(1 - cont'd on 2) Yes, not so much formal rules, but ingrained habits that most native speakers do without even thinking about them. Place the most subjective and general adjectives first, and place the most objective and specific adjectives next to the noun. Your two examples would be like this: large, comfortable, new, brick house; Large and comfortable are both very subjective and general (place the longer adjective last in this case -- longer by counting syllables, not letters, it has to do with sounds, not writing). Brick is the most objective and specific.