Have you talked to the original architect?

I would paint the trim same color as roof and it will not jump out as awkward. Good luck

I vision little short pergolas over the garage and upstairs window. I would probably paint the garage doors and the trim.

Thanks for the prompt responses. I would like to remove the unsightly boxes while extending the eave on the left to match the other three boxes. How complicated and costly might that be? My family is so used to looking at these they think I'm making it a bigger deal than it is. I'm holding my ground!

Removing the boxes is a fairly minnimal change and shouldent be too costly. The eave on the garage, not knowing all of the conditions, I would think can be a truss tail extension which should not be too complicated.

I'm leaning toward having the left side of garage extended. Then I want all 4 boxes to have shingles going back up toward the walls. This way they will all match and look good too. Your ideas on this?

I would recommend getting rid of those boxed ends on the fascias. The front two don't match, granted, but the ones on the gable are huge and ugly. These boxed eaves are a cheap solution to finishing fascias seen exclusively on tract homes and the like. You will notice that old homes never have this kind of solution. They do it so they can tie to a horizontal soffit on the side- it's cheaper and easier.. To fix it nicely like an old house would require angling the soffits and that will be fairly expensive.

The real problem is that the house says, "Three cars live here!" I would consider painting the garage doors a darker color so they work with the brick and also balance out the dark roof. It might just keep you from noticing the eave problems.

The Colour People are right. Gas pumps out front would not be inappropriate, and those boxed ends on the eaves look like some cartoon dogs ears! Perhaps paint eyes underneath. : ) I'm wondering why one would buy such a house if one loathed the look of it so much.

Thank you for your points of view on this subject that continues to frustrate me. The truth is I bought the house and lived here a long time before noticing and becoming bothered by the uneven boxed gable ends. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Norm, I retract my flippant remarks about petrol pumps. It wasn't kind criticism. : ( I've since given your house design issue some serious thought. The designer / builder clearly got things wrong. It's never good design policy to mix up certain roof styles. e.g. hips and gables, or in this case hips and chamfered gables. To treat the problem properly will take more than clever painting, you're going to have to make some structural changes to the gable ends. There are a couple of ways to do this, so I suggest the following. 1. Have a builder extend the chamfered gables down and out to their natural ends, both above the garage and on the glazed section on the higher level. They will then match the main roof behind and will look as it should look. 2. Alternatively, remove the boxed ends ( dogs ears! ) and extend the facia boards on down to their natural ends. You might fit longitudinally fixed arching brackets, or horizontal cross bars, under both the gable ends ( i.e. house and garage roofs ) to bring the gable end structure down lower, as a part of this change. Finally, you could also extend a portico say, one meter, out over the garage entrances. This portico design could repeat the long arched bracket on its under side. The paint scheme is another factor and my view is that white on grey is a classic combo that will suit your place. Too many colors on an already 'busy' deign is too much. Anyway, please consider the Houzz pics below, which I thought could be a guide to resolve your dilemma and enhance the street appeal of you beautiful home.

Norm, from Houzz - Traditional - Garages, the pics below of garage entrances under gable roof lines, including portico / awnings. Yours could feel similar to these. What do think about the colors? The grays and white looks sharp. Good luck.

Wow. You really did some serious thought to my design dilemma. I have more options to consider now. A continued concern is the color scheme. Any colors including those favorable colors of white on gray that you offered may seem difficult with the reddish brown roofing material. I like the idea of shake siding on the gables as pictured in the last 3 photos you sent me. Many thanks for your interesting suggestions. Still pondering.

Norm, glad you liked. I too think the front apexes could be broken up with application of say shingles, or some other treatment, they are biggish. If the roof is on the side, perhaps a rich cream for paint color would be invitingly warmer, but white trim works best. Meantime, to whom do I send the invoice? Lol.
Good luck with your project, the money spent will be worth it.

Norm, read that as ".....' roof is on the brown color side...." i thought it looked dark grey.