Thanks for loving my barn, Sheila. I love it, too! The contractor took more measurements a few weeks ago and called yesterday about color choices, which gives me hope that this might actually happen. Around here, it's hard to find someone willing to work a non-antique barn. We're going with metal siding (sigh). I would have loved wood board and batten, but the upkeep/intial labor costs/potential insect damage issues made my husband balk, so I compromised. Of course we'd use wood if it was a gorgeous old barn, but on this structure metal should be fine. We're planning on a classic dark red, with medium tan trim. I'd love to put a cupola on it, but that might be too silly. Although the top of the barn is visible from the road and I feel like a cupola with a weathervane would really dress it up.

dundas, Choosing brck and siding colour was very challenging for us too. I am not sure we got it right, but it might give you some ideas or help you see a red brick with a different siding colour. We chose Brampton Brick Crawford colour in small Queen size. We used a taupe (beige/greige colour) for the board and batten siding, with grey trim. The door is a fiberglass door stained to look like mahogany and there is real wood mahogany trim on the door (not fiberglass trim). Our house is not finished yet, but I have posted a picture where we used Photoshop to show the railing (imagine glass on the railing not mesh). The steps are stone steps and were not installed when picture was taken so we used Photoshop to show the steps too. Sorry, the picture is old, but it is the only one I have that shows what the railing will look like. Now, your brick has some yellow in it that our brick does not. So, I would not recommend the same colour siding as ours. You could do a beige, but not one that has hints of red undertones like ours does. Grey would also be a colour to explore. Best of luck deciding! You could also try looking at the Maibac website for ideas of different board and batten siding colours. Carol

Every time I've moved into a new house, I've had to watch my pennies, so I am assuming that you need to work with what you have as much as possible. I can definitely see the red siding. I love red houses. I think shutters would also help the look. Maybe in yellow or green? I know they are not "accurate" but it would break up the expanses and give it a little flair I think. You can also buy window inserts that give the windows the look of window panes. The white or cream trim you're thinking of would be nice. Can you have the trim around the windows enlarged when they side it? Also, in your inspiration photo, the corners of the house have the white trim boards going down vertically in the corners, and I think that would add a little something. It's the right side of the house that is really out of balance to me. Maybe you could have a different style siding on that side going up about 3/4 of the way to break that expanse up. Or use the different style above the 3/4 mark......just something to break the big blankness on that side. I can also see some big fan-shaped trellises on that side painted in your trim color. Tall as possible, and then some vines or roses growing up on them. How about some big Annabelle Hydrangeas below to fill in the landscape on that side? Then you could do a large country garden on the left side in a big swooping shape, not lined up in a straight line, maybe even coming out as far as those trees and incorporating them in the big garden. You could mulch with the red or medium tan color to make it a big feature and get some curved lines going. I've used exterior stains to change the color of bricks and it works. I used several colors to get the variations from brick to brick and it was not a hard project. Maybe some darker colors, or maybe yellows and golds and light browns? That window above the door does say 70s, but I think if you put a lace curtain in the window and go big and fabulous on the gardens, it won't take the focus and will look ok. Good luck. I think you can get the look you're going for without breaking the bank.

Nice house and yard. Consider choosing a dark bold brown for the fascia/soffit (and, perhaps, around your bold red door) but leave all the window trim white. A lighter brown for the siding you're adding would work well. https://www.pellabranch.com/blog/global-blogs/black-window-frames/ If the additional work to be done is changing out the windows, replace the large ?fixed? window with a pair that open and consider choosing black frames. You could then consider choosing a dark bold brown for window trim as well.