I would clean out the bushes in front of window. I would see about removing the brick and adding the siding that mactches the rest of house. I would get new garage door that's not as busy pattern. Maybe paint the house a color that would match room more. Then paint the doorway area a bright accent color with a new door

What type of siding?

what the heck is going on with the lighting on the garage??? most odd placement ever award. and the address numbers way up there too.....this was all an after thought that someone did on their own. have them moved out and down run your house number vertically. get something that is semi close to the wall or a three sided fixture so people dont feel as tho they would knock their heads. for the entry too. get a new door and screen door. put a nice pot there. of course you need to paint and think about the brick and landscape, but my eye went straight to the lights...........

As always, the two biggest unknowns are your taste and your budget. I agree with rgmauer- the brick does not do the house any favors. I'd remove it if possible. At very least, paint it the color of the siding so it disappears. The creeping evergreens, perhaps a juniper, should also go. It would also be nice to remove some of the concrete in front of the entryway and replace it with a walkway to the front door. The door itself would benefit from modernization as well. Some new landscaping, too. Stay tuned- I'm sure you'll get a lot of creative suggestions on this site. Good luck!

Such useful ideas - really appreciate them. Want to do them all!

It looks like you have a double spotlight (maybe motion detector) above the garage door in addition to lights mounted on either side as well. I agree with flair lighting's suggestion on the garage fixtures, however not so big. remove the spotlights. I think you should change the front door to one with sidelights. Also install a light in the porch that will complement the garage lights. Paint the garage door a darker color, makes it recede. Include the areas next to the garage. Do the same color. It will make it look larger. You could purchase a post with hanging address numbers. They could be lighted as well to make them more prominent. Remove some of the older plantings from in front of the windows. Plant a red Japanese maple tree to bring out the brick colors. Remove a free form area of grass from around the address post and add bark with colorful flowers and tall grasses here and there. I think most of these suggestions were budget friendly. Post after photos if you use any of our suggestions.

Good idea - will definitely post after-photos! we have to renovate the whole house so it will take ages, but hopefully within 18 months.

the motion light might be for a reason if so it can stay. the fixtures i chose are not that big, 15 inch or so. they would be fine.

search "bungalow" for some great ideas especially for your windows. Good luck!

OK, I am taking you at your word for a whole house renovation.
My first impression is that the house is screaming to be opened up with light flooding every room. Then I browsed exteriors on houzz and found this. If you love it as much as I do, find yourself a good architect to come as close to it as possible (and extend your timeframe:))

And then there is a little more conservative option by just redoing front door, siding, and the lower floor windows.

I like the idea of making the front door a double entry too! Then I would also bring in a walkway in stone or concrete that winds to the front door. Then do the entire driveway too. The bushes are overgrown and I would take them out and replant new plants and maybe a couple of trees in the middle of the yard or next to the new walk way.

Wow, those photos of options look amazing.

with due respect to bbhappy81, I don't agree that bungalow is the keyword to search for renovating this home, unless you want a major renovation--or even if you want a major renovation.
also, you really haven't said anything about your budget?
If you want quick, inexpensive, but fairly drastic, I would suggest that the house looks pretty good but needs some sparkle. I think the bones are mid-century modern, which is one of my favorites. The window shape & placement is already right and so is the chimney and roof line. The brick color doesn't look great and the paint color on the siding is not exciting. I would paint both. Maybe choose a light gray for the siding and a gray semi-opaque (opaque enough to cover the yellow brick, or completely solid color) for the brick that's a few shades darker.
I really hate the grill pattern on the storm door. If you can remove it, please do because it is distracting. If not, maybe get a new plain one. And get a modern door in a bright color.
Your front door area photo has such a bright flash it's hard to see what is next to the door, but a plain window or series of squares or circles on a metal panel would be interesting? You could have a window panel made or just use a plain window and have a metal panel made custom to your design--inexpensive and some privacy. Also easy to change.. You could also use it for large back-lit house numbers there.

I would ditch the tiny house numbers on the garage and either do as above or put large numbers vertically on the wall to the left of the four windows/right of the front door area OR to the left of the front door area/right of the garage.

Also, ditch the tiny, dated lamps and get some modern design and put them left & right plus slightly above & below the top corner of the garage door (don't crowd your house numbers if you put them there) and also do the same with a nice new modern light on the porch but on the right wall instead of on the wall next to the door/window. It will feel less crowded on that smaller porch. Also you could get one with a motion detector. You may want to add smaller lights or flood lights to the front corners or at least the far right corner past the four windows (farthest away from the garage) as well as around the side from the garage and in the back corners of the house for safety while you are doing wiring, whether you do it yourself or hire someone. There are solar powered ones that don't cost that much now and don't require any wiring, either.

