From Dated Brown Brick to Real Curb Appeal: 11 Exterior Makeovers Worth Considering

Sleek Modern Stucco Makeover

Of the eleven directions, the stucco skin is the one to sketch first when the brick has to disappear completely. A three-coat stucco system over a furred substrate covers the old masonry, and once it cures the house reads as a smooth, light grey block with no trace of the brown it started as. Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray or Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray would suit the integral color or the topcoat. In the rendering the builder windows give way to dark bronze double-hung units (Marvin Essential or Andersen 100 Series give the look without a custom price), and the flat slab door becomes a warm wood door between two narrow glass sidelights. Bluestone pavers, a pair of slim metal handrails at the steps, and beds of river rock with square concrete planters finish the approach.

Light Grey Stucco (#D0D0D0) covers every wall plane, a neutral shell that keeps its color under hard Southern sun. The only warmth on the whole front comes from Warm Wood (#A67B5B) on the door and its trim, and that single panel of grain is what makes the grey look chosen rather than cold.

Two quieter colors do the framing. Window frames in Dark Bronze (#4A4A4A) draw crisp dark rectangles across the pale wall, and the Bluestone Pavers (#8C9BA5) of the walk and landing bring in a cooler grey that sits between the stucco and the bronze. Pennsylvania bluestone is hard wearing and weathers in gracefully over a decade of foot traffic.

Behind the smooth finish sits the detail that decides whether this makeover lasts. Stucco should never go straight onto old brick: it needs a rainscreen gap and a drainage path, and an envelope contractor should look at the wall first, because in humid Southern climates moisture trapped behind the coating can turn into mold within a few years. For the window frames, dark bronze is the safer pick over pure black, since it looks more refined against grey and hides the scratches a black powder coat tends to show.

With the door as the only warm surface on the facade, its finish deserves a yearly reseal with a marine-grade product such as Sikkens or Penofin, more so on a south-facing entry. Both handrails in the rendering stay thin and identical on either side of the steps, which is the right restraint; heavy black hairpin railings would date this front quickly.

Charming Craftsman-Style Update

Painting the lower brick a soft grey and adding shake siding above is the direction for homeowners who want to keep the visual weight of the brick base but lose the dated brown. Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray on the brick (after a proper masonry primer like Sherwin-Williams Loxon), with James Hardie shake panels in Iron Gray on the upper level, gives the house a Craftsman two-tone language without committing to full demo. The original windows go to matte black, the original slab door becomes a real Craftsman wood door with stained glass detail (Krosswood or Simpson make these in solid wood at custom-ish prices), and a flagstone path through hydrangeas finishes the arrival.

Above the white belt board, Charcoal Shakes (#555555) in pre-finished cement board give the upper story its texture. Below it the brick is painted Light Grey (#B0B0B0), a soft neutral applied thinly enough that the coursing and mortar joints still show through.

At the entry, a Dark Walnut (#664229) Craftsman door with decorative glass in its upper panel and in both sidelights becomes the focal point. Every window is framed in Matte Black (#222222), a sharp outline against both the pale painted brick and the charcoal shakes overhead.

The weak point of a two-tone front like this is the horizontal line where shakes meet brick. Cement-board shakes belong on a rainscreen, with Z-flashing tucked behind the belt board so water running down the upper wall is thrown clear of the painted masonry below; in Southern humidity a skipped flashing shows up as rot and peeling paint along exactly that line. Below the belt, the grey should be a breathable masonry coating over a proper primer so the brick can still dry out.

A leaded-glass Craftsman door like the one in this rendering can cost roughly double a plain panel door, so price it early; a solid door with glass sidelights keeps the Craftsman character for less. The blue hydrangeas in the beds want afternoon shade in the Carolinas, and a bed that takes western sun is better planted with oakleaf hydrangea or 'Annabelle', which give the same full look without scorching.

