What should I do with siding?

[Sean Wagner]

I recently purchased a singly family home as a rental property and am trying to figure out what to do with the siding. There is a lot if different things going on as you can see below in pics. Any suggestions on what to do to add curb appeal for refinance? Had a bank tell me they wouldn't touch it simply due to outside appearance. Should I paint the brick? Put vinyl siding over the brick? Trying to be as cost effective as possible. Thanks in advance!

[Jamie Derasmo]

Without fully knowing your use or goal for this space, I’d say residing the whole place is money wasted. Before doing anything cosmetic, make sure everything is structurally sound and water (and rodent) tight. Looks like a lot of cut corners in previous updates. As Mike said, make sure that column is still supporting the necessary load. Wrap the column in cedar. Repour the steps. Do a thorough inspection of the outside and seal any holes and repoint the brick as necessary. I would paint the brown stone, siding, and those little access doors black, as well as the facia. Consider painting the window trim black as well but try it out on a digital platform first to make sure it doesn’t look off with the white window frame. Give the front door a bold color to stand out against black. If the deck in back is in good condition, paint it black and add a safety rail for the stairs going to the basement. If it needs to be redone, I’d do it in cedar. Overall, It will be a very industrial look and make all the red brick stand out but not be overwhelming.

Are you updating the white windows or are they in good condition? If not, I would replace with black windows and though it’d be more expensive, I would do them the full height of what I suspect to be the original openings if the cost justifies the end goal. I think this could be an awesome looking property, post pictures when you're done!