What about a soft grey/green on the siding and a deeper green on the door? I'm not sure where your trim is, but it could be white or a third shade of the green. Put some color into your flower beds -- I'd look for different shades and textures of foilage as well as some white, yellow, oranges and purples for flowers. If the shutters are staying off, definitely do some tall plantings, trellises, bird bath or other vertical elements to break up the horizontal.

The beige isn't a bad choice for that brick, but it appears a bit yellow --maybe just not the right beige. You could warm up the beige and contrast with a green door (I really like green, black and navy blue doors with red brick and black is too dark for your house -- it gets lost).

It looks like your brick is an orangey red, and I'm not sure I can see most greys working well with it.

Others will have different ideas, and they may be better, but that's what your house says to me. Have fun.

Is the storm door staying that color? Is that a wood trim piece along the roof line that will be painted also? How about a white door and a yellow on the siding? I I've seen some very pretty combinations of red brick and yellow that make a great backdrop for colorful plantings.
I don't know where you live, but I would keep in mind combinations that are best suited to your geographic area, climate and light.

@lascatx-I was thinking green too. I love the idea of introducing different shades of greens for various parts. Very good idea. And green is my favorite color. Maybe a more khaki shade of green.beige on the siding and darker green on the door....hmmm. Thoughts to think about.

@annie1971-The storm door can be changed if the rest of the trim (when I say trim I mean gutters basically and soffit) becomes white. The wood piece you see is actually the soffit so yes, that would be painted too. We live in NC. Not sure how that plays into combinations. It IS sunny here often and hot in the summers. I like the idea of yellow and white, but it's hard to picture. I may need to do some uploading and playing around with colors (need to learn how first!).

Thanks so much for the replies so far!

Here is a good article with examples about trim color with brick.

I really like the charcoal or the green.

BM HC-166

BM HC-125 (on right)

If you do charcoal trim, I'd do a pool blue or yellow door.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/kendallcharcoal

If you do the green, I'd do a slate blue or soft yellow door.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/cushinggreen

Your white windows would make a nice contrast with a darker trim. Like these pictures (and the doors are even yellow!).

Here is a link that might be useful: Maria Killam best colors with brick

So the white windows stay: the downspouts and soffit (trim along the roof line) will also be white to match the windows. Is that correct? The only color to consider is for the door and the siding. Do you have a garage door and trim to consider as well?

@geokid, WOW! I love that buttery yellow door!! Thank you for the article. I'll take a look at it tonight. Not sure I have any trim now that I read your comments. I was thinking downspouts and soffit were considered part of the trim. The windows may not have trim around them to be painted, I'll check.

@annie1971 The white windows stay, yes. I may or may not paint the soffit and down spouts to match. I could paint them an entirely different color. I've heard two schools of thought: either paint it all white to match the windows or keep them in a different color ignoring the windows and letting those just "be". No garage, so yes, apart from the issue of down spouts and soffit, just siding and door to consider.

So far no one has suggested painting the brick. I'm a bit surprised as this was a hot topic last time I posted!

I appreciate your ideas!!

It's kind of difficult to see the colors from that distance. If the roof is brownish, I would think twice about grays. It is a difficult combination. I think the yellows or the greens would look much better.

You may find that the best color for your door and your trim is white. The brick is dark, and a crisp white door would look really nice. That is what you want to draw attention to. Your front door is kind of lost in the brick.

I would start experimenting with soft buttery yellows for the siding, and white trim. I would never paint the brick.

Thank you Jamie for your input! I really think that I need to change the screen door now that I think of it. It's brown. Maybe a white screen door and yellow door?

Thanks too for your opinion on the brick. : )

I love this paint and, if need be, it would work well with the brick.

Here is a link that might be useful: mossy green

I think the siding would be spectacular in a soft sage, mossy green. I would not paint the downspouts white-they are not features you want to highlight and white would definitely stand out and scream, "look at me!"

I really like your house-love ranches and can't wait to see what you do with your landscaping.

My brick is that color but I have a mahogany door. I once had mossy green trim with a sort of mayonnaise other color and the mahogany door. I now have 3 gray colors and a burnt orange door with brass kick plate and findings sotaspeak. I know, I know, it's old age cataract crazy color. I also have a charcoal pergola growing sort of orange/salmon roses in spring.

Here's a lovely combination

Here is a link that might be useful:

@yayagal-love love love the mossy greens! That is what my gut has been telling me to do. Thank you for the BM color.

