"Mint green" can mean different things to different people so you should show a sample of what it means to you and Granny. Also, you should say exactly what you're painting. Will it include the brick? Without knowing the exact color, I'll venture to say that it does not sound good to me. I'm imagining something on the low class side, as colors go. To be sure, what is killing any potential the front of the house has is the hedges lining the walk. It is negative to the maximum and no matter how you trim it, it will remain so. Ditto for large shrubs in front of windows and porch. Just plain grass at both sides of the walk would be vastly superior. We can't see the yard, but based on the hedges, I imagine the general landscaping is in need of a major overhaul.

Trying to decide on new roof color & gutters. We would like to update the look to make it more current but can only afford to change color and siding with some cedar shake and maybe some stone. We will also be enclosing the chimney above the garage. Should we keep the brown trim with brown gutters and brown roof? We live in a rustic wooded area and would definitely like to change the color from traditional white. Any ideas?

I liked Celerygirl’s first and last color schemes from her Wednesday post. I wouldn’t remove the shutters since they are totally architecturally appropriate to these windows and this type home. I would most likely also add them to the second floor windows since that is the way this style house would have traditionally looked. I like the bed line Yardvaark sketched out which looks great with the classic architecture and doesn’t hide it. I wouldn’t put anything much above window sill height across the front of the house.

I prefer the color you have far better than the ginger peachy color. The large plant I've circled in red is much too close to the house and drive, for something of that size. Flaming torch bromeliads work well as circular beds around tree trunks. They tolerate (require) shade and put on a nice show for a couple of weeks in September. Otherwise, they are trouble-free plants that remain green. You may be able to pick them up cheap on Craigslist or Facebook if someone is dividing their lot and selling the surplus. I got a ton of them that way for $1/ea. There are many other Bromeliads, but flaming torch is an old standard that is readily available from other gardeners. Another groundcover plant to consider for color and low height is regular or tri-color oyster plant. They are easy to propagate and look tidy. The common Boston Fern which has escaped all over Florida is used by many people as a tall groundcover. It can be had for free, but you'll not be able to have much else (beds) because the fern spreads all over. For a larger shrub/small tree there is Camellia. There are also Azaleas for shrubs that are shade tolerant.