not possible, consider removing and replacing with lower plantings (no higher than bottom of windows). Agree with no shutters since the only window suitable for them is the far right. The gray/green color from Patricia is nice if it appeals, and a good option with your brick.

ETA - Just saw your comment about redoing landscaping.👍🏻 You can look online for ”red brick with sage green siding” for lots of images, including the home Patricia posted.

Thank you Valinta, Diana and chloebud for chiming in. The landscaping/shrubs are going. Diana, the roof will have to be replaced. We'll be doing that first. Do you have color suggestions? I was thinking a lighter to medium gray.

Agree with a medium gray roof.

These are some color options for Patricia’s photo. All from Benjamin Moore. I believe the exact color on the home was a custom mix. I also think a soft white could work with your brick.

I agree with Patricia about not adding shutters - you don't have the right windows to correctly install shutters. You also need to cut your bushes back (or replace them). Landscaping will help the curb appeal of ypur home quite a bit.

I've tried posting this a few times - it keeps disappearing. I've not written this carefully or read it over to catch any grammatical mistakes/spelling typos. Hopefully, it will post!

I assume that you have cedar shakes on your home (and they've turn gray from the natural aging process). I would have the areas that have cedar shakes power washed in order to bring them back to their original cedar color. Once you've completed the power washing, you can decide on whether you want to use a clear sealer so that they will stay a true cedar color - or if you'd like to use a stain on them (not paint).

Your post didn't specify which parts of your home that you're considering painting. Are you planning on painting the brick?

Here is one with the cedar shakes restored + the brick painted (using special paint for brick). The paint colors could work for trim or the shakes if the brick was left unpainted.

Here is one with stained (highly pigmented) shakes + unpainted brick. The green could be used for trim on your home.

Below is a pretty house with cedar shakes + a creamy white + red bricks:

Here is another house with painted shakes + unpainted brick.

Restored cedar shakes + you could paint some of the brick the color of the siding on this house.

If your shakes aren't cedar and/or cannot be power washed back to their natural color, you could paint them. BM Dove Wing looks nice with red brick:

BM Soot looks good also:

Romabio Limewash:

Another house with Romabio Limewash:

Romabio also has other brick coverings in addition to limewash. There are also other companies that sell similar types of finishes to use over brick.

Many people are against painting brick - but there are a lot of people who decide to paint their brick (even on a newly constructed house). It does make a big difference in lightening up the look of the home. The added cedar to the house also looks nice with the painted brick.

Below is another example of a painted red brick house:

Here is another blue that looks nice with red brick:

Below is a sage green with red brick:

Slate blue wil also look good with your brick. I would not put shutters on the house or paint the brick. Fresh paint always looks crisp and your shingles are currently looking pretty ratty.

I would take a careful inventory of your shrubbery and consider it plant by plant. It's hard to identify all the plants, but it's clearly pretty varied and you have something that might be a lovely Japanese maple. It needs to be cut back, but preserving the good stuff will be a lot cheaper than just getting rid of it all and starting over. My guess is you have several plants that are quite nice in that jungle.

Brick and a slatey blue.

Woodway Mid Century Modern Remodel · More Info

I wouldn't paint the brick. I would carefully consider painting the shingles a color to compliment/enhance the brick. This color is *not* white, and is probably not the hot color du jour (whatever that currently is). It is probably the already suggested green or blue.

The biggest issue is the current landscaping. If you haven't been in garden centers lately, be prepared for sticker shock. So, yes, start by IDing what you have, and figuring out what can be pruned, what can be transplanted, and what is beyond hope.

I like it as is and would keep everything the same and would restain all the wood shakes a wood tone. Not an expert but we have used fence wash and semitransparent stain/sealer depending on the condition of previous coatings

I agree gray roof.

Congratulations on your new house...it is beautiful.

I think you just purchased a home in a style that you simply don't like. Cedar shakes with brick look really right for this home. You might need to have the shakes restained, but I would not paint them. (Anyone have the link to the sad post about someone on here who recently painted her bricks and wood shakes and it was a total disaster?)

You are already going to do landscaping and a new roof. Fix the shakes and see what you think of it all once you have the new landscaping in. You might really love the look of the brick then.

Kendrah I think this is the post:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6513460/exterior-paint-project-gone-wrong

Thanks. I now know what at least one of the 'color du jour' are - natural cedar. I'm just not seeing it with that brick. Really, really not seeing it.

This how people get into trouble with older houses. They 'update' in ways that don't work with the existing structure, but are in at the time. So in a very, very short time, when the 'update' is itself dated, the house looks terrible.

Is there a cement patio under the bay window behind the over grown juniper? It could be a great place for a nice ironwork bench and a couple of planters once you redo the shrubs With your white trim, white or black iron work could look good just keep it consistent with furniture and decor like house numbers . I am in the never-paint -brick and no shutters team and think the sage green would look good on the siding and shakes.

Madgallica has a good point. The original stain looks dark brown...not natural cedar color. It's beautiful and a good option to restore it to original but it would have to be stain, not paint.

This is going to be much simpler than you think.

Cut back all the overgrown shrubs first.

