Help me dress up the front of this house.

[Adam Craig]

Getting ready to list one of my long time rentals. Please give some tips on freshening up the front without going crazy on the budget. Here is what I am thinking but thoughts appreciated...

1. Replace flower post near front door with a more modern wooden one.
2. Landscaping of course
3. Painting the front door - I have seen houses with this color and a funky medium orange door. Thoughts?
4. New address numbers and nicer light above front door.
5. Not sure about repainting the house body - we came up with this color 4 years ago which was difficult due to the brick and roof and I dont hate it?

[Steve K.]

@Adam Craig After five comments in a row saying to paint the brick I have to provide a...

Public Service Announcement: Brick is not meant to be painted! 

I know we see it all the time, especially on fancy design blogs and HGTV flipping shows and such, but painting brick is a no-no. Brick is porous and allows the building to breath by design. Left alone it’s the ultimate maintenance-free surface. A little bit of repointing will be needed here and there where mortar has eroded away over time, but that’s it. Brick will last for literally generations, centuries even, without ever having to mess with siding or painting. That’s a huge financial benefit! Hence the term built like a brick house. Such a nice surface for a building. 

Painting brick is like wrapping the building in plastic. Moisture is trapped in the wall which can create mildew/mold issues inside plus it decomposes the brick itself, and rather quickly too. Painting brick can actually cause it to crumble and create structural damage within just a few years. Painted brick typically bubbles, peels and looks awful in short order anyway. 

There are a few cases where painting brick makes sense but just to make the wall a different color is not one of them. The only cases I can think of off-hand is if the brick is already painted (so sad), or if it’s a special kind of brick that is meant to be painted (very rare), or if the brick work is damaged and the repair looks so bad that covering it with paint is the best option. For an entirely interior feature like a fireplace surround I guess it’s okay. White wash made specifically for brick is okay too. If you must paint brick, use a special breathable paint or wash. But again, you’ll lose the main benefit which is breathability and natural durability without having to ever mess with paint or siding. 

Brick isn’t meant to be painted, and painting it is difficult (lots of prep, lots of coats, has a chemical compound that rejects paint). Once brick is painted it’s practically impossible to remove the paint without damaging the brick, and you’ll have to repaint it/whitewash it every 3-5 years from then on. 

Don’t paint brick all you fancy design bloggers and flippers out there! It’s not cool. Especially if the brick is well done with dog toothing/corbels/herringbone/basket weave or other rare classic features. That's a brick mason's art, please don't ruin it! 

End public service announcement. 

@Dutch Langley

@Quincy Lockett

@Ola Dantis

@Marian Smith

@Ryan Proffit