If you can match the brick, I think that’s your best bet for a gorgeous, quaint, cohesive, cottage look…

That would be my first choice.

If you cannot, maybe consider adding brick and white washing.

If you aren’t a fan of that, I’d consider stucco, or board and baton.
I don’t really love the combination of brick with siding.

I don’t mind the metal roof. I think it can stay.

Definitely beef up the porch Column.

Maybe garage doors?

Your house has SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL!!
it’s really a lovely start.

Thank you for your ideas!! I asked about bricking the whole front and I was told that the bricks would be too difficult to match. Maybe I didn’t ask enough people? That was my favorite idea too!

I should edit to add that we are replacing the metal bay window roof because it’s in bad shape - most likely with a similar type of metal roof but a more modern shape.

I like the idea of doing something with the garage doors to complement other changes. The current plan is to get rid of the little angles on the corner to square them off and then go from there.

It's already a very attractive house. I don't think you'll have any luck trying to match the brick. I think the metal roof over the first floor window is appropriate to the style of the house, so when you go to replace it you can use metal again if you can't match the shingles on the roof. I would just dial back the yellow in the siding color to cream, or use light gray. It would be more challenging to find the right gray to go with the brick since it's a little more orange than red. A red or dark green front door would look nice. The black shutters would be fine with a red front door. If you do dark green I would change the shutters too.

Inspiration

KAndrew- those are all great ideas! Thank you!

HU- yes!! Love it! Can I copy/paste the brick in real life too?

Wdym?

Doing dinner… be back soon…

Here’s whitewash … did it super quickly sorry it’s a mess… lol

I was just being a bit silly. I would love to mimic the brick across the whole front, but I’m not sure if I could find a good enough match. Thank you for all of the mock-ups! They are very helpful for visualizing!!

So the garage doors draw the eye because they are light and your front door is black. IMHO, trying to add brick veneer and get both sides matching will be difficult and expensive, and may not ultimately look good. If the bricks don’t match and you limewash, your contractor will really need to be an expert to get both sides identical. You will also have to paint or replace the garage doors because the light color makes the house look off balance.

I would paint the brick the same color as the siding. Siding holds paint well, so you can actually paint your house a whole new color if you want. You can paint your shutters too, and your front door. If you could pick any color in the world for your house, what would it be?

SWF - all great questions!! I don’t think that I can paint or lime wash the brick due to the HOA requirements. Removing the brick and replacing with a different material could be on the table depending on the cost.

My vibe is more a modern aesthetic, but I’m also trying to stay respectful to the bones of the house and what looks good. The interior color scheme of the house is lots of blacks, whites, blues, and greens. Shutter and front door colors are very much on the table for changing.

OK, don’t run afoul of the HOA, LOL. My first house had a HOA and although it’s frustrating to have limitations on what you can do with your home, they did a nice job of keeping the community looking good.