I have a 2-story brick house that sits on top of a hill with a huge brick retaining wall (which you can see in the photo way off to the right, underneath the garage portion of the house). My house has only ONE brick side (the front), so I have no qualms about potentitally adding to the maintenance cost by painting this home...I already have to paint 3 sides and trim. Also, 95% of the houses in my neighborhood (suburban Atlanta) look EXACTLY like mine. Red brick colonials...one after another after another...so neighbors almost appreciate it when someone branches out. Although you can't see it in this photo, the brick is fading rapidly to a sad orangy color. It gets TONS of sun.

Anyway, the typical painted brick colors in my hood are taupe/tan, moss green, yellow, white, or gray. Nothing too crazy. I like the idea of having a yellow house. (Well, or blue, but my husband and everyone else sorta freaked out at the idea of blue brick!) I was thinking of yellow brick and black shutters with a red door. However, the painter is suggesting very dark red shutters. My family is suggesting green. My neighbor, dark brown. And the painter suggests adding some of those shutter 'hooks" and window boxes up top to add interest. My house looks HUGE on this hill. I want it to seem a little less huge and more cozy. I bought it from my dad, retired Army, who liked that he could "survey the troops" from on high :) Following is an example of a yellow house in our neighborhood:

As I mentioned, I have that red brick retaining wall running across the front to think about. It is already in need of some serious repair (which you can't see because the moster stairstep cracks areshielded by the bushes). Everyone agrees that if I paint the brick, I should paint the wall. But a yellow retaining wall? Hmm. Although the painter recommends it, I simply just can't picture it. Neighbor suggests a dark color for the wall to match whatever shutter color I pick. A brown wall? A red wall?

I'm so confused by all these choices that I'm simply doing...nothing. And although you can't see it, the paint is actually peeling off all around my window frames. Up close, it's kinda Amityvillehorror-esque.

So, to all you painting and decorating geniuses...
1. Suggestions (ideally pictures, becuase I just can't visualize well) of shutter/front door colors to go with a yellow house...I like cottage-looking houses
2. Suggestions for what to do with the big honkin' retaining wall
3. Anything else you suggest? I'm open. (Oh, but I really am not fond of stucco...) I'm not terribly creative :)

Thanks everyone. Sorry about the novel...

For the retaining wall, if it's failing, it needs to be replaced and wasn't constructed with proper drainage behind it. It could end up being a big safety issue in a big rain.

Our house is Sherwin Williams Jersey Cream, the shutters are Sherwin Williams Belle Meade Green (similar to Charleston Green, but named after a neighborhood in the city), and the door is black (trim is yet to be painted and I'm not sure what color it will be).

Forgive this photo - it was taken right after we got the roof replaced and the lighting wasn't the best.

olychick - That house is just around the corner from me!

I say painted brick. I love the cream color with black shutters that albyrant posted. Not so crazy about the yellow house, though.

I tend to prefer very neutral paint colors for brick, but I like your house with the yellow, it would just have to be exactly the right yellow, which could be stressful (yellow is hard for an interior) and there is so much green bounce from the landscaping it might take a little bit to get it right. But it could be inviting and warm for sure.

I also think some nice details will help warm up the facade of the house - GW'ers will have a lot of great ideas.

Two resources I used was CertaPro has a painting assistant who will give you suggestions for paint colors if you email her a picture (her name is Shannon, its on their website) it is a free service and CertaPro does not have to be doing your painting.

Also, I used a great book called House Colors: Exterior Color by Style of Architecture by Susan Hershman which has lots of wonderful photos and actual paint colors by brand - it was hugely helpful. Keep us posted!

Painting the brick of the house is an entirely different project than painting the brick of the retaining wall. As a horticulturist and landscaper, I can say that you would quickly regret painting the wall. The moisture in the soil the wall is retaining and the moisture of any plant material touching the wall will soon cause any paint job to fail. Even w/ an expert paint job by pros, with all precautions taken, will only delay the eventual failure of the paint job.
Either repair and leave the wall as is, or remove and rebuild w/ a different material such as stacked stone or a product such as Allen Block. Man made stone & concrete products come in many sizes, colors and configurations, so you can really alter the look of your landscape.
Painting the brick of the house does not pose the same moisture issues as the wall, so you are clear to do whatever you want w/ that.

My questions: Are your painted-brick houses really painted or are they stained, how long have they been that way, and is maintenance or fading an issue? Thanks for any insights, and sorry for the hijack.

The big problem that new structures can have when painted is if the weep holes are plugged. That seals up the brick and then the paint job will fail for sure. Even if everything has been prepared properly and that includes a lot of prepwork, a painted surface will eventually fail and need repainting. Not so brick. Brick can go a hundred years or more and not even need repointing if the home was constructed properly and had the proper overhangs on it. My sister lived in a 150 year old brick building that was just then having it's first repointing done. Even then, the whole structure didn't need it, just the areas that received the most weather exposure.

New owners bought the unpainted Colonial next door to us. The house was an eyesore, dark red brick with muddy-looking mortar and rust-colored shutters and an addition with white siding. They painted the entire house pale green-gray with cream trim and charcoal shutters. The house is transformed--paint seems to have unified the structure, making it seem more harmonious and elegant.

Bushelandapeck - our shutters are *very* dark green. The green shows better in some light and at certain angles. The shutters are board and batten style and I think they are a better fit for the cottage style we were going for.

Our brick was also an orangey color - not nearly as nice as Laura's before picture! It's hard to tell in this photo, but it's the best "before" image I have. I can honestly say that every single day, when I pull into the driveway, I think "I'm so happy we painted the brick!"

Our paint job is only 2 years old, but so far, so good! We live inside Nashville and there are tons of painted brick houses. I think it's very common in the south.

I agree on the retaining wall. If it's in need of repair, take care of it FIRST and take care of it NOW.

If there is anything left in the budget, come back and talk about paint.

My concern about painting your brick would be the amount of sun you say your house gets, as it would likely cause your paint to fade unevenly. Also, as someone mentioned previously, painting your brick would just create a different huge block of color to look at, and won't necessarily help to reduce the impression of size.

If I were you, I would give my shutters and trim a fresh paint job; Charleston Green shutters and door with a warm white trim would go great with that color brick. Replace the brass door knocker and handle with some something less bright (even antiqued brass would look better). I also like the idea of the planter boxes for the upper windows to add a little softness and to visually break up the facade a bit.

You will never achieve a cottage look with your home, as its overall design is inherently more formal, but I think these few smaller changes will go a long way towards helping it feel more cozy and warm and reduce the impression of size.

Once you have your house spruced up, deal with the problems of the retaining wall separately. I agree that a painted retaining wall would not look good at all. I like the idea of a stacked stone or similar material.