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sabrinahh the house faces north by the way and the roof is shaded brown. I really despise the colors!

TanCalGal With the brown roof: I'd paint a tan. You'll have to buy several small cans of paint & paint a foam board to experiment with just the right color. I do not think they are outlining the decorative wood any longer, so I'd paint decorative area the same color. You might think of painting some trim white rather than all tan. White areas would be the areas that are currently white + window trim + garage door trim. Beach cottage

A bench: Palm Beach Residence

Sharon Hi, I also think you would do well to work with the brown tones of your roof. One light, one dark. What about a fence, flowers along the fence line?

Sharon I think I'd remove the two large trees and open up your entrance way.

sabrinahh Thanks for the suggestions - I agree about the large trees- they will be gone. What about black for the garage doors and window trim? I feel like the black is the latest thing and makes things pop, but then it doesn't match the roof and might be too heavy.

TanCalGal Here's black trim & what appears to be a brown roof Exterior

Another thought: dark brown Exterior - Rear

Sherwin williams has a free site "chip it". Where you upload photo of your house and change colors.

sabrinahh Thank you. I will try "chip it" and the tan, and brown colors! this is going to make such a big difference.. really want to pick the fashion forward colors that will look good for next several years.

houssaon I think a dark trim would look good, like this dark olive green: Traditional Exterior Or this lighter version: trinity addition

You could even do dark brown and black combination. Dark brown on the garage and the base of the bay area. Then pick out the moulding, the windows, the front door, and shutters in black. This would work in gren and black, too.

English Tudor

sabrinahh Tried Chip it- very cool, but they did not have black, or even a nice dark brown.

judyg I like the brown, too, including the garage door, I think is very sophisticated looking.

TanCalGal SW black = SW 6258 and SW dark brown (black bean) = SW 6006 I see your neighborhood has many similar homes, is there a home in your neighborhood that is painted a color(s) you admire?

anitajoyce I think the tan color paint would work best with the roof and brick color.

Dar Eckert You should try a cream color. The black would be too dark with the dark color brick you have but you may want to use it for accents such as the front door. You really need to stay with a midrange color or lighter to replace the blue. You many want to consider removing the shutters.

bhelmore If your area is like mine, spider's leave behind tiny white dots that will show up on black everywhere!
I would go with the brownish colors, but more taupe - maybe Benjamin Moore Cedar Key or if you want darker, Rockport Gray. If you really want the windows to stand out as your most important feature, go with the Rockport Gray to match the grout in the bricks and everything else will blend very nicely.

sabrinahh olive, dark green, taupe, beige, dark brown... there's a lot of tan/taupe's in my neighbourhood that looks better than white/brown combination. But I felt like it was last decade's colors- no? I like a woodsy dark brown too, but am afriad its hard to get the right brown, since there a lot of shades that do not look good. I guess I'm having trouble too because the house is not of any style- unless suburbia is a style?

What style would you label my house?

My Style?- low maintenance! Thanks so much bhelmore about the tip about spiders! there is a ravine in the back so lots of critters here too.

bhelmore Your windows are stunning and are probably the most important feature of your beautiful home.

Why not showcase them?

Take a look at Benjamin Moore's Rockport Gray. It is a gray/brown color that will perfectly match the mortar in your bricks and will be beautiful with your roof!

Use a trim color that you like and only paint the front door and the column in it. Since your door is hidden, whatever color you choose, make it a high gloss so there is a WOW factor for the guests.

Don't trim out the wood between the windows - let the look flow from the second floor to the first floor without being distracted by something that is not architecturally important. Again, remove the shutters.

TanCalGal The brick on your house looks dark compared to the brick on the left side of the photo. Did the neighbors have their brick power washed or cleaned in some way? You might have additional choices if the brick was lighter. I'd take my time with this color decision. Be looking for the right color(s) for your house: not a trend. I'd remove the tree(s) first, this will give a new perspective and change the house greatly. Do you have extra roof shingles and extra brick? These will help you find a good color. There's always the old fashioned: take a photo, make many photocoies and use colored pencils. I love your home, I'd call it brick colonial . How about: take the lightest color from the roof and paint the white areas and the darkest color from the roof for the shutters & maybe some thin trim. Brick colonials: http://www.houzz.com/brick-colonial
You love low maintenance, but you also love your abode to look beautiful and fashionable!

sabrinahh Thanks guys- you have become my friends- helping me in such important choices that I will live with everyday and affect the value of my home! What more can I say except an ongoing thanks, esp bhelmore and j222b. I'll look for shingles- we just moved into this house, but I believe the roof was recently done on ths 20yr old home.

Oh yeah-neighbours have a lighter color brick.

TanCalGal Here's a link to talented designer Maria Killam's blog. Here, she talks about taking into consideration the fixed finishes of the house when choosing an exterior (or interior) color. http://www.mariakillam.com/2009/04/5-steps-to-choosing-the-right-exterior-colours.html