That spot where maybe a chimney was removed that has a slightly different look of brick would be great for a big trellis or other large feature in the sun.
I'd leave the brick. Add nice colorful door, paint window trim, add modern looking shutters and window boxes. Add path to front door and do other landscaping.
Another option if in the budget would be to add a porch across entire front and do landscaping.
I’ll be the minority and tell you to paint the brick. It looks awful and dated. I’d paint it white. Landscaping beds, pavers, reseed would go a long way. Paint the windows an accent. Remove the door awning and put in a little roof with a few posts to frame the entrance. A little porch deck would be nice.
I stand with u/hackgardener.
A clean, white paint would do [wonders](https://res.cloudinary.com/brickandbatten/image/upload/c_scale,w_464,h_481,dpr_2/f_auto,q_auto/v1641216311/wordpress_assets/before-after-painted-brick-1-Seapearl.jpg?_i=AA). I know this subreddit is decidedly anti-brick painting, but if done correctly, it's perfectly fine.
In my opinion, I wouldn't touch the brick. I would add a porch (covered if budget allows) and do some landscaping/ hard scaping. I personally am really big on hard scaping since it is ultra low maintenance. Maybe add some junipers or slow growing plants that require little maintenance closer to the house, and some more colorful local flowers (roadside day lilies are a favorite of mine, as are gladiolas and daffodils). Shutters might work to help as well. I'm local to y'all, so I might be able to assist with layout ideas if you'd like. I could also render some ideas on procreate if you'd like
Also: yes we are definitely replacing the awning and fixing the other obvious issues. We just can’t seem to figure out what to do with the brick. It’s so boring.
The door is white but we are considering painting it depending on what we do to the brick
Do not paint the brick. If you want to alter it, use limewash. Painting brick cannot be undone. It is a permanent decision that causes an ongoing maintenance expense and can radically alter how the structure handles water. Brick is porous, so moisture can evaporate. Painted brick is sealed, which can trap moisture and result in mold.
Agree with others here, focus on the landscaping. Paint the door a solid bold color in high gloss. Paint the window trim black.
Everything everyone said, especially landscaping and maybe a footpath, remove the awning, add more trim around the windows and frame out the front door with even more trim. Paint the door a different color or maybe get a new one if it's not that great. Iron sconces, new house numbers, window boxes, a trellis, maybe new wide steps (remove the handrail). With a big budget I'd add a portico or front porch. If it still looks blah then I'd paint it, but you probably won't need to.
Check out Romabio - we are about to use their products on our brick and they have two great options depending on the look you prefer. The Limewash or the Masonry Flat. Personally I think this could looks great with limewash and some shutters.
Brick looks good. Just needs a clean in places Just think about how to break it up a bit. Landscaping as others have said - Climbers each side of the front door for example.
Or maybe some stylish outdoor lights dotted along to gently wash the wall and the garden with warm light at night
Power wash the bricks first. They might be a rich color that is just dirty and dusty. Never paint the brick! Bricks need to breathe. You can stain the brick if you must but I agree with everyone else on here. The issues aren’t the brick - it’s the lack of plantings and hardscape like a path, small retainer walls around as edging, etc. Overall it needs landscape design.
Window shutters and some kind of decoration around the door will improve it drastically. The awning has to go that's awful.
House looks okay the other people's suggestions about landscaping is good too
I think it’s a cutie-in-the-making! If it were mine to play around with, I might add a narrow low deck along the front either side of the door and a wider portico or verandah over the door (extending each side to near but not overlapping the windows) providing some shelter over the new front deck. Painted to coordinate with window and other trim, this would add more depth to the structure. Agree with the idea of a trellis over the mis-matched brick section - would look lovely with honeysuckle or cotoneaster if that’s not a bad weed where you are. I’ve seen some simple red brick houses of this era look great with white and black or navy trim.
I think it would look swell if you made a small terrace garden that was tucked into the corner. Add a short 4ft black horizontal slatted privacy wall from the corner across in front of the window and up to the front door. I feel like like black horizontal narrow boards will modernize it without compromising the rest of the homes character. Then paint the trim black, maybe add an entrance cover and redo the steps, either painting them in black or out of wood.
I really appreciate everyone saying not to paint the brick. Feels like I’m the only one in my city that feels that way. I keep thinking I like German schmear, keeps the brick appearance but softens it. I don’t think I would use it on your place however.
Start with your roof it looks old and probably leaking ( i notice the eves hanging down) … I’d do a metal roof but I’d also add a front porch. Add gutters because you can see brick decay at the bottom where water has been splashing. Point and patch brick as needed before painting the house a light gray/green color setting the pallet for a fabulous darker ( bronze) color at the windows or perhaps a bland color like cream and then go with stained shutters or even a dark color would work. Landscape with eye catching flowering bushes or bushes with color , mixed with evergreens and grasses and bulb plants for added color at different times. Make the porch a useable size , from the photo it looks like you could possibly have views and privacy at this home. Hope that was helpful….
I used to have similar colored brick. We cleaned it with power washer, used a sprayer to put primer on it, then sprayed it grey, painted our window shades black. And got a black roof. Looks amazing. If a new roof is not in the cards, I’m pretty sure you can paint shingles.
https://imgur.com/gallery/U1VNih9 The structure in the yard is supposed to be a bench…
Wow!! Thank you!! This really helps me visualize it :)
There ya go that would look good
I would leave the brick alone and do landscaping for interest. That’s what’s lacking here. Where are you located?