Luxurious Contemporary Facade

This is the splurge direction, the version suited to homes in Naples or in the new Charlotte SouthPark builds when budget is the smaller constraint. Horizontal aged-bronze metal panels (Petersen PAC-CLAD and Berridge both make flush wall panels of this kind) clad the upper level, and warm stacked stone runs across the lower wall plane and around the entry. The bronze-framed glass door with its geometric pattern is the focal point, and it can be anything from a manufactured pivot door to custom metalwork, depending on budget. Lights set into each step and palm-tree landscaping shift the read from “renovated suburban” to “purpose-built contemporary.”

The upper story is wrapped in Aged Bronze Metal (#8C7853), laid as long horizontal panels that catch the low afternoon sun. The ground floor is faced in Warm Stacked Stone (#E0CFAA), a sandy, honey-toned veneer whose rough relief is the real reason this version costs what it does.

Dark Bronze (#5F4B32) is kept for the door and trim, so the glass-and-bronze entry reads as the one place the budget is spent on purpose. The walk is laid in Limestone Pavers (#EBEBEB), whose pale surface throws evening light back up toward the metal.

Two specification points protect the look. Full stacked stone veneer, including the manufactured lines from Eldorado Stone or Cultured Stone, can run about three times the price of panelized stone-look products, and the gap in depth and shadow is visible from the street, so this is the line item not to cut. The metal cladding needs expansion joints at every floor line, and any run of panel longer than 25 feet should be reviewed by a structural engineer before installation.

The palms are the regional tell in this rendering. They belong only in zone 8b or warmer, which covers Charleston, Savannah, Naples, Houston and parts of Atlanta; elsewhere, tree-form crape myrtles or Magnolia 'Little Gem' give the same vertical accent beside the entry. The step lights work best at 2700K and aimed down at the tread, because light thrown upward glares into the eye and makes a front walk feel like a parking lot.

Coastal-Inspired Siding Renovation

For lakeside and tidal-creek homes (Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, Bluffton, Naples Park), this is the direction most likely to win the family vote. Horizontal lap siding in soft coastal blue (Benjamin Moore Beach Glass or Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt both have the right under-grey to keep the blue from going cartoon), crisp white trim, and a wood door with frosted glass panels. A simple pea-gravel path with steel edging and beach-grass landscaping seal the read. The original windows can stay if their frames are sound; just paint the cladding white to match the new trim language.

The siding is a Soft Coastal Blue (#A8C0D8) with enough grey in it to look grown up rather than seaside novelty. Crisp White (#FFFFFF) on the corner boards, window casings and fascia is what makes that blue look intended.

Natural wood carries the warmth at the entry, where a Light Oak (#CFAF8C) door with frosted horizontal glass panels and matching sidelights lets daylight into the hall. The walk is White Pea Gravel (#F0F0F0), loose and casual underfoot, and it will need topping up once a year.

Blue is the color that suffers most in direct sun, so the siding should come with a fade-resistant factory finish such as Hardie's ColorPlus or be painted with a premium acrylic, and the repaint budget should assume year ten rather than year fifteen. The gravel walk needs a compacted base and a firm edge on both sides; without them the stones drift into the lawn and get tracked indoors.

Around the blue and white hydrangeas, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) or prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) gives the grassy coastal texture seen beside the steps and stays easy through a Carolina summer; pampas grass is now widely treated as invasive and is better left out. The oak door needs a UV-stable marine finish such as Sikkens Cetol or Epifanes on any south or west exposure, since a plain clear coat yellows within two seasons.

Industrial Chic Concrete and Metal

The industrial direction is a polarizing one: people either fall for it at first sight or rule it out just as quickly. The upper level gets clad in dark corrugated metal (Bridger Steel or McElroy Metal both supply this in 24-gauge that holds up); the lower level becomes raw concrete panels, either real board-formed concrete if budget allows, or smooth-finish cementboard panels in Concrete Grey by James Hardie as the more accessible option. Black-framed windows, a glass-and-steel door (Western Window Systems or Andersen's Architectural line), and a poured-concrete walkway with a slim steel handrail finish the look.

The upper story is clad in Dark Corrugated Metal (#4F4F4F), run vertically in the rendering so its ribs give color and texture in one material. The ground floor turns into Raw Concrete (#BDBDBD) panels, complete with form-tie holes, a spare and durable surface that panelized cementboard now makes far more affordable.

