Thank you! You gave me so GREAT ideas and places to start. I have a contractor, but I am close to budget already because this house needed SOOOOO much work. I LOVE the idea of balancing the stairs. I can't do that now, but it is in my "must do" list now :-).

Do you have any color suggestions other than white? My realtor suggested I paint the brick and there is no way I'm doing that! Too much long-term maintenance and I like it as is --- it suits the house, I think.

Since the brick is a lighter color of red, skewing toward pinkish tones, I would like a darker color for the shutters, either a charcoal gray, black, or dark brown/black. The trim work, including the pediment, should be painted either in the color of the mortar between the bricks, or a light color (white or bone) in a slight hue of the mortar color, e.g. grayish white, taupey white, etc. That trim color would then drive the choice for your shutters (which dark color would look best with the trim paint).

For simplicity's sake I would also paint the door and sidelights the new shutter color to give it more presence since the front façade of your house is so wide.

One other very large color mass on most houses is the roof. Although it is not visible in your picture, I am curious to know the roof color, how far away one must be to see it, and whether or not it is up for replacement in the next few years.

With respect to painting the brick, there are paints now that are slightly elastic and last longer as a brick covering. Painting does simplify the color palette decisions, and helps especially when the color of mortar was a poor choice for the brick type and color. These painted brick houses have updated color schemes, this may be the type of thing your realtor had in mind:

Thank you!! This helps a great deal. I won't be painting the brick, but the color hints help a great deal!

You are very welcome! Do you mind saying what area of Birmingham you're in? I live in central Georgia, but one of our children went to high school in Pelham an I have friends in several areas of Bham..

Not at all. This is in Homewood. Where prices are CRAZY high for what you get. I was thrilled to get this house. It has been on the market for a long time. It flooded downstairs and she never remedied it, so lots of structural rebuilding inside, waterproofing, etc :-). BUT, once it is done correctly, the house will be fabulous and a great investment. My 17 year old played with photoshop a bit for me :-). This is SCARY for me as a single mom, but we hate renting and are looking forward to feeling stable and settled again!

Your house looks fabulous and were it me I would never consider painting the bricks. Frankly with the dark shutters the house loses its "friendly" personality, especially in an area where the skies are often overcast or hazy, which has a tendency to dull things down. The house also looks more stark without something tall and green between the windows. If this were in my climate I'd probably plant cypresses, those tall columnar trees you see in Mediterranean countries. I imagine the trees you have there now will grow taller and wider, and eventually become a problem, but something tall and thin would really soften the look and you could even have a matching pair at each end of the house.

The door is lovely! The black shutters look a little imposing. How about a French blue?

Thank you both for your input......I will have him try that blue first thing in the morning :-). I LOVE it. As for the trees, I can look at having them trimmed away from the house. They are just planted so close and I have to add gutters...there was structural wood rot inside both of the doors and in the basement because water kept pouring in there...hence the portico and gutters. I need a tree that won't hit them when they get installed. BUT, this is exactly the kind of help I needed....love the blue suggestion and will find a way to keep some taller trees!

My poor son :-). I didn't have him add the trees, but I can see what you mean about the harshness of the black vs. an ivory or gray/blue. Now, I'm loving a green door! Ack, decision.

There are many shades of black and charcoal, I would try some darker grays to find the perfect color for your shutters. The portico color / door color in the photoshop looks khaki, is that close to your mortar color? If so, you might try soft brown shutters with it.

Tall narrow trees/ shrubs for vertical lines between the windows is a sort of dated Italianate look that might not be appropriate for your house or location. Homewood is a great area, I love the Tudor style downtown shopping, that is where I had my first lunch at Zoe's. Great schools, too, which makes your home an even better investment.

I like the portico your son mocked up! You might also google pictures of a portico style that projects outward (right angle) from the house instead of upward.......like these

A pic of same house from farther back:

I like the third one your son did; the one with charcoal blue shutters. I do have a similar style house, and have struggled to find a way to add a portico. We added a taller door when we did substantial renovations/addition to our home. What height is the ceiling at your entrance area? You might be able to consider a taller door too. I like the suggestions posted earlier of adding a second landing/staircase to the right side as it would give symmetry to the front. However, how would you get more of the same brick to do that? Are the current steps in good shape?

Carol

The third one made me "relax", like it's the right direction. I think, though, that the shutters are all too long. Even in your original picture, they extend too far below the sill.

The demilune portico is so pretty--there's one in my neighborhood that I love because it's different--but...how would you do the steps off of it? And, the top is usually flat, and I like the one your son added because it breaks up the strong horizontals and verticals. I notice, though, that the porch is changing; it steps back on the right side in the original, but not in the photoshopped ones. So be careful what you fall in love with!

Love the French Blue with the brick. Congratulations on you purchase of this your lovely home.

Thank you all so much. I'm talking to the contractor now and looking and pricing all the options. We will definitely do a country blue or gray, so thank you very much for that idea. Sadly, replacing the shutter won't happen yet...but in due time :-).