For sure do some landscaping and/or planting in front of that "screams out garage conversion" on the right. I find entries tucked into an inside corner like that to be kind of unfortunate. Maybe create a larger roofed front porch area with a gable end that faces out 45 degrees to that inside corner.

What was the original color of the house, do you know?

@Bryce Engstrom - thanks! I forgot to mention the garage conversion. While I love having a huge detached garage in the back, I don't love the bay window style they used. Just looks tacked on or something. Extending the front planter beneath that would help, right? I'll have to find some images of the 45 degree angled entrance to see how that would look. I am planning to paint the front door a strong color to help it stand out.

@halfpint2 - I need to investigate that! Can't believe I haven't already!

@Nevin Nelson Design Inc. - well, we do have a double-car garage with workshop in the back, so no need for another! But I suppose we could expand outward in the future... When I said "budget" I really meant "no extra money"! Anything big has to wait a few years, but I love getting ideas and letting them stew, because I think that's a much better way to make big decisions. For now, it'll just have to be the smaller landscaping projects that are DIY. I would like to add a brick wainscot (is that the right word for the exterior?) to the front. There is a remnant to the left of the front door, which makes me think there used to be more. Double front doors wouldn't be possible without major kitchen remodeling! I definitely want flowering trees! We have one crape myrtle, and I've been thinking of adding more.

Modtiki, it's a lovely house -- and I like the white. I've done something similar here to what you saw on the 1940 brick house thread, but to provide you with a semi-private front patio. I also think that if you could stretch to replacing the bay window with a bigger one in a similar style to the others it would help to unite the facade.

Are those cycads you have growing there? I'm jealous if they are.

One version no brick, one version with brick.

One very simple starting point- remove the shutters from the garage conversion. You don't really want the eye drawn to that part of the house.

Rina - wow! Thank you. How do you do that? I have no experience with Photoshop or anything, and I've always wanted to be able to digitally plan things out like that. I LOVE how it looks with the brick - that's exactly what I want. I had actually thought of a front patio, maybe using concrete screen blocks.

When you say bay window, are you referring to the one on the garage conversion? I'm unsure, because all the windows are the same style - replacement vinyls installed before we bought the place. I'd actually prefer to have the original wood - I'm weird, I know.

I actually had to look up "cycad". We call them sago palms, but I believe they are one and the same. The one on the right is getting quite big, and I'd love to move it, but I'm not sure if they are transplantable. Do they not grow where you live? Here, they are quite popular, but I've heard that some people have actually had them stolen from their yards, because they can be expensive in the stores. I feel lucky to have so many!

flopsycat1 - There aren't any shutters! The window is in a bump-out, maybe that's what you see?? I really would like to make that part of the house blend in better. I was thinking that a different style of bay, and adding a plant bed in front instead of driveway(!) would make it look less like a conversion.

Oh, wait! Now I see what you're seeing - the window on the conversion has 3 parts. The two on either side have screens, but the middle part doesn't - that is what is making it look like shutters!

1. I like your idea of painting the front door. That will do wonders. You might also consider painting that lovely shaped trim on the front gable.
2. Contact your city planning department and find out what the setback lines are from the front street and side lot lines. Restrictions on setback lines could limit your ability to add on, or or change rooflines.
3. In order to add brick you would need a foundation to support it and keep the heavy brick from cracking and falling off. Digging a ditch and installing a concrete foundation for the brick is not an easy or cheap thing to do on an existing house. A faux brick or stone wall (veneer panels) might be cheaper and easier, when you get to that point.

Maybe go mid mod:

modtiki- thanks for the correction! My eyes may have deceived me, but they surely looked like shutters to me. Whew, one less thing on your to-do list: don't have to remove the shutters after all.

Modtiki, what I meant about the window was make it two sections, like the others. I also thought it was one central pane with shutters.

I use an old Microsoft Paint program to play with images; I don't have Photoshop (Grover has, and that's a very pretty image, Grover).

The cycad is an ancient species (they were growing when the dinosaurs were around to stomp on them). In South Africa, where I live, they grow in the subtropical north of the country. They also grow in other tropical areas of the world. They are protected here, so very expensive, and you have to have a licence to trade in them and to own one, because it's illegal to just go into the forest and dig one up. Which, of course, a lot of people do. If yours bear cones, then they are probably (female?) cycads. They can live up to a thousand years or so.

