I say go bold on the front door. Lime green, azure, turquoise, something you like. What colors does your husband like? I'd go with that since he's so unhappy with the rest of it.

I painted our back door a custom mixed blue purple that makes me happy every time I see it.

I don't know how to embed pictures on this forum, but I provided a link.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Chloe, I L-O-V-E your door! Hubby wouldn't like it because the colour has purple in it, but the idea of going with something we both love is a good one.

...Pam

What a cute house! I think there is a lot that can be done here, and most of it fairly inexpensive (I don't know if that is an issue or not, but I for one always like cheap options over expensive ones).

Are you willing to break up some of that concrete and get rid of it? It looks like some extra concrete has been added to the right side of the driveway, and that it extends past the side of the house. If you could narrow down some of that concrete it wouldn't be so overwhelming. How about the river rocks? I would get rid of them for sure and replace them with grass or flower beds. There is too much hard surface out front already with all of that concrete, the rocks just amplify the problem.

I would fill in the step risers, paint them to match the single riser, and keep the porch floor natural, unless you are willing to keep up with painting the porch (a pain as far as I'm concerned). Personally, I don't think the teak furniture or the bench go with the style of your house. Wicker porch furniture would be great out there, if not wicker than a couple of wooden rockers would also work. If you go with rockers, you might want to think about matching their paint color to whatever bright color you paint the door.

I would also consider an ornamental tree in the front yard, if you don't have one already. I can't see the whole yard from the picture, so perhaps there is already a tree out there. I would also re-do the foundation plants around the house, something lower and evergreen would be nice, so that the house doesn't look so bare in the winter. Also, if you could mix in annuals during the summer it would be nice. In the summer pic one of the bushes is taller than the bottom of your windows - I would definitely try to keep the bushes lower than your lowest window.

I would also make a bed on the left side of the house and have something planted over there to balance out the mass planting on the right.

Also, a large, pretty pot with an evergreen planting would be great on the left side of your front door. I don't know if that is reasonable or not, since you obviously live in a colder climate than I do. A local garden center could help you. I have a large pot with cast iron plant, variegated ivy, and ferns by my front door year 'round. These probably wouldn't work for you, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. Something tall, something bushy, and something trailing all in the same pot, if possible.

I hope this helps. I look forward to seeing what you decide to do.

St Bonner - Thank you for your compliment and your ideas. Money is an issue while Hubby is still in school, but we are putting together "the big plan" and will attack what we can and keep the rest for later.

Its funny that you've asked about the concrete. Just a few minutes ago Hubby said the same thing, that we need to cut some out. He also really dislikes the rock, so that can go.

Would a row of large planters offer temporary alternative to removing the extra concrete? Would that soften the look?

"Wicker porch furniture would be great out there, if not wicker than a couple of wooden rockers would also work. If you go with rockers, you might want to think about matching their paint color to whatever bright color you paint the door." -- More great ideas. Thanks!

"I can't see the whole yard from the picture..." Oh, yes you can. That's it! LOL The house was built as far forward on the lot as was allowed, so the back yard is massive by our city's standards.

"I would also make a bed on the left side of the house and have something planted over there to balance out the mass planting on the right."
The property line is the sidewalk to the left of the porch and goes to the left of the rock creek. That's it. The only place for another garden bed is in that teeny patch of lawn which could be removed.

"I would also consider an ornamental tree in the front yard..."
We did just plant a cherry tree in the teeny patch of lawn that's there, but I'm not sure if its going to live.

"I would also re-do the foundation plants around the house, something lower and evergreen would be nice, so that the house doesn't look so bare in the winter."
We just got back from the green recycling dump. Hubby pulled out some of the plantings to make room for evergreen cedars. You and we are on the same wavelength!

"Also, if you could mix in annuals during the summer it would be nice."

Around the plantings is gravel, perhaps to keep it low-maintenance. We could remove the gravel to allow annuals or add planters.

