Update 80's Brick Exterior
We are purchasing a house built in 1981 and want to update the exterior to make it a bit less... dingy. The style seems to be a mix of colonial revival and french country. It was built custom for the previous owners and so it seems to be a bit of a mix. The brick is a white/cream textured brick, the mortar is brown, and the roof is a brown/red depending on the amount of sun. The front of the house (western facing) gets mostly shade as there are a lot of mature trees on the lot.
Current thoughts are:
- Limewash the exterior so a warm white/cream so there is not as much contrast between mortar and brick. I think the mortar is a big factor in it looking dated.
- Replace front stone with brick
- Remove overgrown bushes
- Center the lanterns
So I guess my question is what color would trim would work? Maybe a taupe? Or should I stick to something that matches the limewash better? Any other ideas?
Comments (9)
PROCelery. Visualization, Rendering images
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoI would start with white wash, or even paint brick and may leave pattern visible above the arch and on sides. Ohhhhhhh and I would remove shutters. I think trim is good color, I would go with the same or bronze.
- PRO
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Comments (11)Can you paint the siding instead of the brick? They don't really go together. I think one of them needs to be changed. Not desperately--it's not THAT bad. Landscaping would help quite a bit. I don't mind the baby cactus garden, but the white rock stuff on the other side should go. Alllll the white rocks should be removed. Don't pull out the big bush until you have a plan. Sometimes an established plant can nicely anchor a new landscaping scheme. Pruning may of course be in order. There is a helpful landscape design forum here. Blunt, but helpful. :)...See MoreNeed help updating exterior of 80s home
Comments (5)I agree that painting your stone is not going to give you an updated look. I would either embrace it or remove it entirely. Your greatest impact is going to be in painting the stucco and trim, front door and garage door. All of those except front the front door should be the same color. I would recommend picking a warm gray or taupe color out of the stone. This will both downplay your stone and bring the house into a more contemporary pallet. For your front door I would consider a dark rich color. As K Lawrence said, go big with the light over the front door; perhaps something with simple lines on a bracket. As far as painting the brick, I like your brick, and would try fixing the color of the stucco and trim first and see what you think. But this is also a house that wouldn't look bad with the stucco, trim, and brick all painted the same color....See MoreHow to update 80s Exterior?
Comments (2)I agree with celerygirl on the upper shutters. I think if it were my house (and it's a very nice house) I'd want to paint the second floor jut-out a color closer to the brick. I'd like to see what the windows would look like painted a lighter color, instead of the green. There are some talented people here who could do that, but I'm not one of them. :-)...See MoreUpdate to my 80s Schizo Exterior
Comments (4)I think I would do a metal casing around the posts the same as the trim around the door. I have to say I do not love the gray but if you do thats all that matters. You need to not add another finish to the posts so pic whatever is already there somewhere if not the metal. IMO they need to be about 8" square. BTW I love the house . I hope all the back is the same color siding as the front. I am so glad you did not paint the brick that would have ruined this really cool house. Now you need some landscaping to add the right touch....See More
theclassics21
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoThanks @Celery. Visualization, Rendering images! That's what I was thinking. Push it more french country. We have to replace some of the trim as parts are rotted but we will do this probably before we lime wash, unfortunately. I figured if we did want to repaint it, it would be easiest when we were replacing it. I forgot to add that this is what the back looks like.
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
4 years agoThe roof is pretty over bearing in color. Here are some examples of homes in a French country style for reference. Limewash for the brick could be a solution.
theclassics21
4 years ago@BeverlyFLADeziner I've definitely pinned some of those images. I did some digging and the roof was installed in 2001 and is still in pretty good shape. Still, I will probably have to replace it in the next 5-10 years (its a very high end roof so estimated to last longer than 20 years) and can choose a different color. I love the color scheme below with the trim color, white brick, and roof. I don't know if it would work with the brown window cladding that the house has though. I don't have the time/money to paint those right now, unfortunately.
flopsycat1
4 years agotheclassics21
4 years ago@flopsycat1 That would be the goal. I know there is some leftover brick, but since it was built about 40 years ago it may be hard to find something matching. A limewash or painting would make than a non-issue though. I found this photo which is similar to what it might look like a bricked entry might look like. Ugh it could be so pretty! How am I going to wait until warmer weather.
Beth H. :