Matte Black Steel (#1A1A1A) frames the windows and cuts hard lines across both the metal and the concrete, while the entry itself is a glass door with a frosted center pane in a lighter brushed metal frame. Stainless Steel (#C0C0C0) appears in the twin railings at the steps, a bright accent that matches the structural tone of the facade.

Board-formed concrete done for real is a serious budget commitment, and it calls for an installer with formwork experience, so ask to see finished walls before signing. On the corrugated upper level, every panel end needs a proper trim closure; cut corners leave gaps at the edges that wasps move into within a season.

The planting in this concept is limited to agave, yucca and ornamental grasses in river rock and square concrete planters, and that dry palette is the only one that suits concrete and steel; a soft shrub like a hydrangea would break the mood at once. Industrial cladding fits warehouse-conversion districts such as Atlanta's Westside, Charleston's Upper King infill lots and the contemporary new-builds of East Nashville, and it looks out of place on a street of traditional homes.

Modern Farmhouse with Stone and Batten

Modern farmhouse is still the dominant style brief across the Charleston suburbs and Nashville's outer ring, and this two-material version shows why. White board-and-batten Hardie panels (Sherwin-Williams Pure White or Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace) cover the upper story, charcoal stacked stone wraps the ground floor (Eldorado Stone's Cliffstone in Sequoia is a close match), and a dark grey standing-seam roof replaces the shingles. Black-framed windows, a stained wood plank door between glass sidelights, and two tall dark planters filled with grasses at either side of the step complete the front. The mix photographs well, tends to support resale, and copes with humid summers.

White Board-and-Batten (#FAFAFA) on the upper level is the crisp cladding most people picture when they hear the word farmhouse. Charcoal Stacked Stone (#363636) below adds weight and a hard modern contrast, so the house looks planted on its base rather than top-heavy.

Between those two extremes the door does the warming. A Medium Wood Plank (#B37E4E) door in a warm stain is the one soft surface on a black-and-white front, and overhead the Dark Standing-Seam Metal (#2C2C2C) roof gives a durable, fire-resistant cap whose ribbed lines are the signature of the style.

Two material rules keep this version from looking cheap. The board-and-batten should be fiber cement or engineered wood such as LP SmartSide, because vinyl battens look plastic from the street and nothing fixes that later. The metal roof is a 30-year purchase: ask for a 24-gauge Galvalume panel with a Kynar finish, and budget for a proper synthetic underlayment rather than plain felt.

A pair of planters is the right number for a symmetrical front like this one, since a single pot looks lopsided and three or more start to clutter the step. Pick cast-stone or fiber-stone pots that will not crack in a freeze. Where the stone veneer meets the batten above it, weep flashing along the top edge keeps Southern downpours from getting behind the stone.

Classic Cream and Wood Renovation

Cream lap siding is the choice for anyone who wants a front that still looks current long after the trends have moved on. Horizontal lap siding in cream (Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan or Sherwin-Williams Natural Linen, both in satin) covers the brick completely, and a Craftsman wood door inside a wide stained surround becomes the entry. A flagstone path curves between beds of lavender and hydrangea, with low rounded shrubs holding the corners. For owners who plan to stay in the house for many years, we would pick this one, because it photographs well without being pinned to a particular moment.

Warm Cream (#F2E8D5) on the siding is a soft neutral that looks right in both winter and summer light. Medium Oak (#A07648) on the door and its broad surround marks the entry without needing a bright color to do it.

The window frames are a Dark Bronze (#423E37) that grounds the cream without the starkness of black. Underfoot, the irregular Flagstone (#C8BFAE) path in buff and rust tones is a material that gets better with decades of wear.

Cream siding shows dirt streaks sooner than white, so the finish coat should contain a mildew inhibitor, especially near the coast. Lavender, which edges both beds in the rendering, struggles in Carolina humidity; in Charleston or Savannah, Russian sage (Perovskia) gives a similar haze of purple and copes far better with wet summers.

