I like the brick and trim best in #2, and I think the darker color will more successfully cover the existing pink, but I don't like the door color in #1 or #2. I would like to see either a blue, black or truer red door (not the very neon looking orange-red there). I don't like the yellow with the taupes, either. Green might also work but you have a nice green lawn and bushes to compete with.

#3 is nice but I don't think the color wash will actually look like that IRL, with the light color my guess is that the pink will show through more. Can they do some test bricks around the back or side for you?

I like #3 best and #1 second best.

Wait wait...can you do the colors on the website without changing the brick? I like the brick best in the before but wow do you have some bad paint next to it (I apologize if you picked that pink but it's horrible with the bricks).

Are you sure the brick is bad enough to paint it? It looks sort of low-end icky in the photos where it's colored but that's probably just the software being imperfect. Be sure you get a test spot done!

Changing the brick as shown removes the charming cottage look.

Can I choose the original brick? I like it the best but I'd do an all white paint on the siding. The house will also look bigger with white. But I'm a sucker for white houses!

Then you can get a deep red door to pull out the red in the brick.

I vote for 3, but I'd keep the siding on the top all the same colour.

1 then 3 is my vote

I agree with fori and oakley - leave the brick alone and change the paint. White paint and a charcoal grey door would be charming with colorful landscaping and/or pots of flowers.

I would also try changing just the paint first, leaving the brick, and would paint both gable ends the same shade.

Quick glance, first impressions without complicating it with the whys...and my spontaneous choices are #1 and #3. For someone reason they both appeal to me, and much more so than the present color.

Whatever color you go with, you should paint the drain pipe to blend in with the brick and get rid of the fake shutters on the right window. I also vote for keeping the decorative iron posts. Columns are so overdone anymore. The decorative iron is distinctive and adds a period charm, IMO.

I love the brick and iron work - your house is so charming. Paint the siding in the color you choose, but wait to see if you really must paint the brick. It might look so wonderful you'll leave it unpainted. There is so much ugly brick on some houses, but yours looks very nice.

I would leave the brick. I think it is nice but just needs a better color for the siding.

Of the 4 choices, I pick #3.

No offense, but my husband and I are just not crazy about the iron work and the original brick. The previous owner painted it pink and had a brick facade put just in the front. I think the thing that bothers me most about the brick is that instead of being coming up only about 3-4 ft (like wainscoting), it covers a much largert/taller area and looks odd to me. I mean, usually a house is all brick or a little brick and not somewhere in between, right? The siding is only on the smaller gable.

Do you think it's strange to have the siding a different color from the stucco gable?

Now if we decided to keep the brick as it currently is, what colors would you suggest for the stucco and/or siding?

Thank you for all of the feedback!

I think it's a pretty common facade. This one has brick colored siding

Not suggesting those colors, just showing that it's how brick is frequently applied. What color is your roof?

What about using a gray to blend with the mortar? Like the color in these shutters and trim...and I'd do both the stucco and siding the same color to make them look cohesive.

Oly...more and more I am liking the wider trim seen on houses. I have shutters and see so many that look like mine, just pasted on. The last house is beautiful in color and style. I would think that adding trim like this isn't much more in cost than shutters for two windows. I'm curious if the house in in paint transition....brick on left painted gray and window trim on right looks like it has white on it.

My personal option on your lovely cottage is to add some elements. The left gable with siding to match right and perhaps a new round grill, which I think could be just laid over the old.

As for color, keep the brick. And keep going on thinking about color. None of the ideas work for me. I'm stuck on white, but love the gray trim and white siding in last pic of Oly's.

I like #3 with both gables the same color. However, I would wait to pick a final color until you get the brick color washing done. I think it's pretty hard to get a firm feel on what color it will be when finished.

Paler gray on the bricks; deeper darker gray on both of the eaves .... white columns; black front door (add silver knocker) -- and please paint the downspout in the same color as the brick! LOL! :) Just teasing! :)
No shutters at all ....

If possible .... add lighting by the front door -- and in the garden.

Add a white-painted round vent at the top of both of the eaves.

Remove original plantings -- and expand the garden beds -- and make them flank the walkway. Add some larger gray rocks in several spots and a variety of height in the new plantings.

Add vintage garden chairs or a white bench to the front porch.

I like your house but am not particularly liking any of these. I think they look dreary.

I think you need to decide whether or not to use shutters rather than having one window with and the other without. If you shift the color on the peaks, I would make the one over the door the lighter one and would not make it a big difference. It gets more attention being lighter. Unless the door is bright, my eye goes to the right side of the house.

I like the brick.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 11:20

Love the grey like olychick suggested. Or the color in the front peak of your options 1, 2, and 3. I'd do both peaks the same color. You could add vertical trim to one or both peaks for interest. See pics below.

I also do not like the iron work. I think you should enclose the porch like in these pictures.

Also, a lot of the pics of houses of your style have awnings over the front windows.

The brick looks like it is applied appropriately for the house style.

If you don't like it then by all means color wash it, but make sure the look is what you want before selecting your paint.

I would not do the two gables in different colors. See the pics geokid posted. They are all the same color. This will also minimize that there are two different materials on the gables. Although the pic geokid posted has that in some cases too.

Nice house! I'd keep the brick, replace ironwork with columns, and consider trim in a (not yellowish) cream or a soft grey with a charcoal or black door. Searching combinations of colors and material (e.g. "light brick") on Houzz might be helpful. A little bistro table with a pair of chairs would be really cute in front of the window on the left if there's enough depth to handle it. I like the open porch.

Gray on the bricks, slightly paler color of gray on the woodwork, lighter on the trim, (use 2-3 colors of gray going up and down the scale from brick colors), omit the shutters and paint the front door red with some brass lighting and brass kickplate. I think you should omit any white and any wrought iron.

I like the brick, both gables should be the same color, and I dont like the ironwork. I would see how it looks without the shutters too. I have a stone house, it also has the ironwork in two areas. I wish I could afford to replace them with some type of columns. When we bought the house, it had black shutters, that werent in all that great condition. We took them off, to paint some, and replace some, decided, the house looked so much better without them, that we sent them all to the trash. Now, that I am alone and have to do all the maintenance on my own, I am happy, we made that decision.

Also vote to leave the brick, remove the shutters and ironwork and paint both gables the same. I like the beefier trim in olychick's 3rd photo better than the shutters. An enclosed porch would be a lovely addition as well.

Also noticed that your FP is visible so whatever you do with the brick, I'd treat that the same. And treat both windows the same as well.