Not ugly at all!!! The brick looks to be in good shape and goes well with the roof. I would leave the brick alone and change out the colors of the windows, shutters, doors, columns and the gable. Off the top of my head, I might try a rusty red door and maybe a grayish tone for the rest to match the mortar.

Add some color along the front with pots and plants. That would make a big difference. Something colorful and interesting.

Actually, if you want to go cheap, I think the only thing it really needs is some life. I'd start by adding a sitting area in that small porch and some big colorful planters with flowers and greenery. If you really think it needs paint, I agree, I'd leave the brick and go black or gray for the trim and shutters. I'm personally not a fan of red doors on red brick and would go black with the door as well. I realize the porch area isn't that deep, but you could possibly add a couple of additional columns and run some railing too. That would give it a very welcoming appearance.

Lots of people really hate painting brick --
but I'm not one of them, so I say Paint It! ;-)

And LOTS of charming and colorful pots as Rafor said.

Is there any way to get more soil and planting beds out front? Or is all the land needed for the drive?

I'm another who favors painting certain brick. This is one that I would probably paint. If you need to do it cheaply, start out with changing the shutters and the door color and consider painting the brick down the road. Adding a thicker column will definitely give a more substantial feel to the porch area. Would not recommend adding any railing as that porch is way too narrow. Looks like you would have to squeeze in there to clean windows or tend to plants if you chose to go that route. Maybe you could add some nice window boxes to liven it up a bit??

Just found a nice inspiration for color scheme...Look at the second house down. The tan shutters would go well with the roof.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inspiration Pic.

Since you asked for a cheap idea I'm going to second the idea of leaving the brick alone right now and putting money into beautiful colorful clay pots full of life. The house is unbalanced with everything on the top 2/3 and nothing on the base. The white trim is also "yawn" boring giving it even less life. I'd consider a wonderful rich green (very deep and dark) as they do in europe...red and green is fabulous when the red is brick.

If you'r enot going to live there all the time and don't want plants to die go with pots full of cactus type plants and or ferns and either a dripping hose or a sprinkler that hits that area on a timer. We leave our gardens alone in the summer often in alaska and the timer does the trick, keeping them green and fresh while we're traveling.

The house needs balance more than it needs paint, and painting means more maintenance and expense later. Money that would be well saved to one day clean up that roof line by making the porch nicer, or something (I'd see an architecht for that but the roof is a yawner as well).

All in all it's not an ugly house at all :) It is just a bit simple and a bit badly designed...but nothing at all unfixable with a little CPR to bring back the signs of life.

I live on a lake and I'll admit this...my townhouse is UGLY on the outside. No help for it, they're very tall 80's buildings and I can't change that aside from doing what I've suggested you do...work with your current options and add life :) It makes a world of difference, and you'll be able to spend time by the lake verses with a paint brush in your hand constantly!

Here's a few ideas I had...

If you are unable/do not want to tear up the pavement, how about buying/building some fairly large rectangular box planters that sit outside the roof line. They could be painted/stained to match whatever color you decide for trim and then planted with colorful flowers,vines, etc.

Just do a google image search on planter boxes to get some ideas.

Excellent virtuals!!! :) Brillant!

I would change the color of the brick -- paint it to a taupey-brown or the chocolate brown as pictured above -- and change the columns (eventually!) to a tapered square with a larger square base.

Add a white fake (or real) round or oval vent in the center (or slightly more to the top of the center) of the trianglar gable.

Paint the shutters black or black-green.

Leave the front door white to blend in with the storm door. Add a knocker (if possible) to create a visual "center" for the door.

Add a thin, long white wood bench to the side of the door -- under the shorter window.

Add much larger black or oil-rubbed bronze lanterns to each side of the door.

Add a larger half-circle mat to the front door.

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I wouldn't paint anything, just add some nature and some window decor. Window boxes would be pretty under all those nice windows. And some pots with some tall foliage and flowers between the windows. I like the house and don't think it's ugly at all. I would put a star or a

Personally, I would live with it for a year and just do planters of bright flowers for now, maybe a few chairs. Things you can repurpose later.

If funds allowed, I would whitewash the brick to make it a lime-ish grayish white. I would use real, working shutters that are sized to fit the windows (I can't tell if those are), and I would replace those columns with ones that are architecturally correct (those don't seem to taper top to bottom). I would also do something with the concrete walkway, maybe apply a stain. i would replace the front lights with something larger and not white (maybe antiqued brass, black, ORB). The gable could use something also, maybe a "fake" vent or something, not sure.

The gable area needs to be made larger. I'd be incline to leave the paint alone and add an extension on where the gable is. Bring it out over the driveway to that curbed area so you have a covered place to unload the car. When you aren't unloading a car it could make for a nice shaded spot for some quiet talking.

I own lake property and I can tell you that you do not want to paint anything you don't have to. Water reflects sun in ways that most paint manufactures never dreamed of all year long. Stick with natural brick to save yourself ALOT of extra work and stick with light colors on the house to avoid having to paint yearly.
In fact I'd suggest if you have to use color use stain. It last longer around water.

Low, simple benches for under the windows, painted to match the rest of the house would balance the bottom out some and give you a great place to set items when loading and unloading as well as extra seating for when you have a crowd out.

Keep it simple and relaxed.

I agree about living with it for a year, with pots of flowers.

The problem with painting brick is the maintenance ... unless the surface prep is perfect, it's a peeling nightmare.

