Source
r/ExteriorDesign•
MuchLu

How does anyone even do it?

I need a new roof and have decided to just go for all of it. I'm thinking a dark grey roof, possibly black. I'll have hardie lap siding and new gutters installed. I know we'll have to paint the brick. Thing is, this house is shaped all boxy and weird and I have no idea what to do with it. I need to nail down a roof color, gutter color and paint color for the brick and siding. I'm also thinking a stained wood accent wall around the front door to match the new wood shutters.

At this point, is it worth just hiring a designer? I feel overwhelmed.

https://preview.redd.it/k38xn1zl8in91.jpg?width=8160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c757e2f5ba02fbf77c5a4d0f553d22e9a2da5535

Posted Sep 12, 2022, 10:31 PM UTC

512
Zealousideal_Tie4580•

Don’t paint brick. Brick can be stained but not painted. Test it first to see if it is sealed. Sealed brick can not be stained. Please research changing your bricks color extensively. I would get rid of the shutters. Black roof and black siding. Black houses are so cool. check out black houses on Pinterest And for changing brick color check out masonrycosmetics.com or UK co for brick stain

8
MuchLuOP•

I see now why painting brick is a huge no-no. I'm now leaning toward keeping the brick as-is since its in really good shape.

2
Zealousideal_Tie4580•

Yes big no-no. Bricks need to breathe. Paint traps moisture and peels. It ends up looking awful and cheesy. German schmear is ok to do because it’s a thin layer of mortar “schmeared” on them. Or stain is they’re not sealed because it soaks in and not lying on top. Bricks are gorgeous. I’m going to darken mine with some stain or the UK soot wash. They’re too light orange and pink. I’m just hemorrhaging money fixing this house so I can’t do it yet.

2
susannabanana•

How about something like this?

https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/pictures/exteriors/james-hardie-siding-in-beverly-hills-21st-century-building-company-img~2c21b8f7020420ad_4-1406-1-69f35b0.jpg

Also, I think landscaping would work wonders on your property!

4
MuchLuOP•

Thank you! We like that. Hadn't considered green, but it really works there. I would like to keep the brick natural but just assumed there's no way it could work with the grout color. Seems like a dark gray roof is a lock.

2
susannabanana•

Darker roof and drip edge for sure!

2
Zealousideal_Tie4580•

Your mortar and brick is really nice. The mortar looks clean and your bricks are nice and rich colored. Mine are orangey and light almost pink and I need to stain it. I wish my bricks looked like yours! I’d do the rest of the house and roof and not touch the bricks. Once everything else is done you will probably not want to change it. Changing brick color is a big process and if you don’t like it now you have to sandblast or use some acid to change it again. Really, bricks are timeless and yours look great!

2
Zealousideal_Tie4580•

I absolutely love this! This green would look great on the OP house! I actually just painted my house dark green and black. It’s a different style house but is also half brick. I’m looking into staining my bricks darker. This is a really nice look for their style house!

2
susannabanana•

I love it! I love moody dark colors!

3
Zealousideal_Tie4580•

Thanks!! Me too!

1
TheMysticalPlatypus•

If you’re doing a dark roof, might as well do a dark color for the gutters. If you decide to go the black on black route. Make sure not do it all in the same exact color. Do a dark almost black somwhere to add a little dimension.

That yellow cream doesn’t really go with that color of that brick. It has a cool undertone which doesn’t mesh with that warm undertone. Same with the shutters. That blue is too cool toned. My front door is actually the same color as yours lol.

Personally, I keep staring at those dark blues and those soft mid tone greens for our house. I’ve been loving darker colors. I would do it in a heartbeat if they weren’t premium colors where I’m at. Light grey for siding and white for wraps/trim is super popular right now.

If you’re touching the brick. I think it would be fun to stain the brick to a really dark color or limewash it white. I saw someone stain their brick white and then went back in with a slightly darker color stain to random bricks to add dimension. Really made it pop. Test it out first to see how it looks and if you like it. But personally I wouldn’t touch the brick. It’s already a really nice color that’s pretty timeless. (I’m just throwing out ideas)

I would paint the shutters a dark almost black blue. Match the trim/wrap with the shutters. Or just paint the shutters white. Or you could match the shutters to the color of door. To be honest, I know someone said to remove the shutters but you could probably just replace with a wider shutter. If it were me, I would 100% have the shutters be the same color as the window trim. So it looks seamless from a distance. So many different things you could do.

I feel like if possible I would put brick around the front door. Because it really breaks up the flow of the house.

Landscaping would really change that house. You need stuff that softens those sharp edges. Look into cottage flower gardens. I feel like that big bush in front of your garage either needs to be relocated or removed. It blocks the view. Even if it’s a nice plant. I’m not sure what your zone or how high or low maintenance you want your plants. But whatever you pick should help you define where the walk area is. Put some of those solar lights in along the path. Put in some flowering plants that stay below the height of the windows. Or buy some nice shrubs. I think you could use trellises and climbing plants to your advantage to extend out the porch area so it looks like it flows more seamlessly. Like I said there’s so many different options. Like you could put more of those bushes(the one in front of your door) underneath the window on the right. And put some smaller bushes and shrubs in front of them to add some dimension. Then continue along the path with some nice flowers. Or get rid of the bushes and just do some nice flowers. Or roses. Or hydrangeas. Just depends on how high or low maintenance you want the yard to be.

2
tamaind81•

Yes it is overwhelming. Either be okay with less than perfect (and maybe redo in the future or buy a consult from a designer

2