This is a close up of the brick.

I think I'm having a hard time finding colours because the brick is so flat and one-dimensional; there are literally no other colours to pull from.

Just asking...
Would you ever consider painting the brick ??
Or a whitewash ?

Hi forboystoo,

No, we won't be doing that. The house is just too big. We don't have the budget for it.

It's too bad they put such a dark black on the roof. Maybe they were trying to balance it out by using black trim because it didn't look right to them either. (I agree with you that it does not look so good!) So, I'm thinking the overly dark roof will be a consideration, rather than using all white you'll need to include something darker, with the alternate color you mention for sills. I think white around the windows to match them is a good idea, though, so they don't end up looking small or squished.

Really a lovely old house! I think it will look great with the porch opened up again and the modern window removed. I've always loved those Dutch Colonials. Someone I know had one and it was very interesting on the inside.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Apr 16, 13 at 15:13

I know what you're saying about the roof snookums. Even a charcoal grey would have been better than black. It's just so stark!

I wish I knew Photoshop..
I want to see it with shutters on top windows and trim painted out white.
Plants would hide a lot of the bottom.

Any photoshoppers got a minute ?

How about painting all the trim white and the siding a dark taupe? Then the roof would not be such a contrast.

I would put good sized flowerbed along the front and sidewalk; that would do a lot in taking attention away from the black.

Forboystoo: I've been working away in MS Paint for the past hour or so trying to get a visual. Apparently I really suck at it :(

Terriks: I like the idea of having all the trim white with a different colour on the siding. Are you thinking of white window sills too? Would it look weird with the siding on the vestibule one colour and white siding on the rest of the house?

Ogrose: There are hydrangeas and boxwood planted along the sidewalk and on the other side of the vestibule as well, but they were just planted last year and are still quite small. I would honestly rather spend the time repainting the foundation than waiting for them to grow. I'm thinking of a light grey colour. What do you think?

You brick looks like BM fiery opal which goes well with BM standish white and BM ivory palm.

It also goes pretty with a deep green like BM amazon moss
{{!gwi}}

I would ignore and isolate the black to the roof only. I would then work with the other colors. I too like the idea of shutters on the top windows, but make sure they are each half the size of the window so they look like they could actually work.

I have to agree with Terriks. I think the roof and brick are just fine, but not with white siding. Taupe would be beautiful with the white trim around the windows w/black roof. Your house is too nice to be a plain jane white.

Annie: Thanks for the colour suggestions, I'll have to check those colours against the actual house. Yes, this dilemma actually caused me to spend almost $35 on a BM fandeck...

Oakley: I would also like to isolate the black to just the roof. If I may ask, what would you include in the "trim" category? Window trim, window sills, columns? Would you include that black patch of siding on the front as siding or trim? Also, what would you do about the foundation and door colour?

I appreciate everyone's help on this!

OK ~Nobody laugh !!
Stephf , You couldn't do worse than I.
I do like the idea of shutters up top.
Maybe after someone seeing my poor attempt
at photoshop will show us how it's done :)

I like the shutters! The roof looks new. So if you can somehow swing it, that's a good idea to lower the contrast on the siding. The black is too harsh and the white looks stark against it.

Cute house! You might take a look at a medium warm grey for the siding. I would paint the window trim all white (eliminate the black). I'd also consider painting the entire front vestibule in the siding color, since that bit of black will need to be the siding color, which will leave the top part of the vestibule all siding color while the bottom has brick edges; might look odd. So I'd paint that bit of brick (I think!). Finally, if you're inclined to start from scratch, a creamy white instead of stark white trim would be nice with your brick. But that would be a huge project, not one to undertake lightly. Regardless, it is a sweet house that will only be sweeter with any improvements you make.

It is a pretty house, and I think it has loads of curb appeal already. If you hate the black, the easiest thing to do is to paint it all white. I would seriously consider landscaping in front of the vestibule area with a much wider bed, with some tall foundation plants.

If you want to give the brick some character, you could do a lime wash on it. That is pretty cheap and easy.

Forboystoo: I agree that the top needs shutters. Thank you for your efforts in providing a visual. Mine was actually WAY worse...

Snookums: The roof looks brand new. I don't know how old it is because we just moved in last summer, but it is in great shape, much to my dismay. I would love to change the colour, but I just can't justify throwing away a perfectly good roof.

Lazydaisynot: I agree that that bit of black on the vestibule needs to be painted to match the siding colour, whatever that may be. I don't think we'll be painting the brick pillars though. I'd prefer to find a colour that pulls the roof, the trim, the brick and the siding all together (that's not too much to ask, is it? ;)

Hosenemisis: Trust me, we are working on the landscaping! That, along with ridding the exterior of all things black, is our summer project. I am a little bit lost when it comes to landscaping in front of the vestibule though. When we eventually open the vestibule up to turn it back into a porch, we are going to move the stairs to the front and have a curved path that goes from the stairs to the driveway. However, I don't know what to put in there in the meantime.

Forboystoo, you did a good job. I like what you did and I too, would like to see a taupe shade replace the white siding. Love the shutters and the small amount of black you kept. SW smokey taupe is a good one but there are plenty of taupes out there.

I think anything you do to rid the black will go a long way toward improving the appearance. It is a cute house & although a softer color would be nice, the roof isnt terrible. The black foundation and vestibule are, however, pretty unsightly.

My eyesight's not the best; I didn't realize the bit of brick I mentioned was part of a column. I see why you wouldn't want to paint it. Some foundation plantings will have a huge impact on the facade of your pretty house.

I would paint the foundation to match as close as possible to the color of the grout between the bricks.