It looks unbalanced with just two columns, and they look too "fat". More, tapered square columns with a railing between them except at the entrance portico would give a "brick cottage" effect, and point out the front door better.

We have a lake house, and I will tell you this, it's a blast!

Thanks Jan. I appreciate that.
I think my favorite of the four is the fourth one. Blue is a great complementary color to the brick and though I like the added pillars I think they only waste the space since the "porch" isn't very deep. As mentioned above planters with pretty colored flowers will add way more in aesthetics than anything else you could do for the same price.

I also suggest not painting the brick - more work than it's worth especially down the line. For this year add a few pots and a chair or bench. Maybe change the paint color for the wood items.

I think the front facade/roofline is too small for the house and that's what is throwing things off. Maybe down the road change it. I'm also not a fan of fake shutters (I'm becoming an old house snob). If they're not the real thing ditch them. The columns don't seem accurate either.

I have a wonderful book "Get your house right" that helps to explain why things look "off" and how to change it using classical architecture. This book is written so the average home owner can understand it. I used it to verify my architect was choosing the right items. I chose different sized windows and columns. The book also has lots of examples to avoid and use. It may contain more information than you want/need but it's very understandable. Your library may have a copy. I gave a copy to my contractor - he has a great eye but this will take him one step further.

Here is a link that might be useful: Get your house right

The pitch/slope of the roof is one thing that is probably turning you off and that is not something you can easily change. Extending the gable out is not going to help - it will look like a roadside motel from the sixties.

I personally would not add more columns as the style of the house does not justify them. I would not add railing, it will close the space in more.

I would put two pretty slim benches, one under each windown and lots of potted plants. If the driveway is wide enough, I would also place some medium size potted plants on the other side of the drive next to the curb. Pots would be pretty in yellow, bright green, or maybe a nice chocolate brown.

I like the white trim, perhaps because I don't know what other color would look better. I do like the brown that justgotabeme mocked up (#1), but not for the brick. Perhaps she could do the trim and shutters in brown.

It is a nice house - ENJOY IT!

Tuesday

I would whitewash the brick. You should only have to do it once in your lifetime if it's done right, and it gives style and character to even the most uninspiring builders' bricks. Google "whitewash brick" and look at the images, and then click on askthebuilder for more information.

Then I would get rid of the shutters, paint the trim and door a nice soft but rich watery blue or green, like one of the variety of traditional trim colors of Cape Cod shingle cottages. I'd hang deep window boxes in the same blue or green under the windows, and build planter boxes, same color as the boxes, along the perimeter of the terrace. I'd paint the gable end and the columns the same tone as the whitewash.

The gable design is more problematic, since it is not centered on the door, and if you add more columns, you need to be sure that they aren't too close together, which can make it hard to get things in and out. The biggest design challenge I see is that the gable end needs an architrave...a horizontal base to the siding...and the columns need to be fatter, correctly tapered, have the proper bases and capitals, and moved in from the edges by a foot or so.

Then I'd get on with the pleasure of what looks like a charming getaway!

I think it would look a whole lot better if you could open up the gable by removing the white clapboards. Then you could hang a welcoming light (maybe a Moravian star), a large fern, or whatever floats your boat (... groan). If you have funky taste, you could even hang a whole collection of lanterns. (I wish that I had taken a photo of a neighbor who did just that; it was a fabulous look).

Another thought would be mandevilla planters to climb those poles. See how they climbed this telephone pole!

gwbr54 inspired me to add some flowers. Since I was adding the mandevilla in planters I thought I'd add some window boxes too. I hope the OP stops back in again.

I hope OP is reading all these great ideas given here.

justgotabme you do a great job on the mockups.

I was thinking of a rectangle or triangular flower box from the column to the end of the house on each side. In it put some slow growing evergreens.

Opening the gable end is a fine idea. You could replace the structural framing with strudy trusses, and 8 X 8 posts in place of the columns, which would give you a nice simple, straightforward facade, and solve the architectural proportion problem.
And I stand by my original shutter, planter, whitewash and color recommendations.

dark navy shutters and door would be my pick. the lighter blue is just too standouty. Then add the porch furniture, love seat, table lamp, etc, to balance the height of the windows and add warmth. I really don't mind the color of the brick, but you need to add dark there which is why the dark navy would look good IMO with that color brick. do the 'half moon' rug, like jan says..you have the nicest ideas Jan.

I do very much like the look of a dark navy with this brick. I chose the lighter blue, though maybe not this exact shade, since the home is on a lake. I can only do so much with color using Windows Paint. I was going for a medium smokey blue.

Went away for the weekend and came back wondering if anyone had responded. Awesome!!

Some thoughts and questions.

It is about 6 hours from us. A little farther than we originally planned but fell in love. So we won't be there often.

I am unsure what you are all saying about how to fix the gable exactly. I'll have to show to hubby he might know. Anyone have a picture of what people are saying? Love the idea to make it more coverage for backing up car or sitting [picturing a couple adirondack chairs maybe].

I agree about not painting the brick. BUT love the idea of whitewashing it. I've always loved the sort of storybook look.

I love the ideas about changing columns...would I paint them the same color as the shutters and gable. And love the color idea of the shutters a watery green or blue....or what about a more rustic wood column? odd?

And the benches....all the ideas are great. Thanks.

Hubby just hated the outside and I was hoping to win him over...then we can make an offer. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again for helping me 'dream'.

I'll let you know if we get it!

Trish

Open gable example below

Here is a link that might be useful: open gable