I find high contrast of this sort very old fashioned. lessening the contract between the trim and body color would lend it a more modern feel. But remember -- its an OLD house ⦠it will NEVER be modern. Why not be true to the house's historic exterior and let the interior breath a modern air ?

What a bummer. Chimney's design looks attractive though being on exterior wall, doubt the draft is very strong. Guessing that's why height was added. Agree you need a third party professional who specializes in this type of evaluation. The metal roof work looks great but the weakness of most above roof masonry is the flashing. Best practice veneer masonry flashing features through-wall designs. It's not rocket science but tough to find the right craftsman and more expensive to do it right. Most projects use the cheap version, saw cut reglet counterflashing which is probably what you have. Your tall chimney provides plenty of opportunity for water to make it through the surface of the brick. The water could be coming in at the chimney cap or pinholes/gaps in the surface coating. It seems like the brick might have held too much moisture at the time of it's paint job. If it's redone, allow the striped brick to fully dry and coat after warm, dry weather. No one wants to hear it but the best thing to do with chimneys is stop using them and tear them down. Eliminate indoor combustion pollution, water leaks, air exfiltration and all future maintenance.

Here's the link: https://www.progressive.com/lifelanes/household/painting-brick/ To be clear and so we're all speaking in proper context, the 3 to 5 year recommendation is about REGULAR HOUSE PAINT. Which I have repeatedly stated that regular house paint is not the best product to use to change the color of brick. 30 years ago there wasn't the range of product to choose from like we have in 2019. Also, from the same article. And, again, to ensure everyone has proper context... "The Brick Industry Association also advises using a porous paint for exterior brick walls, so the brick can breathe." " Zumeta recommends looking into having your brick professionally stained, rather than painted. Although it can be more expensive, a brick stain penetrates the pores of the brick, unlike paint, which simply sits on the surface. It creates new color without some of the long-term risks that come with paint." In addition, the article speaks to the substrate. Which I also mentioned earlier in the thread because it matters. Bottom line is it's not okay to make sweeping, generalizing, fear-mongering comments about the pitfalls of painting brick without specifying product and substrate. The details matter. Lastly, from the article, this is bad advice. Which makes me question the article overall. I wouldn't use Super Paint exterior on normal substrates let alone brick unless the budget was Super tight for painting normal exterior substrates. JMHO: “Choosing a high-quality paint is vital for painting brick successfully,” says Watson. Both Watson and Crocker recommend using specific masonry paint products for painting brick, starting out with a conditioner and a primer, and then using a breathable latex exterior or interior paint, like Sherwin-Williams’ SuperPaint Acrylic Latex."

Did you leave the column like that on purpose, or did you paint it black? It just sticks out, and looks disjointed. I think by leaving a few of the darker bricks exposed, you've made it look like the house has freckles. Like everything, there's likes and dislikes. I personally don't like freckles on men, because my sister had them and I found them feminine. However, there are other people like my sister, who sought out men with freckles and found them attractive. So, it's whatever makes you happy. It does add some texture.. This was a big change, and I personally would have covered them all. I am glad you got away from the red brick, which I find very boring. Again, this is just my opinion and you know what they say about those.. Everyone has one..