Of course it's possible I could install white gutters, and keep the black shutters, and then have something like this for my color of the brick and siding:

http://www.makeupalley.com/m_142866335

I am telling you I cannot wait to get this painted, but it probably won't really happen until next Spring. The urgent thing is the gutters, which need to be replaced now.

I think that person in that blog that painted over the brick made a mistake. It looks worse painted white than it does having 'dated' brick IMO, plus now you have the maintenance issues of dealing with a surface that is not supposed to be painted having paint on it.

I don't understand the concern about the paint changing color depending on the substrate. Paint experts - is that true of acrylic paint?

You can paint gutters, so it doesn't matter what color you have put up now.

I gotta say, I don't like the all-white house but I like the grayish-green a lot. Take a look at the Ben Moore Historic Colors. There are several pretty greens there.

Why don't you post this on the Home Decorating forum for more opinions, along with the links to the white and green houses.

Don't paint brick and don't paint new gutters. Waaaaa!

All you women think about is color!

Haha paintguy, it may be true. I just don't like what I see every single day when I pull up to my house.

Can you answer my question about the way that aluminum siding may take (and retain) paint compared with the brick? I know it makes no sense, as Graywings said, but I have seen this happen to some houses similar to mine that are all painted the same color... it's weird.

On my run this morning, I saw a ranch that is part brick and part siding all painted one color with white trim. Very cute. The color was a medium taupey gray.

Let me ask you this: let's say I DID paint the whole house one color. Would it look wrong to have that strip of aluminum that runs right underneath the overhang on the right painted white? that would definitely offset any coloration differences, but it might look stupid.

Well, I'm a heterosexual man, so it's hard for me to understand what you are asking I guess. It's true two surfaces painted with the same color will look different. It's also true that two surfaces painted with the same color located in different places will look different, like siding above brick for example. But, I can't imagine the color looking so different that it would clash. If it were me, I would not paint it all the same color. Maybe if you left the eves white and got new white gutters and painted everything else a color, that would be enough to break up the sameness of the color....plus, then you would not have to consider painting the gutters, which to me is more important than anything else!

Paint that brick properly and you'll never have to do anything to it again, except keep it clean.
Use a color card at your favorite paint store to help you select a 3 or 4 color scheme. Work smarter not harder if colors are not your thing.
I think a light accent [brick color] with a colored lap siding would be a good way to start.

I have a hard time imagining paint on different substrates actually changing color, I suspect it's more of a texture thing.

FWIW, I like the look of your house. It may not be pretty brick, but it's inoffensive, and from a distance blends well with the siding. I'd do nothing, or keep the same color when repainting siding. People with houses that are completely stone or brick seem to accept that their homes will always be the same color...and this house seems best suited to it's current color family (full disclosure: I hate painted brick more than ugly brick; it looks bizarre).

However, if you do paint it all green, don't leave the white strip in the middle...unless, *maybe*, you're changing all the trim to white. I think it might look rather like a white belt.

paint brick with combination white siding?