Boxwood blight is an ongoing problem across the Southeast, so the rounded evergreens at the bed corners should be a blight-resistant cultivar such as 'NewGen Independence', or inkberry holly for the same evergreen mass. The flagstone walk needs the same care: set on sand it heaves with freeze and thaw, so a busy front path is better laid on a mortar bed with drainage beneath.

Striking Minimalist Stone and Siding

A high-contrast minimalist makeover that lets the architecture do the speaking. Dark charcoal vertical siding (Hardie's Iron Gray, or Tricorn Black for a bolder version) covers the second floor, and light grey stacked stone covers the first. The windows lose their grilles and gain black frames, and the entry becomes a black-framed glass door with a long vertical pull, flanked by two slim wall lights. The walkway is large-format concrete pavers, and the landscaping leans architectural: agave, yucca and river rock.

The second story is clad in Dark Charcoal Vertical (#333333) board-and-batten, a strong color that seems to recede against a daytime sky. The ground floor is faced in Light Grey Stacked Stone (#D1D1D1), which brings texture and brightness under the dark band.

Contrast at the openings goes as far as it can, with Matte Black (#000000) on the door and every window frame drawing the graphic outline the design depends on. The walk is a run of large-format Concrete Pavers (#E0E0E0) laid as stepping slabs through river rock, a clean-edged surface that suits the minimal language better than brick or flagstone would.

Vertical cladding is unforgiving at its top and bottom edges, where exposed cut ends look careless and draw in water, so factory closure trims are worth insisting on. A charcoal upper wall also takes in noticeably more heat than a pale one, which matters in a Southern summer; radiant barrier sheathing and better attic ventilation offset it.

Agave and yucca, the plants set into the river-rock beds of this concept, thrive from Charleston southward and survive Nashville winters only in sheltered spots; farther north, upright junipers or boxwood pyramids give a similar sculptural outline. The beds here hold no tree, and if one is added it should be a single specimen such as a multi-trunk crape myrtle, since a row of matching shrubs would make the front look builder-grade.

Bold Painted Brick Transformation

When the budget is tight but you want a real transformation, start here. Painting brick is the most cost-effective makeover on this list, and it pays off the most when the color is right. Benjamin Moore Hale Navy or Sherwin-Williams Naval both suit this navy direction, photograph well, and tend to hold their saturation into year five better than cheaper paints. Crisp white trim (Sherwin-Williams Pure White), a vivid red door (Benjamin Moore Heritage Red is a good match), and a new herringbone brick walk in place of the old concrete one finish the front. Clipped boxwood hedges, conical evergreens at the corners and stone urns of red flowers at the step complete the stately, traditional look.

Deep Navy Blue (#1B2F4E) covers every brick wall, a bold yet sober paint color and the decision in this article that changes a house the most. Crisp White (#FFFFFF) on the trim and windows outlines every sash, sill and fascia line against the dark masonry.

Heritage Red (#C21807) is saved for the front door, a classic accent that is bold without chasing a trend. The old concrete walk gives way to a herringbone path of Red Brick Pavers (#A65E4E), which ties the new paint back to the masonry the house is built from.

Preparation is the whole job on painted brick. The walls must be cleaned, primed with a masonry primer such as Sherwin-Williams Loxon XP or Benjamin Moore Insl-X, and finished with a true masonry coating like Romabio Limewash or Loxon; ordinary exterior house paint tends to peel from brick within three years. Before committing to navy, ask a local real estate agent whether painted brick helps or hurts sales on your street.

Red doors have long signaled welcome on Southern colonial houses, but owners in Charleston's historic districts should check permitted door colors with the architectural review board first. The clipped boxwood hedges give this front its formal edge and need shearing every year; dwarf yaupon holly holds a similar shape with far less trimming.

Crisp White Modern Farmhouse

This is the full-commitment version of the modern farmhouse direction: one continuous skin of white board-and-batten across the entire facade. It reads cleaner and more contemporary than the two-tone stone-and-batten version above, and it is a direction seen across Pinterest and many Southern suburban new-builds in recent years. Same cladding specifications as before: Hardie or LP SmartSide board-and-batten in a true white, black-framed windows, light wood entry door, gravel walkway, generous hydrangea plantings.