You have cedar shakes on the house. The cedar can be easily restored by being washed. Then either leave it natural or stain it. DO NOT PAINT CEDAR.

Painting the siding white and adding shutters would be a big mistake.

https://youtu.be/qV4JGlwio2M?si=geJqF001o5HZ409k

There are transparent and opaque stains to select from for cedar.

I would stain shakers.

Or go with Vertical Board and Batten Inlay for a modern farmhouse vibe.

Your shakes appear to never have been cleaned. First start there. Clean them by power washing and depending on how long it's been, where you live, how much sun/shade you might need a chemical wash to get back to the original color. There are finishes that help maintain the natural look without sealing them up permanently. Painting the shakes is a thing people do but again nothing looks as beautiful as properly maintained cedar. Your home is relatively low maintenance right now. Celebrate that!! As shown yes people were painting brick on homes the last few years. This does not negate the fact that it devalues the home and over time becomes a maintenance nightmare.

Clean the brick. Replace the wood shingle/shake siding. It looks like it is to far gone to be cleaned and restained. At the very least the landscaping needs a significant trimming.

I’d choose weathered brownish//grey shingles. If adding shutters consider the style below, choose a soft black paint color and shake siding with the same undertone as the roof (ie: similar to seaside grey). House will have a classic soft look.

"Replace the wood shingle/shake siding." This could be prohibitive cost wise. It's insane what they get for these this century.

I also love the idea of a sage color to complement the brick. I have a red brick house myself and think I’ll go with that color

when it’s time to paint/side the non brick surfaces. Most of the overgrown greenery appears to be arborvitae which

you cannot cut back without being left with sticks that will not produce new growth. Those need to come out. As someone

else said, try to ID what you have (Japanese Maple) and keep what works in your growing zone and can be easily maintained.

I would spend the winter doing this before committing to planting. I would go with perennials so you won’t have to

spend tons of money yearly on planting. You can supplement plantings with annuals in the ground or pots and

baskets.

debra

Power wash the entire house and roof. Then you’ll know what you have to work with. I was surprised when I power washed my brick house when it was 10 yo and the color definitely got brighter.
The roof should be assessed. It might have a few more years but it definitely should be cleaned.

I agree that the landscaping is not helping. But some of these bushes are not going to survive a hard pruning. I would see if your garden center provides free landscaping advice if you buy your plants from them. Professionals know what can be trimmed and will come back beautiful and healthy, and what is beyond that stage. The garden center will also help you take care of the bushes and trees that are healthy and what other plants will survive your weather.

I think your house is adorable. Celery showed you some great ideas. Others suggested some great colors to complement your brick. Go slow and learn what is out there.

I live in Toronto where brick is the default house material, and I have never seen anyone power wash their brick. It surprises me to hear it recommended.

Some of the colour recommendations are shown with a lighter, more pale brick colour. Yours is more intense and IMO would not look as good with a pale green.

The roof color (looks black) clashes with the brick color - at least in the photo. The 2 little window dormers are way out of scale and too small for the house - best to remove or make larger. Paint the brown wood triangle area in the front a green like others suggest. A metal roof with the lines in the panels would add nice detail - use a brown color to blend with the brick.

Do not power wash brick unless you are sure all the cement between the bricks is ok. Power-washing can do serious damage if done with too much power.

If there is any way to remove the black asphalt that would do a LOT to make it look better - at least the part close to the house. I have never liked asphalt driveways. I removed mine myself (had to pay to have the pile removed). I put down antique bricks - I did it myself or could never have afforded it. You could use pavers in a beige color and if you DIY, affordable. Lots of work, but good exercise.

Do not put fake shutters - those are made for mobile homes. And white would draw to much attention to the white parts - leave off white - use sage or another green that goes well with the red orange brick. Stick will all warm browns, greens to go with the warm orange red brick. I would get rid of the driveway before anything else.

Your brick is fine. You will be glad you did not paint it. The shingles need attention. Hopefully they can be restored

You will like your home if you reroof, remove asphalt, and replant your landscaping.

Looks like a new roof is needed, wash the house- the brick may look different after being washed. The cedar shingles should go back to their natural color after being washed. Then you can seal them. I think a sage green would look good on the trim. .No shutters and definitely get rid of the shrubs in the front.

I am one of the weirdos that loves the seclusion of the hedges. Yes clean them up, but i like them overgrown. I would German schmear the brick and clean the cedar. Small cedar window boxes for top two windows with greenery spilling out. I think this would be such a fun project!

You've received lots of comments about the roof, cedar shakes, brick, and landscaping. But a simple fix that would make be a big improvement is to paint the downspout and utility box on the front of the house below the fireplace in a color that will blend with the brick. Also, replace all the windown treatments on the front of the house with matching shades or blinds or curtain linings so they are cohesive. The 2 gable windows can be different but should match each other and be the same color as the first floor treatments. Doing that, along with trimming back and/or replacing the shrubbery will make a huge improvement.

keep the bricks, paint the windowframes in the same rusty color scheme of the bricks and plant some 'more stem trees' in the frontyard. Everything turns softened and toned and blends perfectly together