Pressure wash the driveway & consider concrete stain in a deep gray up to the front door. It will give it some polish. Or you could just clean it up and leave it plain. Remove all the bushes that currently cover the windows and maybe consider adding one more poured concrete step or level that extends about 8 or 10 feet forward of the house and across at least two feet (or the same as the width of the space to the left of the four windows to that corner, whatever that is) past the right of the four windows. You cut the photo off, so I can't tell what else is going on. You could then have a generous area for replanting the juniper, which is appropriate, just forward of where it is now, along the new edge. You could put some Japanese-inspired pots or metal pots with plants and a simple concrete or metal bench or two, and a beautiful Japanese maple in a pot or down in front of the new patio. You could leave a couple of feet between this new space and the house for a rock garden, making sure there's proper grading for good drainage.

The garage door is a little busy right now, so you could repaint or if you have the budget to replace it with a simple flat style--or more expensive glass one--go for it.

Please, post more pictures of what it looks like now and tell us more of what you had in mind on your style taste and how extensive a remodel/budge you want to do. Also, please post pictures when you are done! Good luck

Clean clean clean! larger entrance door. Clean the vegetation in the front. Either paint the bricks white or, better, paint the whole thing with a more "inviting" color. Depend on your taste. I would play with greens and even lime green and yellow. A new driveway would be great, otherwise, you can paint the asphalt too! get rid of the lawn and have a combination of stones, or even a water element. Right now the house feels like "leave me alone" think about how to open it, make it feel like "please come in".

I would definitely remove the shrubs. Paint the door red to mark the entrance and increase interest. Use some plantation blinds on the windows inside, which give a natural effect outside (buy the faux blinds at WalMart. They are much cheaper than real wood, and easiler to keep clean). Add decorative lighting to each side of the carport (Maybe coach lamps to spark entrance). Define the drive with edging, do some landscaping, doctor the grass to make it look more appealing. Definition will clearing improve the look. Feng Shui suggests a red door to invite healthy chi into the home.

If you are on a budget, my first thought is to paint the siding and brick a grayish color, and the garage door charcoal or black. Make it a bit more contemporary. Add some silver long, narrow contemporary lights on either side of garage door. Replace front door, a must..

Either pull the front door out aligned with garage door and add patio across the front right or remove the overhang from the garage goat extends over the front door. It's buried and uninviting as is. The house is not mid century modern, it's late 60's builder. If your budget can afford and you are considering a full renovation changing the roof lines so those tiny second floor windows go away would be a great start. If you're just looking for curb appeal, new garage door, paint, lighting accents and landscaping.
We do photoshop before and afters all the time. Have fun don't rush!

Go with a nice grey or taupe color throughout, including brick. Use bright orange or red/orange front door. Purchase contemporary- simple look lighting, not traditional coach lighting. Go for a California ranch look for your house. Work on block colors in landscaping. Add nice hardscaping with curved walkway in brick, bluestone, or slate. Make a small gathering area to right front of door out of same material, with bench, potted flowers/plants, small table. Eventually reroof with adobe tile type roofing -- definitely more texture needed there. Eventually go with new windows, add a front porch, or another addition out from front door to give it more importance as now it is lost in the dark shadow. (The bright paint there will help). Since it's kind of a weird shape, go with it and eliminate other things that jar one's eyes -- that's why the single simple color would work well. I think it'll be adorable.

Trim around your windows.

Front door to take up that whole wall.

Brown trim to charcoal.

Go with like a sand beige siding. Vertical up top and right bump out.

Replace garage door with windows on door.

Stone garage front.

Dark gray roof.

Quick fix garage door. We bought faux garage door windows from Coach House Accents and the neighbors think we bought a new garage door! Check out the site, you'll be surprised!

I think I'd start by replacing the four front windows with one big one. I'd replace the grave door with a door that has windows at the top. I'd find a paint strip you like with at least three shades of the same color. I'd paint the section of the house with the big window the darkest shade, the grage area the medium shade with a contrasting color on the grage door, and the upstairs and porch area the lightest shade. Now for the front door area, it's dark. We could add a light well, but that will show on the roof, if that won't bother you I'd recomend this fix. Or, you could leave a porch light on but this will attract bug, so not my favorite choice. The other option is to spot light your porch with a light in the yard keeping the bugs in the yard and not around your head. If you love the screen because it lets in so much air flow, keep it but add trim detailing to match on the window. If you hate everything about the screen take it off and see what you're left with.

