I think your ideas are spot on. You might also consider a grayed green to play off the brick. It could add a little oomph, instead of a pale gray. And play up the pretty greenery surrounding them.

I think white, with black shutters.

Agree grey, but with caution regarding the undertone - so it looks OK with the roof. These pics have "grey" siding but it looks green (& not so good) next to the roof.

I have grey siding and went through many samples to find the right one.

May be safer to go with a very light grey, almost white color, with black shutters as eld suggested.

Or new black roof, with grey siding.

Such a mistake not to paint the brick. People think there will be high upkeep but that's not true at all. Paint on brick lasts far longer than on wood trim or siding!

It's not a "mistake." Good grief, why does every frikkin house in the universe have to be gray and white.

Grey and brick might work with a larger house. I am not a fan of grey either. I changed my grey house to pale yellow and I love it.

I see too much contrast in a small house, making it appear smaller. Match the color of the siding to the brick so it does not appear cut in half. Get rid of the shutters too.

This is a great tool that I used when deciding to change the color of my house. You download the picture of your house and then choose different colors so you can see how they would workhttps://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer#/active/scenes.

OP, you didnt mention the roof - is that going to change anytime soon?

What Ardvark said - I would say though not to try for EXACT match (not really possible since that brick like most brick is probably variegatated in color) but something closely related and more muted in tone than the red of the brick. Brick reds btw are fashionable colors so its not like this impossible task that some imagine. -Maybe post a closeup of the brick that shows true color(s) in daylight - so we have a better sense of what it is - that might help pin down exact color.

Otherwise if you google "colors that go with red brick" youll findsome really
lovely combinations - the trick I think is to consider the brick as a
color and from that find the colors for siding and shutters that all
work harmoniously together.

I despise painted brick it always looks goopy and unnatural to me. I love real brick with its no two are alike colors. I think natural brick with grey or green is always lovely! Brick in my opinion is not a material that was meant to be painted. Like stone, its beauty is in its built in color and variety.

No shutters in any of these lovely pictures. I think adding gray and white would be nice, as shown. Black too would be yet ANOTHER color which seems like too many. In my world when the trim and shutters match it helps them look like they actually belong.

IMO, the front of this cute little house is too small for shutters and it looks cramped. Since new siding is going up, why not remove the shutters enitrely and put up framing that matches the rest of the trim instead. I too am getting tired of everything gray and even green.

It may not be for everyone and may even be too much for the amount of siding needed for your house, but I think this navy blue is at least different and interesting

I was going to post "try no shutters" also.

I'm glad nobody wants to just touch up and keep the blue...

Thank you all for your suggestions. The roof will be replaced in the next year or two. I will advise medium to dark gray.

This is an older gentleman and he likes the red brick. I will suggest they take off the shutters. Thank you! He is feeling overwhelmed, small steps and kindness needed.

Agree with the comments about too many colors on a small house.

If he did a red roof, that complimented the brick, the siding color could be a nice accent.

Are there blacks/grays in with the red of the brick - if not and if brick leans more toward "oranginess" vs faded red I would advise a warmer "weathered wood" color for the roof - vs "gray" which tends to lean in a "blue" direction.

Love that-small steps and kindness. Upkeep can be overwhelming as we age. If they can afford it (and perhaps they could since it is not a huge house), Hardiplank siding might be good. No blistering and comes in lots of colors. Ours has held up for 15 years now with no sign of wear. I think a gray, light sage, or a taupe would work nicely. I prefer their smooth board to the one that they say looks like wood-clapboard siding on older homes is smooth. Ha.

Also, if they can swing it, a full-glass storm door would help. We got ours from HD and it matches our siding very well.

I agree Hardi siding would be great. We'll have to see if his funds would support that. The brick is more of a blue red, no orange in it. I think our goal really is to fix it up for him and convince him to sell and move to a maintenance free place. He's a dear.

I'd advise siding. One installed, never need to paint again. The house is small enough that siding won't break the bank. Also a plus for resale.

I see why people are advising to remove the shutters, but the windows are so small in relation to the amount of house around them...I think the shutters at least give the windows some presence. So maybe if the house siding is more closely matched to the brick, the shutters would still work on the windows.

My neighbor tried to get his siding to match the brick. The close but not quite a match - right next to one another - looked bad. He finally painted the siding.

Thus, my suggestion to match the brick and roof (as they are not right next to one another), use a different color siding, then consider accent color shutters.

60-70% main red color, 25-30% secondary color, 5-10% accent color mix (learned from someone on GW).

mdln, for exactly the reason you describe, an exact match should not be attempted - just aim for closely related, but distinctly different, so you dont have the 2 colors fighting each other.

Ackkk. Hope that makes sense - I kinda know color intuitively but if Im gonna post I really must learn the lingo!

OP, none of my business I know... well maybe it is since its posted on a public forum - just hope the gentleman can have as long, happy and healthy a life as possible in his own house - of coure ev situation is different but sometimes the cost of hiring help to maintain, provide in-home care etc. can be comparable/less than supported housing or nursing home care.

Prairiemom, I think it's wonderful you are helping this gentleman spruce up his home. I don't have much to add, except for a suggestion on replacing the front door. Has he considered replacing that as part of this project? The looks would be greatly improved by removing the storm door and painting or replacing the door. I guess it depends on funds and what he's comfortable doing in that regard.

There is brick and then there is brick. I lived in St Louis for 19 years and most of the brick houses there had beautiful brick - good variation of color, just enough pink/orange in the brick. My own house was like that - I would NEVER have painted it - it was gorgeous brick.

Then later I moved to KY and wondered why all the brick houses were painted. Then I saw ones that were UNpainted! Such unbelievably ugly brick! Dark, dirty, no color variation, no life. Painting that brick was a huge improvement. All brick houses do not have to be painted gray! On my block alone, there are many different colors and all look great. This is an older neighborhood - most houses 70-75 yrs old.

I've been told that most brick houses use locally made brick due to shipping cost, and that the variation one sees from one state or area to another is dependent on the clay found there. Thus some gorgeous, some ugly.

Thanks again. I very much appreciate all of your suggestions. I'd love to change out the front door but like I've said before, just doing the siding and other repair work is overwhelming to him. I'd also like to switch out the wrought iron railings for simple white railings. We already have plans to overhaul his overgrown yards too. He has said he's okay with vinyl siding so that is probably what we'll do. He feels embarrassed about not keeping things up but he is a dear, a Vietnam vet with three Purple Hearts, who can and does give others the shirt off his back. He is so generous to others, now it's time for us to take care of him. That can be a hard thing to accept but he's trying.

We rarely get updates on planned projects on GW but I'm thrilled to present one now! We started the process in April 2017. He was understandably reluctant to accept help for months, but we assured him his numerous nieces and nephews wanted to help. We donated money, helped tear out the overgrowth and hired reputable contractors to replace all the windows, put up vinyl siding, new shutters, new doors and storm doors. He is so happy about the changes and has accepted our help. We guided him but he chose to keep the brick and he chose the colors and even the door style. (He likes yellow but immediate neighbor has yellow siding.). We took small steps but ever forward, encouraging him, assuring him and thanking him for the generosity he has shown all of us for 50+ years. I've said before he is a dear and inspiring man. Here are a few before and after pics. Front porch will be replaced this month as weather allows. Thank you all for your great advice and kind words.