You are giving mixed message about your goal. Contemporary, cottage and the Las Vegas look are three different styles.

The beige color definitely adds more characters to the exterior.

Sorry! I didn't intend for that! I just want a new updated look. I like the way the cottage homes look but didn't think this exterior lends itself to it. I thought the Vegas home was more contemporary than any other style so I was calling it so. In general I just want a welcoming warm home. And I'm having difficulties with it. Thanks for asking for clarification!

Haahaa, I don't either that's why I'm asking for advice! 3rd picture I attached because I just love it, so maybe I could incorporate the color choices; I even considered adding a stucco band along the bottom to add personality but didn't think that would work either.

Apparently it's harder than it appears since no one has given any advice....

At Judy, didn't notice your picture until now! I'm on my phone and it showed just your first paragraph!

And yes, I do like your picture! Just not sure how to make that work. Something to think about!!!

Thanks!

Landscaping yes! And trees removed! (We had trees cut and I know of several people that heat their home with wood so they came and removed it). I will try to get a new picture with the brick pathway.

I'm a visual person so I know what I like, don't like when I see it but I can't visualize a space before it's been completed. That's why I tried that program for changing the paint color. And you pros can look at a picture and decide what to do in a minute and it would be fabulous! I'm definitely jealous of that gift!

At Weil, I definitely like the look of a metal roof but no other homes in my neighborhood have those so I would be concerned with resale value. Something to think about since I haven't considered that. I will check with a real estate agent since I like the look.

I'm concerned with just changing the main exterior color because I don't want it to look like this (first picture). I like the 2nd picture because it has interesting detail. There's no detail on my house except the columns so that's why I thought of highlighting them. But then again maybe that wouldn't work.

Are you planning to paint the exterior? What is the material? I rather like the double hung windows- they are more cottage feeling than a casement which is what you see in the property brothers house. That house, is a far stretch from your beautiful home. Your home could add some custom shutters- cottage shutters with a cut out to support the look. Your home is a beautiful, traditional home. You can achieve a more formal cottage look changing the landscaping. If you are painting the exterior, there are many great options to help achieve what you are looking for- let me know what the siding is, I will email a few color recommendations. If you are replacing windows- you can go with light frames or dark, need to coordinate the whole picture. I think I know what you are looking to do-

It's hard coat stucco, my husband would rather not paint because then it becomes maintenance upkeep. I think painting it is key to a great design so I will win that discussion ;) I am open to any color combinations! I'm open to any design, well just within a small budget ;)

The windows we have quoted is just white double hung windows. Colored windows are almost 100% more per window so we decided against that.

Thanks!

Here's a closeup that I had from before of the brick pathway entrance.

Learn when to leave well enough alone. It's a nice traditional home and would not at all benefit from efforts to make it look like a dentist's office.

I agree with Sophie. It's really pretty nice as is. Maybe the extra money for painting the stucco could go towards gray or black windows. I know this is not what you're thinking, but maybe more appropriate for the house. A really nice light fixture over the front door would also be a good investment. I still don't like the roof line of the front entry though.

I'm trying to add charm and curb appeal. I realize landscaping will add some but I'm afraid not enough for my taste.

Weil, not what I was thinking but the cost would be almost an even swap. I'm just nervous about spending that amount of money and not knowing if it would enhance the appearance more than another design.

I can play around more on that computer program I have.

Thanks for all of your advice so far! It's definitely giving me things to think about.

Oh yeah just remembered the darker windows come the same color on the inside and outside and the inside is being painted now!

We would have additional cost of painting every window and that I imagine would run an additional 3k at least.

Your husband is right. Painting the stucco will become a serious maintenance (and cost) issue. That alone could become a sticking point for buyers if you choose to sell (more than adding a metal roof I'd wager). Stucco on its own breathes and dries and painting it hampers that ability. Stick to painting doors and trim, adding a new roof and landscaping. landscaping especially will go a long ways in adding curb appeal to your home.

IMO a cottage inspired look is attainable. Cottage homes frequently have a porch which you don't but landscaping that opens up the front door would give the same visual weight. They also have contrast trim which you have your window frame detail that could be accented along with adding an additional front facade finish I.e. Stone a rough timber accent etc. I'm writing this without looking at your picture. Sorry. Gather lots of pictures you like a good local designer who deals in construction will be able to help sift through and find what it is you love about all of the pictures and apply it to your home which is beautiful and screaming for some personalization.

Your home is really charming and it's proportions are really good. I think with a few fairly minor changes you could add the details that would take it in more of a cottage direction - french cottage actually. The landscaping can make this lean more formal or more casual, depending on your choices there.

I did a quick photoshop sketch to show you what I mean about the details. I think your best investment would be removing the columns on either side of the front door, from top to bottom, and flatten that whole bump out so it's one plane. If you keep the stucco the same (happy hubby, lower maintenance), you can add shutters around the windows in a classic grey-green color. Paint a rectangle below each window in a darker shade of your stucco color to emulate a heftier sill and give each window more weight and add interest. Add an iron balcony around the window over the front door. Add iron lanterns on either side of the front door and the garage door.

