That dyestain is really cool. I think it could get pretty expensive tho (I'd need to measure how much I would need but it says 2000 sf of brick would be about $830). Hmmm, may try new shutters first then consider that down the road.

I really think the dyestain is just another color of "dated". Your house is lovely. Maybe some beautiful wood shutters, stained, would be nice, I see your entry door is massive wood, why not? look at shutter designs and stay out of box stores... You also need some zero-scape in that bald area of yard in front.

Thank you Unwantedadvice! We appreciate the recommendation.

For this particular home, properly fitted Board and Batten style shutters would look great! Depending on your design preferences, you can choose between 24 standard colors and can even personalize them with a specific cut out. We also have 4 different product lines to choose from to build your shutters out of.

Feel free to visit our website at http://www.timberlane.com, request a free catalog, or give us a call with any questions at 1-800-250-2221!

Your welcome, Timberlane! cokerlm002, I do think some fresher landscaping is in order as someone commented. Your house is really quite beautiful. :))

DON"T be afraid of staining or washing your brick. It's the best thing I ever did to an exterior of a house. Did our 6 years or so ago and it just changes the tone of the brick. Does not look like paint. You can't even tell you've done anything to the brick, it's just a different tone. You don't have to touch it again.

M3459 - did you have to stain each individual brick separately? What kind of stain did you use?

I like the idea of larger black shutters. The wall on the right is kind of empty. Why not pit up a trellis of some kind and cover it with a climbing plant, to fill in all that space.

Like Martha's idea for a trellis and tall plant on right side.

Coker,

No, you put it on as if you were painting. I actually did a limewash after a summer trip to England and seeing all the centuries-old brick that was limewashed. Questioned workers as I wandered about London and Cornwall about their methods. Came home and had it done within a month of arriving home.

I would start by taking the shutters off and seeing how the house looks without them. I'm not sure the problem is the kind of shutters but whether you should have them at all.

Agree with Michael...take off and larger frames around windows.

Whoops...Mitchell

Without shutters, the home lacks some other architectural features to take their place, may appear rather flat.

The house has strange, thin, lumpy columns, and the portico is jacked up way too high. Drop an edge of trim and moulding off the portico for an immediate improvement. For the columns, either box them in or face with slate or other dark grey stone.

The quoining looks good on the house corners, but is a little odd on the columns.

You can also add a hanging lantern over front door or a new entry light!

Black shutters will be perfect. Love your home!

Congratulations on your new home! It's beautiful, good bones. I love the brick and the columns. New shutters the correct size and attached properly would be an improvement. I think your home is grand enough to handle some big coach lights or a pendant, or both, by the front door.
I also think you could use the hedge as a backdrop for some great flowerbeds, otherwise I'd take out at least the hedge on the right and plant an ornamental tree between the front door and the window....a Japanese Maple, smoke plant, paperbark birch....and fill the rest of the area with some flowering shrubs for interest.
The columnar trees on either side of the walkway at your front door feel like they're closing in the entry, I'd remove them. Big pots of plants there and a colorful bench on the porch would work wonders. I hope your lawn comes back now that its getting some love.

We can't imagine this house without shutters either, LB interiors!

The green color always goes right with a brick wall. Try to work on the garden /landscape instead: remove that green barrier for example.

To M3459 - would like to know what stain you used to color the bricks of your house. Over the years the brown of ours is faded and a lot of paint droplets in places. What can I do to refresh?

Actually the bricks and the green shutters look fine to me. Not sure why you even need to do anything about either. The look is quite classic. If you start to change color of bricks or shutters, before you know it, it would be deemed the 2010's look.

Shutters need to make a statement. They need to be 6"-8" wider each and to be painted "Black". Very classic. free advise from an Architect

I think shrubs and shutters should go. I like the idea of a huge lantern hanging in the entry. The column shrubs are odd. I would replace with a little ornamental tree on the right side.

I would definitely do larger shutters in black. It will create a grand appearance and provide substance.

great discussion. And great ideas. Would love to see what you ended up doing!

