I would probably do white or cream stucco with wood trim in a half-timber style in the gables and paint all that type of trim dark brown. I would probably do without shutters, since real ones would have to be very wide and put some sort of trellis in between the windows. I would also probably add a black wrought iron hand rail to further define the porch anc get a larger, more gothic looking lantern for next to the door. It's a sweet looking house overall.

I would like to see something over the front stoop. If not a roof of sorts, an arbor or pergola. I also think I would paint the siding as close to the brick color as possible.

I agree with Pal, and I'm mostly repeating him.

What a cute house! I think I'd play up the Tudor cottage/Storybook look. I'd get the stucco redone in the gables, and do it in a cream or light tan. I think the white trim is a little jarring, and I'd do it in a darker tan or brown. I'm a little torn on the shutters. I'd like to see how it looks without them. If you keep them, I would again go with a shade of tan/brown, or a moss green.

I think the front door would look great in almost any shade of green. Love the charming front steps. A big lantern and a pretty iron door knocker would look great.

Thank you all for the ideas! The shutters are currently down, as the ones in the picture were very hail damaged. I'd prefer to leave them off, but whoever hung them drilled very large holes into the brick, and there is paint/discoloration underneath.

I would prefer the shutters in a pale color.

Pal nailed it.

Your house is absolutely charming and just needs some tweaking & better landscaping. But I would put a tall trellis on the chimney wall to soften that wall and to add a vertical element to the landscaping. Also, a landscaping with more curve and that is pulled forward towards the street would be more flattering & add more depth than the current rectilinear/close-to-the-house landscaping. Decorative lighting in the yard, like a post lamp, could help to draw the eye forward & add appeal & functionality too. Finally, any relandscaping of the front yard should emphasize those wonderful stone steps. They are so welcoming, possibly your house's best feature.

Agree along Pal's lines. I'd keep the stucco and paint it a more earthy color along the bronze lines. Wood stained trim. I'd paint the white trim around the doors and windows a bronze and put up brown or wood-stained shutters.

Then I'd pick a great color for the front door to make it pop…OR per Tudor style, put in a wood-stained door.

Paint the garage in the back the same color as the stucco.

Agree the front stoop needs something. Some kind of railing around each bend and down the steps, maybe.

Like others above I see something over the door...don't know what.

Love that landscaping Awm!

I was going to suggest a darker siding. If the OP lives in the south, stucco is not a good idea. But a shake-type siding in a color or slightly lighter as awm03 posted would be great. Look at the color suede in CertainTeed cedar impressions line. My DD has been looking for siding and this is one of the brands/lines she has been looking at. I agree with carrying the siding to the garage.

The front door needs some protection and softening of the lines. Would an eyebrow-type of overhang be possible, and have it die into the roof on the long side of the L? Here is a picture of such an overhang.

Those plantings on the left cascading down around a curvy path from the entry in awm's rendition sure transform and soften that front, don't they? Egads, that looks great. Finishing the garage to match the house seems to give a lot of mileage, too.

I'm surprised how much I am liking the dark brown/greige color with the red brick - but it looks finished and good!

If you add trellises or something around the door, it seems like it needs to be pretty substantial/thick/heavy to work with the brick or it just ends up looking wimpy?

Maybe a simple awning over the door? The trim & lack of space over the door might be a problem.

Really like Pal's last mockup with the black muntins on the windows. The best color with brick really is black. Also love the accent Pal added to the gables to give the house much more of a Tudor look, and really like Awm's metal awning over the front door.

You guys are spectacular!!! I do have a question: The white trim at the windows is the vinyl window itself. Can I just paint these? I hate the white with everything, it contrasts much too much, but it works well inside, because all the trim is white. The white at the door is the storm door, which wouldn't break my heart to paint/replace. ;)

I agree that the shingle color on the roof doesn't help, but it's a new roof, so until the next round of hail comes, it is what it is. (Though that may not be long off, I live in Oklahoma.)

I LOVE the landscaping and extra winding path. That is happening.

I've always wanted to add something over the door, and have contemplated a wood trellis type covering that begins alongside the stone steps at ground level, and comes up over the front door to meet the "long" wall.

One thing missing from my photo is guttering that was added. It's not a big deal, but it does match the current mossy/clay trim color. I will probably have to tackle this all piecemeal. (Some day, I'm going to replace that single window that doesn't match the rest. Ugh.)

Thank you to all of you, I'm so excited for the potential I'm starting to see. :) This has made me really want to pursue "Tudor-ing" it up! Tudor Cottage, here I come!

Awm, not to hijack but thanks for the awning and the link! I think that's just what I need over my garage door and a large window on the other side of the house. Keep the snow and rain off my garage door a bit, and maybe I can have lights below. Very handsome!

It's a great awning and perfect on brick, IMO. Agree, bp, with your description of "very handsome".

This may be a silly idea but I'm wondering if the roof shade might look good on the side uppers to better tie it in.

Pal's last picture is just perfect IMO.

I'd also like to see the view looking toward the front door, seems it would be nice to work on the landscaping to make the approach more inviting, a nice railing will help. Are there plants in the middle of the walk?

There is no roof overhang on the gable ends. Is that just the way this style of house is built? Does the lack of an overhang contribute to the deterioration of the gable panels that KJ referenced in the initial post?

FWIW, I like Pal's latest iteration too. It looks more like a classic Tudor to me.

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If the windows are vinyl, you'd have to reverse the window trim. I don't like this as much as the dark sash but you can't paint the vinyl to my knowledge

I like Pal's mockup. What a charming home!

I can't wait to get started on all of this. So exciting! I am definitely going to add the path/landscaping as mentioned earlier, as well as the traditional half-timbering in the gables. I do think a lighter, warm, creamy color with a warm dark brown (almost black?) would be great, with a rich color on the front door and dark hardware.

Unfortunately I don't have a shot more toward the front door. I'll try to grab one, but we've got a wonderful ice/snow storm headed our way tonight. Currently the plantings are between a single concrete path and the house.

I'm sad about the windows. I'd love to replace them altogether, but they're perfectly functional. I'm hoping that fixing the mis-matched one will at least make it look more polished.

Again, thank you all so much for your input. I had been going round and round on this.