I'm glad the second pic confirmed your feeling about wanting the brick. You can put a tick against that, at least!

Night time here. I'll catch up on new postings in the morning.

Well, I think I would put a French or sliding door where the garage conversion window is now. It looks to short compared to the other windows. If the driveway is in acceptable condition and if its not used for cars take it out or at least take a portion of it out so the conversion looks less garage like. Put up a privacy fence on that 1/2 of the yard and use the driveway for a patio. A pergola over the window with the awning to the front door would look nice. Then put in a nice wide walkway to the street. One more thing you can cut off part of the overhang on the right of the front entrance so that it matches the height of the other side

We had a rain garden installed in our front yard, eliminating the grass and installing all native plants tolerant for our weather. The rain garden cleans the water before returning it to the water table. Here’s a video of a rain garden near Sacramento:

Here there were grants for installing rain garden, but you can actually build it yourself. I’ve done it and if you’re a serious garden, you might find it do-able.

Your house is sweet. Xeriscape is a great idea. I'd paint that bit of gingerbread and the front door. I think when you remove the vinyl siding, you find plenty to work with, in terms of texture and period decor….and plenty of work. I do like the idea of converting the former driveway into a patio when you're ready for the next big thing.

pls post pics of your work in progress

For storybook cottage, let's bump up the front door first, and then consider some other options - An easy diy (rent a chip hammer, get an extra bin with the annual coupon from the trash service) - tear out the concrete drive against the house down to the apron from the curb and let's instead use turf block around the perimeter - and the first 15 feet where guests might park . . we want to plant it with diamondia that you can water from microsprayers outsideand fill the whole area / the middle / next to the path to the house with some rounded pea gravel - we're going to turn it / let it be the new patio in front of the existing walk to the front door . . . . . and replace the concrete against the house with some taller flowering shrubs that will fill under the boxed bay . . . raphiolepsis are a good choice - pink flowers, evergreen leaves, can be hedged later . . . pull the biggest dyads and palms from against the house - about three - and group them in front of the new "patio (that doesn't have the exit . .) Fire men call these turn arounds hammer heads . . "

then we will want to fill in with some salvias and other flowering drought tolerant shrubs between the new soft scape patio and the sidewalk. These can get by on drip irrigation . . use mulch instead of rock under the planting beds . . for that cottage feel, then plant some cistus in all the other beds up along the house . . maybe anchor the tree below and in front with some pride of madeira . . . . .let the diamondia take over the lawn . . .every year, tear out some turf and put in some diamondia cuttings - it can take being walked on and uses a lot less water . . like a mini daisy white flower on small green leaves . . .

I'm not a big fan of the gabled arbor because it feels contemporary and the storybook thing wants shutters and to paint the front door. A quart of paint is cheap - - - if you are doing chemo, what do you think about a geranium pink red front door? why not! it will be your big ribbon . . . consider this poppy toned bm ladybug red http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/ladybugred

And add the pale blue that is on your fascia to some window boxes under the two windows on the left under the gable . . . and consider using that tone in vinyl paint formulation on the entire box bay area face and sides. . .

I'm not a fan of the brick . . if I were adding anything to storybook it would be a romantic sort of stone and carefully placed on a full elevation . .

Thank you @crowzen and @libradesigneye! I have been inactive on the front yard, since my chemo got extended by 12 weeks. I am hoping that I will be feeling stronger soon. In the meantime, I'll have to post some newer photos and different angles to try to clarify some of what we have.

Sorry about the chemo extension, Modtiki. Sending you good thoughts and wishes that you feel wonderful soon. So nice to revisit your lovely house.

I hope you feel better soon, and get stronger and stronger.

I would suggest you put a rectangular patio area that extends from the porch on the left and over to the driveway on the right. Depending on the direction the mailbox door faces, you might add a sidewalk from the patio to the left side of the mailbox as per the photo, with the sidewalk and concrete driveway making a grassy "island" around the mailbox. I like the house in white and also the light grey roof and the idea of light grey shutters to match. Would you consider painting the door a bright yellow to make it more visible and inviting? I do not know how you feel about retractable awnings, but one in a white and bright yellow stripe could be stunning. White-painted window boxes with colorful blooms would help in accessorizing the house. I agree the box bay window on the garage enclosure is too obvious, and I would suggest removing the box bay and re-installing the triple windows on a flat exterior wall. Overall, your house is a very pretty design.