As homes in the neighborhood are renovated, we have noticed what seems to be a (disturbing to some) trend – painting the houses gray. Here are just a few:
The one above on Hamilton Street seems more thoughtfully designed and renovated top to bottom with new roof, casement windows, and new black gutters. Check the two-tone paint job. Not your standard flip.
This one on 11th Street appears to more of a standard flip job.
I am not sure if this one on South Dakota is a new renovation or if the homeowner just decided to paint the house.
Are you a fan? Don’t really care as long as every home isn’t painted gray? Want to see different colors like blue, yellow, green purple?
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
Why is it always gray? We bought from a flipper a few months ago and while the outside was left alone, every single paintable surface on the inside was gray. Do people really like this?
Do not like gray! I don’t know why it has become so popular among developers nowadays.
I’m considering painting my brick cream/ivory, so I’m interested in hearing how folks in the neighborhood generally feel about painted brick. Seems like the exteriors of flipped homes are painted and not many (if any) homes owned by residents that have been in the area for several years.
The red brick houses was one of the reasons I chose to purchase a home in Riggs Park. I am sure if you speak with other homeowners they would tell you the same. The individuals who are painting over the red bricks are individuals who have no plans to live in our neighborhood. My concern is that whoever purchase these houses will not re-paint the house when needed. If not, we will be a neighborhood of houses with peeling paint instead the lovely natural brick houses representative of Riggs Park.
I prefer the natural red brick, but to each his own. Some people just like to be different …? You can always add color and curb appeal with landscaping.
I love it and hope more homeowners in Riggs Park do the same. I’ve always loved the colors and individuality of homes in Shaw, LeDroit Park, and Capitol Hill. The owners of the Hamilton Street home pictured have taken great care with their renovation and design choices.
That’s ok too. It looks silly when one house per block is painted, especially if they’re only painted in flipper gray. If you want to paint, paint with personality!
Agree!
I think it’s great! We’ve been considering painting for a while and also like gray. I hope more people do it and we can start having a colorful neighborhood similar to shaw, etc.
Looks awful. Takes away from the coherence of the neighborhood. Wait until the paint starts to peel , it’s will look worse. I hope the home owners are prepared to pay a couple of thousand dollars to have it re-painted.
I agree with the comments about upkeep. I’ve been told people should expect to paint their homes at least every 10 years to maintain a decent looking exterior. Otherwise, I’m pretty agnostic about painted brick, except that I think if people are going to take the time and expense to paint, I think I’d like to see more vibrant colors (which I’m sure more people would hate than not, so it’s probably a good thing flippers are going with gray). Otherwise, why not just leave the brick unpainted. I am not a big fan of the cream houses I’ve seen in the neighborhood. Given a choice between cream and gray, I’d pick gray every time (or any other color besides cream/ivory). The cream houses seem to disappear into the background.
I think that the reason renovation companies want to paint the houses is to differentiate them from their other duplex halves, which is desirable if the other half is dilapidated. Plus, it’s a clear sign that the house has been re-done. I kind of like the painted houses. The gray looks classy to me.
The ability to paint adds variety, but the upkeep is key. I live near a vacant painted house and the peeling paint just adds to it being an eyesore. It hadn’t been painted in a while when it was occupied. I personally like the red brick but one reason is because it’s lower maintenance.