On the Hardie, would I just run a vertical trim board off the edge of the brick in the front and also in the back and the Hardie butting up against both?

Check with Hardie. They have flat panels and trim that I think could replicate what you have now. Good looking entrance.

This looks like a very snug and solid little house!

That return should have been done in the same brick on the front of the house, but since it wasn't, I would agree with the idea to use Hardie panel and plank to recreate the look you have now, but in a low-maintenance kind of way.

Are your windows new? And if so, are they vinyl or something paintable? The reason I ask is that when you are replacing and painting the entrance, It should be treated as trim. Right now, the white looks a bit stark. A very pale gray like Benjamin Moore's OC-23 Classic Gray , or OC-22 Calm would soften the look, tie in with your roof colour.

What is happening on the adjoining garage in terms of colour, by the way? This should tie into the over-all scheme and since the other main colour besides brick is your roof colour, that would be a clue as to the way to go. Something dark enough to look like the roof, but not nearly as dark as the shutters and front door.

You could replace the whole doorway with a fiberglass unit. No more woodrot. You can get it primed or fully painted.

Elizabeth, the windows are replacements and they are vinyl with aluminum flashing? Do you think that brick is behind the paneling? I can't imagine that it wasn't originally brick. If so should we clean and expose the brick? The attached garage has been recently re-sided and will have to remain that color. I believe it originally was a carport and then transformed into a garage at some point. Thanks for all the suggestions!

It looks from the close-up of the windows that there is still a painted element and that is the part that could still be painted a soft gray so it doesn't look quite so stark - like it's been primed and is waiting for its final coat.

Since you are going to have to remove the paneling around the front door anyway, you'll be able to find out if there is brick behind there. If there is and it is in reasonable shape, spend your efforts rehabilitating it, because the paneling is a little. . . . odd.

What was the overall vision when selecting the colour of the garage siding? The colour certainly works with red brick, however, it would be more unifying if this colour was repeated. The shutters would be one possible place to re-use the colour. If it turns out there isn't brick on the returns around your front door, this would be another potential area to repeat the garage siding colour.

Without knowing anything about your budget for the project and other plans you may have, it is difficult to be more specific.

Awesome advice Elizabeth, thank you! The garage color was picked just because we thought it blended well with the brick. I HATE the shutters! Whats the point of fake non-working shutters? Functional shutters are on the to-do list and painting them the garage color is doable. Does the house really need them you think? We are definitely going to look into painting the window trim the soft gray you mentioned. No real budget Elizabeth. We even tossed around extending and widening the front porch with a gabled roof.