My daughter said it best; at the age of 5!! We were riding around town looking at houses when we came to a house with NO shutters. She said Mommie, that house has no face! She is now 30 and I have never forgotten it! LOL! Definitely do shutters! And I agree, they need to be wider.

pattybro,

First a pic of my house with washed brick, so you know what I ended up with as I describe what I did. You may run screaming in the other direction!! Beforee I washed the brick, it was a purply-pinky-browney brick and the quoins were that deep blood maroon brick. This was done in 2005 and hasn't been touched since. I used a mix of deep taupe and DARK gray paint, watered down 50/50, with just a tad of yellow paint, and a couple of handfuls of powdered ag lime thrown in to about a 1/2-2/3 full 5-gallon paint bucket. By the time, the house was done I figured out the best method was the biggest stain pad I could find on a long handle. Tried the long nap roller method and it was a mess. You will go through SEVERAL stain pads due to the roughness of the brick, but it is faster, better and worth it. Experiment on hidden places of your exterior to make sure you like what is happening. It will end up lighter as it dries and the brick absorbs the wash.

Go cream.

Hi m3459 thanks for your comment and your brick looks great, however, I dont think I will be trying that tho.

cokerlm002, have you decided to leave the brick and repaint the current shutters? Keep us posted please. We love "After" pictures.

I will definitely post after pictures! I am going to leave the brick as-is for now and add new, bigger shutters first (now trying to decide on color - thinking in dark brown to match door or black). Thanks SO much! :)

God luck! Shutters should definitely be large enough to actually cover the window (whether they are working shutters or not). Have you considered a dark gray paint for the shutters, door & trim and window trim? Not sure if it would work or not, but there are some really pretty grays with all sorts of undertones that are dark/deep enough to have great impact without being just brown or black. We are using the warmer/greenish grays in our house (shutters, doors & garage door, along with all the interior doors & trim, will be SW 7046 Annonymous). I'm just in love with those tones, so forgive me if I want to paint your entire house gray! :-)

I would paint the door a contrasting color to the shutters. The door is the focal point of the home.

Great suggestion on the gray colors - I'll check that out. I do like the idea if a contrasting front door color I just didn't know if it was "wrong" to paint that pretty wood?

Paint grade doors are usually a lot less expensive than wood look doors. I'd hesitate to paint a perfectly good metal, fiberglass or veneered door because your maintenance free door will then take some up keep. If you have a solid wood door that needs work, don't hesitate to paint it. Just do your prep and choose your paint wisely. It's your home and if you want a gray front door - do it.

When coomes to painting beautiful wood, it can tear at your heartstrings. There is no right or wrong. It's what you would feel comfortable with :)

Black!

I painted my mahogany front door with a semi gloss marine grade black paint a few years ago & replaced the handle set with a dull nickel one and I love it! The door faces west & bakes in the Texas sun all afternoon. The paint is holding up much better than the stain did and looks so classic.

Paint the shutters a warm ( not icy: ) white. They'll match the barge boards above and make the windows look a little bigger and brighter. More inviting. And oh so not so costly as some ideas here. I'm sure you'll find a pic to inspire you in Houzz Traditional Exteriors.

Update - I decided to paint the shutters a charcoal gray color. Ended up going with SW Black Fox (which looks black on the swatch but showed up much lighter). I do want to replace the shutters but wanted to live with the new color for a bit before committing to it on new ones.

Also installed some new, larger front porch lights.

Now I'm trying to decide what color to paint the front door b/c I feel like the house needs some color.

Thanks again for everyone's comments.

I see blue;)

http://houzz.com/photos/33437

I see apple green with the grey shutters for a nice pop...see attached houzz pic I found...

@kelhen: the picture in that link is of a dining room - can you try reposting? I'd love to see it! Thanks

I agree that the columns are too thin and out of proportion with the height.
Probably 24"-30" white columns with 24" wide shutters a dark brown or stain to match front door.

I think the gray shutters blend well with the roof. It seems you would like more color. Love Margo's blue, but I would leave the door and re-paint the shutters the blue. Sorry MO

I don't know how that happened, it was a copy from houzz....lol!

Here's one I found online....google lime green door images for more color variations to choose from.

I would suggest you paint the shutters a grey that harmonizes with the grey roof and which tones down the pink tones in the brick. You may want to keep the brown wood-tone door for contrast OR paint it grey to harmonize with the roof and shutters.

Thread is 4 yrs old.