@Patricia-It sounds like you also like to have fun with colors! You should see my kitchen! : ) I like the image your flowers evoked too! : )

@cyn427-Yes, mossy green is they way! And I can't wait to see what I'm doing with the landscaping either! : )

I guess I need to figure out what color to paint the soffit. Maybe same mossy green? Hmmmm If I keep the downspouts brown and screen door brown, what color do I paint the front door? Or would the red work? Would there be too many colors?

Brick-orange
siding-mossy green
downspouts/screen door-brown
windows-white
door-?? Yellow? Green? Red? White?

Can you tell I've never painted a house before? : ) So many questions, so little time! I'm meeting with the painting company's color consultant tomorrow. We'll see!

I think I would consider keeping the storm door and the house door the same color (white?) The downspouts could be painted the color of your brick; otherwise they will be the same as they are now (brown) and have no relationship to your new color combination.
Why not start by settling on a siding color and then go from there to decide what to do about the soffit color. You might find that an additional color would work well up there.

Thanks for the advice Annie. I think that will work. Once I chose the right green, I'll see what works for the soffit. : )

Ok, so my color consultant advised me to paint the brick a mossy green as well as the soffit, then paint the siding a lighter sage green, so to trick the eye that the house is not as long as it is. Keep the door red. Maybe add shutters back in red or not.

Thoughts? Oh, and soffit will be darker green along entire house.

I don't like my brick. The neighbors all have interesting brick with different colors. Mine is solid orange. But I've always been told to never paint brick.

I was going to suggest painting the house the same color as the brick, so it doesn't look so choppy. Since you don't really like the brick color, I think it would look great to paint the whole thing mossy green.

I think msrose may be right about painting the siding in a color closer to the color of the brick. It would look less choppy. I don't agree with you color consultant.

Unless the brick is in bad shape, I would not paint it. Right now it is maintenance free, once you paint it, you will be painting it forever. Maybe just going darker with the siding without any "orange" would be your best bet. Your landscaping will change everything. People underestimate how important that is.

I know its probably not what you have been considering, but what about going with a terra cotta color on the siding? There is a beautiful two story in my neighborhood that they painted a real subdued terra cotta color, it was gorgeous.

I am not opposed in general to painting brick, but I just don't think you need to do it to your house. I don't agree with your color consultant, and I can't picture your whole house in mossy green. I like the idea of not trying to match your brick but using coordinating terra cotta color.

@mrose, so you think doing it all in one shade of green rather than 2? I am wondering without another hue of green it will look too monotone, like one big green rectangle. No?

@jamie, I think you and my husband must have talked! Lol! I just told him today about the plan to paint the brick and he said no. I hadn't considered the terracotta idea. I really can not stand the "hotness" of the orange already and though I know it would blend, I think it would drive me nuts. Maybe if I found something more brown/red than orange? Do you think if we just painted the siding green, a darker green to go with the dark brick it would do anything to break up the "longness" of my house? Or here's a thought. Maybe I should learn to embrace the long lean look. We were going to focus on landscaping this Spring. Without painting the brick though we'd have even more money to do that. Maybe hold off on painting all together? It just does NOT feel like my house at all from the curb. And I've lived here for 3 years.

sigh.

unsure what to do.

Here is the lighter green for the siding: SW Garden Sage

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Sage

And here is the darker shade for the brick: Sw Meadow trail

Here is a link that might be useful: SW Meadow Trail

Annie, thanks for that. I will look for a terra cotta. Let me post a picture of the brick up close so you can see it better.

Annie, thanks for that. I will look for a terra cotta. Let me post a picture of the brick up close so you can see it better.

Ok, so here is the brick:

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

We took down shutters that had been painted while on the house so there is some paint on the brick I wanted to show. Maybe that changes things?

Another option would be for us to but new shutters up. The previous owners had them as door shutters too (which was too much for us!) but we'd consider putting more modern clean ones on the 2 windows.

Here's a picture taken in the summer when we first moved in.
{{!gwi}}

It's funny how the pictures I chose to show you (including those of the brick today) were taken on a rainy day in the winter!. We live in central North Carolina and it's very green and lush here most of the time!

I wish I could show you a picture of the terra cotta house I was talking about. Unfortunately someone bought it and built a mcmansion over it. Almost broke my heart.

Something darker, not orangey. You would have to experiment. I think your brick is very nice. I think the white windows look nice against it. (and I still like the idea of a white door)

As far as the long lean look, I think once you landscape, that won't be an issue. You just need to get some variation in height, with shrubs and plants. Something to break up the lines. I really don't think its the house, its just that it looks kind of bare with no shrubbery.

