We have a new front door as well the security door is gone.

How about refacing over the brick with some multi colored stack stone?

I am not familiar with what that is or the cost/labor. Do you have any pictures of this?

would this be similar to manufactured veneer stone siding?

http://www.eldoradostone.com/products/stone/nationwide-profiles/cliffstone/ Here is just one example of a cultured stone "stacked stone" look. This would be applied to the face of the brick. There are many styles and colors to choose from.

Paint the brick an antique white or cream.

Carronwebb has an excellent point about the landscaping. If you are looking for cottage style, then the landscaping should be more free flowing. Let me find a couple of insp pics for you.



Check your planting zone and go to gardenweb.com to get ideas for specific plants to use.

If you are going for the cottage effect, then properly sized (half the size of the window) shutters that are either functional or functional-looking will go a long way to cottage style. Or remove the shutters entirely. Either change will work.
Here is a short article with photos on properly sized shutters, the placement and hardware is critical too.

http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/
See a couple of pics below too showing size and placement and hardware ideas:

I like the idea of painting the brick an off white, painting the shutters a color that would go with the roof color and replacing the shrubbery that is there with something low growing- at least in front of the porch. Placing a small wooden bench or two small wicker chairs with a small table between and adding some pretty potted plants. If the porch is concrete, you may want to paint that as well. The plants on the other side could be a little higher with a flowering tree ( like a crepe myrtle) at the corner. Low growing boxwoods or variegated liriope would look nice along the sidewalk, set in about a 1 1/2 foot mulched border. After you have completed your renovations, take a photo of your house to a local nursery and they will be able to draw up a landscape plan or give you some ideas of what would do well in your area and what colors would compliment your house. The same holds true for picking out a paint color for the brick. If you have a sample or an extra roof shingle that you can take to the paint store, and they have a color consultant at that store, they are usually pretty good about helping you pick out a colors or suggesting a paint colors that would go well with the roof. Power washing the sidewalk and driveway would "spiff" that up and window boxes under the two windows on the right side would look nice, as well. Have fun with your new home.

In this case I would remove the shutters. I don't think they add anything and, in fact, detract from the look of your house. I'm sorry to hear you are getting rid of the metal columns. I think they look very mid-century style.

Rather than paint the brick, I think the biggest impact would come from landscaping. I would add ornamental trees to the lawn area. Probably two or three.

Look at this stunning plant collection around a Japanese Maple: This landscape is also very attractive: I like the use of large pottery in the design. Another good tree to consider is Redbud: I have one with dark maroon leaves and love it.

Grasses and diversity in leaf color will help: Oak leaf hydrangea is a winner:

Your red brick is beautiful and you can work with it. I would also remove the shutters and paint the white trim a taupe. The columns can be painted the same taupe whether you replace them or not. Colorful plants, some ground cover, a plant bed around a small decorative tree will make a big difference. If in the budget, I would double the width of the walkway and use something interesting like cobblestone or natural flagstone.

Our house is a similar red brick so I'm attaching a pic to show you what I mean about pulling brown out of the red brick in the trim and window colors.

How about a dryvit finish?

What is dryvit? Is it something that would cover the brick and have a totally different look?

Dryvit is similar to a stucco, but superior in its quality and maintenance. Plus, it doesn't need to be painted. The material can be matched to the color of your preference there by saving you money on painting. But a good quality contractor familiar with the product is essential.

My home is very similar to yours. Do you mind sharing what you decided to do to update your red brick exterior? Thanks.

There's a product called Dye Brick from the UK, you can tone down the brick color or even change it completely without painting. It's pretty amazing. It supposedly bonds to the brick and lasts for decades with no upkeep.

I would paint the roof black. Ask a prophessional painting company for a quote. Elastimeric paint from Sherwin Williams has rubber in it. It can expand and contract without cracking. They use it on brick walls in Hot climates that usually have to be repainted often. Because of the rubber base it lasts 20 years without even fading. A good painter with a sprayer should be able to do that for very little since there is so little prep involved as far as masking and such.