You could paint the brick instead of replacing it with matching siding, and save yourself some money there.

Has anybody suggested just painting out the siding instead of removing it. A good cleaning with a quality siding cleaner and topcoat with an exterior 100% acrylic latex. Maybe paint out the brick in a contrasting color. I agree with the lighting it will make a big difference it just looks odd. A driveway refresh would do it great maybe square off the side and use some permacon pavers to show the entrance better. If budget permits get rid of the brick remove the bushes and highlight that front window with an interesting stone to make that front pop with your new entry. If you paint the siding make sure not to do it too dark as dark colors will warp the siding, this would give you at least 5 years so you can save up and do it later. Hope this helps a little let me know how you make out.

I would rip out the bushes, add a large front porch extending the front of the house, replace the 4 windows with double-wide glass front doors flanked by floor to ceiling windows, and move the entrance of the house to the new porch. I'd change the lighting around the garage, move the current front door forward to add additional space to the house or the garage and add a large, floor-to-ceiling window to unify with the porch windows while increasing light into the home. I'd also consider adding dormers to the windows on the second floor to add character and allow more natural light into the home.

I agree with others, the house needs to go more modern. Remove the storm door and bushes. Paint can go a long way to improving the look. Your lighting needs to be more modern. Also on the long and narrow side due to lack off width. Here are some examples, Many are energy efficient these days

I like Coleen's ideas. Those houses look almost exactly like yours in the approach. Your house could look very similar to those houses. Great ideas!

First and foremost, determine if the siding and current paint is good for several more years. If not, it's time to do that. If you find it's good, then consider color on the front door. The house is all white, so you have many choices. I prefer welcoming, deep colors for front doors, not lighter ones.

Oh gosh, where to start! First off, decide what your budget is; otherwise you'll get million dollar suggestions. Some things just may not be feasible under budget constraints. Also, are you looking for simple weekend warrior fixes or something that would require a contractor overhaul. Lastly, how skilled are you and are you looking to do the work yourself. My first suggestion is paint, because it's not overly expensive and can be done by just about anyone. It looks like you have vinyl siding which is no doubt great for maintenance, but the color is stark...perhaps warm it up a bit with a darker hue and lighten the trim, including around the windows. Pick a bold color for your front door and paint the screen door/security door the same color so they blend. I agree that the brick isn't doing much but if replacing it is out of your budget then perhaps whitewash it, but then carry that over to the chimney. Interior window treatments aren't overly expensive and can do double duty for updating the interior as well as the exterior. I would go with plantation shutters as a timeless option on the windows above the garage and in the front room as well as the sidelight window next to the front door. I would also trim the bushes down or remove them so that you can see the front of the house better; then add some bright colored plants, not just flowers, but different shades of green, reds, browns, etc. Also, whatever color you choose to paint the front door, carry that as an accent color in your yard. For example: if you painted the front door black then perhaps lay out some black bark as a ground cover under plants and shrubs and around flower beds, or if you painted it periwinkle then plant some lavender and periwinkle. The garage door can be easily updated to a carriage style with some hardware for about $30; a little bit more if you want to add windows, or you could just get a new door if your budget allows. I would try to create a more defined path to the front door. This can be done with the existing concrete with concrete stain or paint. Or if your budget allows it, I would go with pavers and redo the driveway as well. Light fixtures, pick something you like and carry the theme by adding a matching lamppost at the base of your driveway and add landscaping around it. House numbers, try to make them bold and visible.

Your budget and time will dictate how your project will go. Much of these recommendations are quite excellent specifically about the shrubbery, entry door, and windows. I would consider changing those. Get rid of entry way window to make space for the double doors. The concrete driveway needs to be addressed. Where I am, concrete driveway contractors are a dime a dozen and reasonable. Get a landscape designer for a low maintenance front yard. An architect should be giving input.

I agree - such useful comments from everyone - all make sense! The budget is key. Wish I didn't have to wait to start but I have to!