I don't agree with your color consultant either. I think a long green bar may look even longer -- and blend into the grass and trees more unless you are really careful with landscaping choices. I'm also not one to paint brick that is in good shape unless there is something that can't be corrected any other way, and keep in mind that it creates more painting and upkeep over the years as well.

If you keep the brick and paint the siding a green or creamy color, then landscape with some vertical relief, you will provide a number of breaks for the eye -- you won't see a long stretch of the same color. I don't have photoshop, but I think you should mock up some pictures of your house and see the differences. I agree -- landscaping is the biggest issue.

If you don't want to paint the brick you could stain it. Of course you would not be able to go lighter, but darker would work. Some work, but something you can do yourself and it doesn't have to be perfect as it gives you some variation.

I had a colonial house with very similar brick. I hated it. HATED it! When I was struggling to find a paint color for our house, I read an article that advised that you find a paint color that is similar to the grout between the bricks. I did that - settled on BM's Sandy Hook Gray. I loved the way it turned out... let me see if I can post a picture.

This was the "before" - can't figure out how to get them both into the same post. :)

Our old neighbors back long ago used concrete stain I think (said they got it at The local home improvement store. Before Home Depot and Lowes were everywhere). They had a light yellow brick and changed more to a darker brown red brick with some gray variation too. It looked great. We thought they had painted at first.

I searched and found this English company that has a bunch of before, during and after of dyeing brick. Click on the names of the people to see the pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dyed brick projects

Whether you go with all green or keep the brick and paint the siding a similar color, I like the look of all one color. I don't think there's anything wrong with the house looking longer and I prefer that to choppy. I know you've gotten alot of suggestions here, so I can't wait to see what you finally decide!

This post was edited by msrose on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 8:54

A very subtle change might be all you need. Look at the difference in karen's pictures. A light gray (matching your grout) might be a sophisticated combination for you. If you can't clean that white paint off the brick, I would go back to shutters, which I think look fine on your house.
I think you need to do a few photo shops with some suggested combinations and don't fret too much over the brick.

I like your brick and wouldn't paint/dye it. I think matching the grout is a good idea and would like to see someone do some color mock ups. Would like to see the white window trim with black shutters with the grout color siding and a bold door color.

That said, part of karen's house that makes it different than yours is the different elevations/recesses, etc. You can make up for lack of these with differences in color on the house and with landscaping shapes/heights and placement. I think a good landscape designer would be more important than a color consultant.

Also karen's gray roof really sets off the brick. I know it's probably not in the budget, but would love to see your house with a gray roof. When you come up with the right color combo and an overall plan, everything will seem much easier.

Ok so lots to think about here. Here is what my husband and I have decided for sure: No to painting the brick for the time being. Maybe paint the siding a green and front door a white or buttery yellow. Put money into the gutters which need to be replaced (white?) and then put money toward landscaping even if we do not paint the house this Spring. I think landscaping is where we should put our money. Now to your comments which I so appreciate!

@jamie-I wish I could see it too! I still think for me green would make me happier even if one color would be better.

@Lascatz-Thanks for your thoughts. I do think landscaping is emerging as more of the issue!

@Lyfia-Wow! I never knew you could even stain bricks! I love this forum and am touched that you went out of your way to find a link for me. I do think it looks like a bit much in terms of work for us. Thanks for the suggestions though!

@Karen-Your post made me so happy! I can't believe how much better that green color made it all! Thank you for posting your pictures. I appreciate them!

@mrose-Thanks! I do think I am now shy to paint the brick and I can't stand the idea of more orange, even if the right terra cotta. I guess I'll have to unify it all with landscaping! I be sure to post pictures.

@annie-Yes, Photoshop would be perfect. I need to find someone who can do it for me though. I looked at my grout and had thought it was beige like the siding, but it is grey and even green gray if that is possible. I do think a grey green mossy color is the way to go!

@Lizbeth, Yes landscaping. Our roof is only 5 years old and I hate that the previous owners went the orange route once again! I would have loved to see my house with a gray roof too! : )

You're right, you can't change your roof because you're changing your house colors (although that would be a luxury many of us would like to have). If you choose to go with a nice gray -- I would like to suggest a nice bright navy blue contrast color for the door or the shutters (if you go that route). I would do one or the other, not both shutters and door, but I think it's something to consider. I'm bowing out of here now, because I think you have so very much to consider. I'm looking forward to seeing your decisions.