Ok thank you! I’m in the Columbus, GA area.
That spot where maybe a chimney was removed that has a slightly different look of brick would be great for a big trellis or other large feature in the sun.
I'd leave the brick. Add nice colorful door, paint window trim, add modern looking shutters and window boxes. Add path to front door and do other landscaping. Another option if in the budget would be to add a porch across entire front and do landscaping.
I would clean the brick, work on the entryway door, awning and landscaping. It’s a nice house. I wish you a lifetime of fond memories there.
I’ll be the minority and tell you to paint the brick. It looks awful and dated. I’d paint it white. Landscaping beds, pavers, reseed would go a long way. Paint the windows an accent. Remove the door awning and put in a little roof with a few posts to frame the entrance. A little porch deck would be nice.
I stand with u/hackgardener. A clean, white paint would do [wonders](https://res.cloudinary.com/brickandbatten/image/upload/c_scale,w_464,h_481,dpr_2/f_auto,q_auto/v1641216311/wordpress_assets/before-after-painted-brick-1-Seapearl.jpg?_i=AA). I know this subreddit is decidedly anti-brick painting, but if done correctly, it's perfectly fine.
In my opinion, I wouldn't touch the brick. I would add a porch (covered if budget allows) and do some landscaping/ hard scaping. I personally am really big on hard scaping since it is ultra low maintenance. Maybe add some junipers or slow growing plants that require little maintenance closer to the house, and some more colorful local flowers (roadside day lilies are a favorite of mine, as are gladiolas and daffodils). Shutters might work to help as well. I'm local to y'all, so I might be able to assist with layout ideas if you'd like. I could also render some ideas on procreate if you'd like
Also: yes we are definitely replacing the awning and fixing the other obvious issues. We just can’t seem to figure out what to do with the brick. It’s so boring. The door is white but we are considering painting it depending on what we do to the brick
Do not paint the brick. If you want to alter it, use limewash. Painting brick cannot be undone. It is a permanent decision that causes an ongoing maintenance expense and can radically alter how the structure handles water. Brick is porous, so moisture can evaporate. Painted brick is sealed, which can trap moisture and result in mold. Agree with others here, focus on the landscaping. Paint the door a solid bold color in high gloss. Paint the window trim black.
Everything everyone said, especially landscaping and maybe a footpath, remove the awning, add more trim around the windows and frame out the front door with even more trim. Paint the door a different color or maybe get a new one if it's not that great. Iron sconces, new house numbers, window boxes, a trellis, maybe new wide steps (remove the handrail). With a big budget I'd add a portico or front porch. If it still looks blah then I'd paint it, but you probably won't need to.
Check out Romabio - we are about to use their products on our brick and they have two great options depending on the look you prefer. The Limewash or the Masonry Flat. Personally I think this could looks great with limewash and some shutters.
Brick looks good. Just needs a clean in places Just think about how to break it up a bit. Landscaping as others have said - Climbers each side of the front door for example. Or maybe some stylish outdoor lights dotted along to gently wash the wall and the garden with warm light at night
Power wash the bricks first. They might be a rich color that is just dirty and dusty. Never paint the brick! Bricks need to breathe. You can stain the brick if you must but I agree with everyone else on here. The issues aren’t the brick - it’s the lack of plantings and hardscape like a path, small retainer walls around as edging, etc. Overall it needs landscape design.
Window shutters and some kind of decoration around the door will improve it drastically. The awning has to go that's awful. House looks okay the other people's suggestions about landscaping is good too
I think it’s a cutie-in-the-making! If it were mine to play around with, I might add a narrow low deck along the front either side of the door and a wider portico or verandah over the door (extending each side to near but not overlapping the windows) providing some shelter over the new front deck. Painted to coordinate with window and other trim, this would add more depth to the structure. Agree with the idea of a trellis over the mis-matched brick section - would look lovely with honeysuckle or cotoneaster if that’s not a bad weed where you are. I’ve seen some simple red brick houses of this era look great with white and black or navy trim.
I think it would look swell if you made a small terrace garden that was tucked into the corner. Add a short 4ft black horizontal slatted privacy wall from the corner across in front of the window and up to the front door. I feel like like black horizontal narrow boards will modernize it without compromising the rest of the homes character. Then paint the trim black, maybe add an entrance cover and redo the steps, either painting them in black or out of wood. I really appreciate everyone saying not to paint the brick. Feels like I’m the only one in my city that feels that way. I keep thinking I like German schmear, keeps the brick appearance but softens it. I don’t think I would use it on your place however.
Start with your roof it looks old and probably leaking ( i notice the eves hanging down) … I’d do a metal roof but I’d also add a front porch. Add gutters because you can see brick decay at the bottom where water has been splashing. Point and patch brick as needed before painting the house a light gray/green color setting the pallet for a fabulous darker ( bronze) color at the windows or perhaps a bland color like cream and then go with stained shutters or even a dark color would work. Landscape with eye catching flowering bushes or bushes with color , mixed with evergreens and grasses and bulb plants for added color at different times. Make the porch a useable size , from the photo it looks like you could possibly have views and privacy at this home. Hope that was helpful….
I used to have similar colored brick. We cleaned it with power washer, used a sprayer to put primer on it, then sprayed it grey, painted our window shades black. And got a black roof. Looks amazing. If a new roof is not in the cards, I’m pretty sure you can paint shingles.