Pure White (#FFFFFF) runs over the whole facade, bright and reflective, so both stories read as one calm plane. Matte Black (#1F1F1F) frames every window, the graphic contrast that defines this version of the style.

Warmth is limited to the Light Oak (#C8A882) door with its divided-light upper panel, a natural focal point against all that white. Black (#2A2A2A) on the roof, fascia, gutters and downspouts outlines the whole silhouette.

An all-white skin shows green algae within two years in Carolina humidity unless the finish carries a mildew-resistant additive, and a soft-wash clean every 18 months keeps it bright. The black gutters and downspouts in the rendering are essential to the look; white ones would vanish into the siding and leave the outline unfinished.

Hydrangea 'Limelight' or 'Annabelle' performs reliably in Carolina gardens and flowers large enough to read from the street, as the white heads in the planters and beds here show, while mophead types such as 'Endless Summer' often fade by August. One caution on value: this look has become so common in Southern suburbs that it no longer sets a house apart at resale, even though it still looks good.

Mediterranean-Style Stucco & Tile

No other option on this list changes the architecture as much. Warm beige stucco covers the brick, terracotta clay tile replaces the asphalt shingles, and the house moves into a Mediterranean language. We would suggest it for homes in Naples, Sarasota, parts of Houston, and the Mediterranean revival pockets of Charleston's Daniel Island. Dark walnut wood windows set in raised stucco surrounds and a double wood door with glass panels reinforce the read. An exposed-aggregate walkway edged in brick, terracotta pots holding small olive trees, a bougainvillea trained up the wall, and lavender along the path complete the transformation.

Warm Beige Stucco (#D9C4A9) on the walls is an earthy tone drawn from Mediterranean building, and it flatters the roof above it. There, Terra Cotta Clay Tile (#A85A3F) supplies the color, texture and unmistakable identity of the whole scheme.

Dark Walnut Wood (#5C4033) on the double door and every window frame gives a rich contrast to the stucco and tile. The walk is Exposed Aggregate (#B8B0A4), a pebbly, earthy surface that belongs with the rest of the house.

Clay tile is heavy, and roof framing built for asphalt shingles may need reinforcement before it can carry it, so a structural review belongs at the very start of the budget. The stucco needs the same rainscreen and weep detailing described for the grey stucco makeover above; synthetic stucco (EIFS) installed without a drainage cavity has a poor record in Southeast humidity.

Olive trees, like the potted pair at the door and the larger ones at each corner, survive in zone 8b and warmer; in Atlanta, Charlotte or Nashville, willow oak or sweetbay magnolia gives a comparable form. Hardware matters more than it seems on this front: dark iron or bronze pulls and hinges (Emtek's Bronze line, or Sun Valley Bronze at the top end) carry the Mediterranean character, and generic brushed nickel undoes it.

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Pro Tips for Any Brick Exterior Makeover

Material discipline is the rule that carries the rest. Two cladding materials read as designed, three read busy, and four read as a renovation flip, which is why the two-material pattern (siding above, stone or painted brick below) is the most reliable approach in this article. Be just as deliberate about paint. Painting brick is permanent: once it is coated, sandblasting the paint off damages the brick face and is rarely worth the cost, so test the color on a small section, live with it for two weeks, and only then proceed.

Two elements do most of the work on how the facade reads. The front door earns the largest single visual return of any exterior change, delivering the most curb-appeal payoff per dollar spent, and a real wood door with proper hardware shifts the read of the whole front. Window frames define the style line. Black-framed windows turned the modern farmhouse into a category, and they are the one decision that signals which decade a renovation comes from, so choose them on purpose.

Landscape carries half the curb appeal. Even the best renovated facade looks incomplete without considered planting beds, a real walkway and proper bed edging, so budget at least 15% of the project total for landscape from the start rather than treating it as an afterthought.

