oh, melle..you know they now show me listings in your area, lol? probably because of these two you shared once..as an examples of what you like/dislike.. but since i didn't know your neighbourhood of preference, etc..In short I just looked at them the kitchen does look like a garage! I like the fire red, very bold of them; but layout is not easy. no countertop around the stove makes it really challenging lots of work, or so I envision bathrooms too..although it might be photos distort the places. Bathrooms are hard to shoot too they're smaller. possibilities will reveal themselves to you when there Iike the living, the backyard(possibilities!) , and the house overall is nice. I do think brick has nothing to do there. But I'd go there and feel it you know? It can be 15 things that you dislike and one you love, and that one will overweight other 15.. ah. don't mind their decor. just kinda wipe it when looking..in your mind. interesting bedroom with that step..

You do NOT remove shutters on one side of a window! That makes no sense. None of the items you mention are needed to improve the house, and some will detract from it. It's just change for the sake of change. If you remove the railing over the porch, how will you explain the French doors? No one would ever have French doors leading on to an unsafe balcony with no railing. Yes, I know, the doors may be fake, they may never be used, the roof may not be able to be walked on. But it has to LOOK as though it could in order for the French doors to pass as real. If you remove the railing, the house looks stupid and dangerous. So...tread lightly. You're new to the house; live with it a while. Cat_ky is right. Spend some time nd money on landscaping. The house looks barren and baked sitting like that. I'd like to pull the driveway away from the front of the house to give some room for a couple of ornamental trees; that may not be possible. But certainly rethink those tiny ball shrubs.

We need to see pictures of your home and where you'd like the extension. I see many brick homes that have had extensions and have used wood siding, or Hardie. I would never use vinyl, but depending on the pictures you post, wood or Hardie could be an option.

I would never paint the brick. Too many folks do that these days...and one day it's gonna be an ugly mess when folks want to remove that (later owners or whatever)...or b/c moisture gets built up behind the bricks (b/c they can't breathe). I'd pop a beautiful vine to grow on a tall trellis so that it surrounds the entire front door for a stately appearance. But of course, you need normal landscaping too. You'd probably be amazed at how some simple landscaping would soften the front of your home's appearance. I'd also want to lighten the front door color....since it seems so shaded. SHUTTERS: I personally don't prefer the current shade of gray on your shutters. I think you could find a color that pleases your eye more. Have you considered removing the bottom-floor shutters on the main part of your house (leave the garage ones and the top-floor ones)....and make the front door more of the focal point? Sometimes that's more of a hassle than it's worth...b/c then the part of your brick that was under the shutters may need a special cleaning. . Like others mentioned above, before doing any major overhaul (including removing shutters), I'd: 1) landscape (for sure) and 2) try to make the colors be more pleasing to your eye (ie. find shutter colors to. And yes, as someone mentioned, I personally would like a darker....if you're ever at the point of replacing the roof. I think this house would be prettiest with browns being it's color point...and no gray involved. But you have it now...and just need to work with it....and not against it. . Use this color tool. Find at Sherwin Williams a beige color chip that matches your brick. That way, you can try to match colors to your brick color. For instance, I just guessed at the color of your brick and chose Kilim Beige as your color & it showed these corresponding colors. -- . https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6106-kilim-beige You could play around with it. Of course, you could use any color tool. I just googled and used this SW one. You'd be amazed at how much more you'd like your homes appearance if you have matching colors & landscaping, I think. :)