The garage door would be another place to make a clever investment of funds. A carriage door style painted in the trim color would reinforce the cottage feel too. The best of luck with your home!

I'm in agreement with Weil. The home is fine as it is, just needs landscape. All you're seeing is a big white blob. A proportionate lantern style entry pendant and thoughtful landscaping and maybe a splash of color on the front door are all you really need. A slate roof or metal or both ... Or not...use your program to incorporate some landscape.

I'm not a pro, just an opinionated (and long-winded) homeowner who's been where you are (3 times). Here's my opinion. First, it never works to try to make a house what it wasn't intended to be. This is a quite nice house that doesn't want to be "modern" and isn't even likely to accept "cottage." Opinion 2: I feel like your house needs more visual weight at the ground level. For that reason, I don't like the contrasting paint for the central column area. It visually puts a big vertical bar down the middle of your house, and emphasizes the vertical. I think if you enlarge your porch into a terrace surfaced with the material used for the new walkway, put a nice railing around it, and painted the lovely front door with a bit more color, your house would have personality and look welcoming. If you make that terrace asymmetrical, extend it farther along the front of the house on one side of the doorway than the other, and put big colorful pots for plants, you can even sneak in some "cottage" feel. It might be the rigid symmetry of the house you don't like. That, with some nice landscaping, would visually warm up the look of the house without painting the stucco. And here's where I get really offensive. Windows are the soul of a house, and so I am obsessive about window replacements. Your double hung, divided lite windows are lovely and "right" for this house (they are also 'right" for cottage style...). You mention the windows you've picked out are white and same color inside and out. To me that hints you are thinking vinyl. Please don't do standard white vinyl by that manufacturer that so many people use. They have such a wide window framing in proportion to glass, that they really change the visual proportions of the window (and if your house has a flaw, it is that the windows are a bit undersized already for the mass of the facade). When you combine that with the glaring white of the vinyl, they really affect the look of a house (in a bad way). If you HAVE to replace the windows, go with something like Marvin's historical series that keep better proportion of surrounding materials to glass. They also have smaller increments of standard sizing, which is important to fitting new windows into a house where you can't cut the opening to size. They are more expensive (I know, I did a whole house with them in 2008), but they make the house look "quality," inside and out. Mine were more expensive because I went with wood windows with extruded exterior cladding, but there are other options. So, hope my long-winded expression of non-pro opinions are useful, rather than offensive. I do like your house a lot, and I hope you come to like it for what it is, too.

Jane Davila nailed it! The columns are too tall for the front and ruin the proportions. Swapping them out for a Juliette balcony and nice bronze lanterns looks fantastic.

Just curious, since I'm no structural/construction expert. I agree with nixing the column look on the facade, but don't know how difficult or costly that might be. Would it be possible to visually make them disappear by filling in the vertical crack between them with stucco? From a distance, it's that seam that grabs my eye and makes the columns appear more prominent. Just seems like it might be an easier fix than removing that part of the structure.

Jane Davila's rendering looks very nice.

Wow! Walk away for a couple of hours and come back to lots of GREAT ideas! I'm loving the picture that you created Jane! Let me get some quotes and I'll be posting after pictures soon! Thank you pros and non-pros!!

Typically the columns are an added element. Meaning they are added to the exterior after the sheathing. Removing them will require some woodworking and stucco, but the work isn't very complicated and will make a major impact

Right, the columns are tall and massive compared to what they are supporting - a little portico with no projection, sitting on narrow eaves and fascia boards. It is out of proportion, which immediately draws the eye. Regardless of the style you are trying to achieve, this should be corrected. As others have pointed out, removing or boxing in the columns would be the simplest choice. You could also go for somewhat wider trim around the eaves, but the window placement doesn't permit much leeway with this.

There's no reason you can't blend some modern elements into a French Country landscape. There's a marvelous example on Houzz.

By keeping the details, like the shutters, more casual and more true to French Country cottage style, the overall effect won't be stuffy (which the current formal columns are and which you may be reacting to). Cottage to me reads as a more casual and inviting.

I don't think you need to change your windows, the stucco, or the current color of your house. And the modern aesthetic you talked about can be injected with accessories and some of the hardscaping (like the Houzz photo shows). For example, choosing zinc flower pots with clean, straight lines and more contemporary outdoor furniture would be an easy way to add a modern feel. I personally like a few unexpected elements in design and don't like it when every single thing is kept to one "pure" style. Done well, the slight tension between the elements and styles can make for more interesting and personal design.

Where are you located??

I'm in upstate SC, and looking forward to a finished project! Thanks again for all of your wonderful suggestions.

Also all the windows are single pane with storm windows. Some of the window panes are passed repair because the storm windows had remained open and no maintenance had been done to the home in probably 10 years. It seems to be beneficial to spend the extra money and get all new windows vs. repairing/painting them (3-4k less)