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Where These Looks Land in the South

Along the coast, the fits are fairly clear. Charleston, SC suits the Modern Farmhouse with Stone, Cream and Wood, and Painted Brick Navy directions in West Ashley, Mount Pleasant and James Island, with Mediterranean reserved for Daniel Island. Around the historic squares of Savannah, GA, Painted Brick Navy and Cream and Wood sit comfortably, while Industrial Chic would look wrong in that market. Naples, FL leans toward Mediterranean and Luxurious Contemporary in its new-build communities, with Coastal Siding better suited to the older streets near Naples Park.

The inland cities divide more by neighborhood than by region. In Nashville, TN, Crisp White Modern Farmhouse and Modern Farmhouse with Stone are the suburban defaults, and Industrial Chic fits East Nashville and the Wedgewood-Houston conversions. Atlanta, GA takes Industrial in the Westside warehouse pockets, Luxurious Contemporary in Buckhead, and Painted Brick Navy in the established Decatur and Druid Hills neighborhoods. In Charlotte, NC, Modern Farmhouse with Stone and Minimalist Stone and Siding both suit the SouthPark and Ballantyne new-builds, and Painted Brick Navy looks right on the traditional homes of Myers Park.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a brown brick exterior makeover cost in 2026?

A paint-only refresh (clean, prime, paint the brick, swap the door, redo the landscaping) runs $8,000 to $18,000 for a typical two-story home in 2026 pricing. Adding board-and-batten siding to the upper level pushes the project to $25,000 to $50,000. The full-commit Mediterranean or Luxurious Contemporary directions, with new roof tile, custom doors, and stucco work, run $80,000 and up depending on home size and regional labor rates.

Can you paint over brick yourself, or do you need a professional?

Technically yes, but the prep work (proper cleaning, repointing any failed mortar, applying a true masonry primer like Loxon XP, and using the right top-coat) is where DIY brick paint jobs fail. The cost difference between a quality DIY job and a quality professional job is smaller than people expect, and the durability difference is significant. For an investment as permanent as painted brick, hire a contractor with verifiable masonry experience.

Will painting brick affect resale value?

It depends entirely on your local market. In some established neighborhoods, painted brick is seen as a welcome update and can help a listing stand out. In some suburban developments where natural brick is the dominant aesthetic, it can be a neutral-to-slight-negative. Check three recent comparable sales of painted-brick homes within a half-mile of your address before committing.

What is the most cost-effective transformation on this list?

The Bold Painted Brick Transformation. A complete navy paint job, white trim repaint, new front door, and refreshed landscaping delivers more visual change per dollar than any other option here. The Coastal Siding direction is the second most cost-effective, especially if your existing windows are sound enough to keep with a paint refresh.

Can this renovation be done in phases?

Yes, and phasing makes sense for anyone with budget constraints. Start with the door swap and landscape refresh in year one (the highest curb-appeal payoff per dollar). Add windows and exterior lighting in year two. Tackle the cladding (paint or new siding) in year three. The phased approach lets you live with each decision before committing to the next, and prevents the all-at-once budget panic that derails good projects.

How do you choose between painting the brick or covering it with siding?

If the brick is structurally sound and the proportions of your facade work, paint is the lower-cost, lower-risk option. Cover the brick only when you want a different texture entirely (smooth stucco, cement-board siding, board-and-batten) or when the brick is in such poor condition that repair would cost more than encapsulating. The decision often comes down to the architectural identity you want: painted brick keeps a traditional language; covered brick lets you fully reset the style.

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Matching the Makeover to Your Neighborhood

Eleven directions on the same brown brick starting point isn't the same as eleven equally good answers. The right direction is the one that matches your neighborhood, your climate, your budget, and the years you plan to stay. Modern farmhouse is dominant for a reason but also saturated. Painted brick navy delivers the highest payoff per dollar but is permanent. Mediterranean looks right in the right region and reads costume in the wrong one. The renovation that holds up for fifteen years is the one that's deliberately matched to its context, not the one with the most Instagram saves the week the photos go up.

If one of the brown brick directions here pulled you in, you can weigh it against our full breakdown of eleven facade renovations on a run-down Tudor, our walkthrough of thirteen styles applied to one cookie-cutter home, or our review of twelve makeover directions for a tired stucco home.

Pick the direction. Live with it on paper for two weeks. Then call the contractor.