"In the summer pic one of the bushes is taller than the bottom of your windows - I would definitely try to keep the bushes lower than your lowest window."
That's a lilac bush that grows like a weed.

"Also, a large, pretty pot with an evergreen planting would be great on the left side of your front door".
I'm in zone 3b. As far as I know any pot plantings would die over the winter. Around here people put artificial plants in pots for wintertime. What are your thoughts about silks?

Thanks for everything!

...Pam

Pam, I don't think big planters would do it for you. If you were to take out the extra concrete on the right side of the driveway and put grass over there it would really soften up the look of your front yard. I would probably replace that river rock with grass too, since your climate isn't conducive to year around plantings. That would visually broaden your front yard and make it look more substantial. I would bet that right hand concrete is added on anyway, which should make it fairly easy to remove. One afternoon with a rented jackhammer should take care of it.

Please post when you make changes. I would love to see what you do. It should be a fun and fairly easy project.

As far as the lilac bush, I would replace that with something evergreen and low. I would also take the river rock out of the front flowerbed and replace it with mulch. It would be a softer look than the rock (can you tell I'm not a fan of rock in the landscape unless, of course, you live in Arizona)?

I meant to say earlier that I would definitely leave your screen door white to match your trim. That will make it really show up on your newly painted front door.

Bummer about the planter by the door. I would think about something there to fill that space. A chair or some interesting antique piece might work. It just looks a bit blank to me now.

"As far as the lilac bush, I would replace that with something evergreen and low."

St. Bonner, are you and my hubby in cahoots? He's been threatening to take that lilac bush out for years. I love lilacs, but I understand your rationale.

"I would also take the river rock out of the front flowerbed and replace it with mulch."

Mulch is a bit of a problem for us. We live in a very windy area, semi desert, and it tends to get blown all over the place, but I agree its much softer looking than any sort of stone.

Thanks again!

Last night Hubby finished a drawing of his dream for our home exterior. I'm not convinced we should paint the siding a smokey blue, but the rest is nice.

{{gwi:45586}}

To make do with existing stuff to fill the spot by the door, what if I painted the bench and put a new, larger, house number plaque above it? Or I have a urn with a fake evergreen in it. ;-)

Does this slate house number go? In a different colour?

{{!gwi}}

What colour of door might go with both the existing champagne siding and the new -- maybe? -- smokey blue? Teal or turquoise? Burgundy or magenta?

...Pam

Would a mirror crack at -30?

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Pam, blue siding would be lovely. Then you could have a bright yellow door:)

If I were planting those conifers, I would just use two of them, and I would bracket the house with them to anchor the corners. Then I would find something low-growing, evergreen, and kind of mound-y for underneath the windows. I wouldn't want the landscaping to get too busy in front of your windows.

Instead of the bench, how about two chairs and a small table in between? Then you could angle the chairs a bit, so that the back one would sort of fill in that bare spot to the left of the door. You could also put a number plaque there as well. I would stay away from fake greenery as it never really looks like the real thing.

As far as the mirror cracking at -30 degrees, I've lived my whole life in the coastal south, so I am probably the least qualified person in the world to answer that question. I'm shocked that anything can survive in that kind of cold, frankly. Honestly, I think it's freezing when it's lower than 45 degrees. :)

Thanks for your ideas about the evergreens. I looked at the drawing again and what Hubby planned with the columnar cedars won't work for a number of reasons, but we can fit a couple of smaller ones in.

I'll rearrange our existing furniture on the porch and take a pic.

...Pam

I've found a web site that will be a HUGE help with choosing our colour palettes, colourlovers.com . When I find a colour I want to use, I click on the palette its in and see what other palettes use the colour. To "steal" the palettes and save them without becoming a member, I use free Jing software.

Hubby likes these palettes and I think they will help us transition from the current main house colour, champagne, to the new dusty blue:

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Wow - hubby is really talented! Love his idea for porch -- sure hope setback rules allow it.

GWBR - Thank you! We'll have to go to the city to see if we could get a permit. I hadn't even thought of it, but it absolutely may be a complication.