I love the lines of your house!! ...with some updates it will look fabulous!! I was so inspired to post a comment so here goes...I see a modern clean exterior with stainless steel lighting, post box, numbers, planters etc. You could create a lovely semiprivate extended sitting area in front of the 4 big windows, using a horizontal cedar plank fence as a buffer from the street, creating a low wall to enclose the sitting area about same height as brick section. This wall is where you could put new SS house numbers and uplight it with a spotlight. Then the garden bed could go in front of that...with cool blue grey shorter ornamental grasses mixed with tall striking zebra grasses.A Modern wood entry door with SS hardware would look fab with your new sidelight....put new SS mailbox below sidelight. Replace garage door with charcoal grey coloured one that has wide horizontal grooves across it, as well as a long rectangular window across the top, to mimic your long low windows on 2nd floor. SS tall skinny vertical lighting on either side of garage door, and a matching one at front door. Keep brick intact....but cover it up with installation of panels of slim real (Not fake)stone veneer in shades of greys....in varying widths, again in horizontal orientation...can be found at many stone supply companies . Cover chimney with same stone. A neutral light to mid grey tone pulled from the new stone veneer to paint your siding . The brown roof looks to be in good condition...so I think the cool greys and warm cedar wood tones would balance it out as an over all colour scheme.Trim out all your windows in the same charcoal grey as your garage door, so as to hide the siding bits between the 4 ground flr windows and two 2nd floor windows to clean up the lines a bit. I will try to post some pics that I found inspirational for you...congrats and looking forward to after pics !!!! ~Sandra from Canada

It's nice and simple

So nice to post an idea book, Sandra.

Save yourself the money and just paint the brick! It looks great and much cheaper, not to mention less work and you can do it yourselves. I would go with a grey or a dark tan/cream colour. Trim the bush in front of the windows. Replace the glass on the door and the window beside it as well as painting the door itself. You could add some drama by putting wood above your entrance way on the roof, while adding in some pot lights.

If your able to purchase a new garage door, a darker one with windows might help with balancing the home. I would also bring the porch out a good bit. A couple of nice craftsman style planters with some natural (as opposed to topiary) sky pencils. Please remove that juniper... The lines of your home are beautiful, and it's interrupting the flow. A Japanese maple can be shaped to accentuate the home. The house numbers would probably be first to go, I like the ss sleek look and vertical.

Hi butcombe-- please tell us your budget or at least the general extensiveness of plans ? It would be helpful for us to continue making suggestions. For example, the West L.A. house suggested by Connie Elaine's Draperies is gorgeous, and lots of people are giving great suggestions but if you really only plan to paint a door and change the lights (which is fine) it would help to know.

Add big pots with tall plants on either side of the garage door. Remove the shrubs and low evergreen and add a curved bed down the side of part of the driveway, and add mulch, boulders and colorful plants/shrubs.

if that is vinyl siding get rid of it. get rid of the front door with screen door. if the windows are dated replace them with the door and siding with something that suits your taste. a clean contemporary modern make over would be very complimentry to that residential type/form.

blend in new garage door that compliments windows and door, add lighting and address element to taste. chill for quite awhile.

The front door is off with the black window next to it and everything else being white. The brick is interesting but covered up by the bush and not incorporated into anything else. I am not good with Paint but here is a vague idea.

Very nice to sketch this out, thank you, nikitasmom. Kuzzwhy, our budget for the whole house reno is $100K - but that has to cover everything from the new front to a new kitchen to 2.5 new bathrooms to a new deck out front, new lighting, laundry room, and maybe, maybe a roof lift to add extra room as the main bedroom and ensuite are small, etc etc. (but this might blow the budget) so clever vs costly fixes are great. This trove of wonderful ideas for the front has excited me no end. I would love them on the whole house! I could post photos of each room....

if its in your budget maybe redo the roof design, remove that ledge on the porch to open the front entrance.

I am a residential designer. i design new houses, however the majority of my work is renovation and addition projects. these projects can be more interesting and challenging which i enjoy. your house definitely is due for an up date however it offers some very interesting potential. in terms of design ideas are you wanting a modern look. i suppose if you are on houzz contemporary is what you want. windows and doors can be expensive however there are cost effective solutions to exterior cladding and kitchens etc. it is a matter of where you want to put your money.

cheers,

Gary Streight
studio INK

Double door-pop the color on the door to help it stand out since it's a recessed door. Trim bushes to at least brick height-don't block windows, paint trim a different color besides white.

Aluminium or coloured vinyl windows to save cost. clean exterior finish perhaps hardy panel and easy trim or stucco. take off brick or paint only if cost savings are necessary. invest in a stylish wood door with side lites and garage door to match. contact me if you are looking for a designer.

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