I think we need more pictures and where are you, zone wise.

for starters cut the grass, remove the debris. paint the house in a pop color, such as a sunny yellow, a tangerine, a turquoise blue. paint the trims in white. get those cables out.

Definitely agree with cleaning up the front lawn and cutting the grass. Also, weather permitting invest in some weed and feed for the lawn. A change in color of the house would help especially under the portico, it will lighten up the space.

I live in Tampa fl. And the ac unit will definitely be the first thing to go

Add shutters on both windows, clear away the cinder blocks, cut the grass, and cut down the big weed. Those are a few things you could do easily without spending much money. I love the idea of adding a pergola across the front, as shown in the second photo posted by decoenthusiaste. Planting brightly colored flowers along the driveway would help, too.

So much potential! I agree with the other comments about cleaning up the yardand painting. Shutters and/or cute awnings. A little sitting area in front would add charm as well.

dmanuel3. great. the ac unit will be a great thing when is gone. your biggest bang for the buck is in clean up and adding color. go fun and add trim details. paint the window trim, the roof trim. then get us pictures from inside the carport to see the front door.

how about these colors

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Fresh lick of paint and landscaping, be good as new

Thanks everyone for the advice. @saca thanks those are some nice color ways

I see your house as a more modern style, not cottage (although you could add cottage elements if you really like them). But you could go for a more mid-century modern style when you choose landscaping and house numbers. I'd add big modern house numbers, in a vertical row to the right of the right hand window. Grasses and squared-off landscaping beds rather than curves.

The photo (before & after) just now with the more drought tolerant plants sounds perfect for Florida. I live in Mount Dora (Lake County) and as you know, we are running out of water in FL. Plus, the more subdued colors of paint/siding may make your house fit better into the neighborhood....unless there are other funky fun colored ones. Whatever you decide...post pics. And congrats on your purchase!

@ Partim I totally agree with you it does give off a mid century modern vibe. Thanks for the advice

@ 2tillets your right I should go with more drought tolerant plants with the all the water restrictions we have down here in Florida. Thanks for the advice

To emphasize your MCM roofline, take the paint color all the way up to the roof line. In other words, "paint out" that triangular portion right at the peak. You'll also see houses (the first one) with the board just under the roof (don't know what it's called, the flat board that faces out) painted a bright MCM color to emphasize the long low roofline.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/1388-south-edison-way-midcentury-exterior-denver-phvw-vp~14721591

I love big house numbers on modern homes.

if you go in the MCM direction, look for nature colors. taupes, greys, browns. add a contrasting trim color to emphasize the horizontal aspect, and get us pictures showing the from door.

some ideas for landscapes.

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You picked some good color examples in your Ideabooks, particularly the dark, almost navy gray houses, with bright doors. If you have a bit of budget, it would be great to replace the scrubby patch of lawn by installing some hardscaping, like a patio, along with some heat and drought-tolerant native plantings as in the preceding post. Add some brightly color outdoor chairs and a small table in the same color as your door. Hardscaping would enlarge the look of your house and would be maintenance free.

I would remove the grass and weeds and replace with wood chips or gravel and play the contemporary theme. some grasses and maybe some sage would be lovely and they love hot dry weather.

Here are some Pictures of the door and utility shed plus the backyard

I want to steco away all the lines in the blocks and give it a smooth finish? What are your thoughts?

Paint the two front window frames the same color. Bigger house numbers. Add lighting in front. Clean up drooping electrical wiring along front door and in the back yard. When the house is ready for painting, you can choose something colorful. In the meantime, you can invest some time in the landscaping: a virtual drive around with google streetview can turn up some nicely landscaped yards in your area.

On stucco-ing to get rid of the lines- get two or three estimates. It's not a do it yourself kind of job to do the whole house exterior. Personally, I think your time and money would be better spent on landscaping and interior work.

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So much potential! I'd start off with the simple things, pick up the rocks at the front of the yard, and cut the grass. I would consider removing the shrub on the far left because the shape doesn't really do much for the yard. Once you do this, you have a clean slate! Then whether you paint the house or move the AC, I would definitely plan on adding landscaping. I'd start with adding some structural shrubs to give the landscape some form. Remember to plant evergreens to have a balance of winter interest as well. Then by adding some perennials you can add some color to your landscape. Adding an ornamental tree would be beneficial as well! I also love the idea of creating a little sitting area infront. Maybe out of flagstone with groundcover bordering it. At the very least, adding a pot or two of some annuals will guarentee you some color throughout the season! So many options! Good luck!

To put it bluntly , this house is ugly. But there is still hope. Like many readers suggested to clean up this place , dispose of the rocks , cutting grass and pressure washing of the house is a given. I would paint the house a very light stone color , almost white including the small beige strip under the roof. I would add black and white awnings and black shutter on the windows to give it a dramatic effect. After that , I foccuse on landscaping , to make this the focal point and not the house . I added a picture , that I created with a photo editing program, so you get the idea of the design of your new house. I am a beginner in editing and I am not perfect in editing pictures yet. I used design ideas , that do not cost a lot and will keep the budget in check, since I am assuming this is a starter home. Hope this helps. Good luck on your project.

You might consider either stepping stones or a 3' stone border on the side of the driveway so its more comfortable to get out of your car. Get rid of the concrete/rockery at the street, and perhaps consider re-sodding or topdressing the lawn. Planting at the house would hide the house façade and add colour. Consider relocating the AC unit.

A vine covered lattice placed equal distance between the two windows could hide the a/c unit.

I would stay away from stuccoing yet. Your backyard has so much potential. But it will need careful research as to what is your native grass in florida.

I would consider the following change. I would close the front door and change the right window in the front of the house to your front door. The door now seems to really not be visible, which makes the house look not very inviting.

What you need to decide soon is which direction will you go? cottage or Midcentry Modern, because it will all depend on this.

Plant bushes by perimeter 2-3 feet high

I love Angela's idea! So doable and affordable.

We bought a house very similar to yours about 2 years ago. I was the same - OMG What do we do and what DID we do?? We enlisted the help of a friend who is a landscaper by trade to draw up a plan for us, but we told her we would be doing the work ourselves because again, this was our first TINY abode. So we keep the plan laid out on a desk and whenever we have a free weekend and a few extra bucks, we get out there and get dirty. Having a professional plan is really really helpful and will save you SO MANY HEADACHES and SO MANY FIGHTS and is SO WORTH the few hundred bucks or however much it costs to get it done.

That being said, I've a huge advocate of getting to know what is native to your area. You will spend far less time and money in fertilizers (which are BAD!) and irrigation (also bad when used irresponsibly). We had so much fun going to forums and learning about Florida Friendly landscaping and all of our friends are jealous when we aren't slaves to our yard on the weekends.

Here's some before and after's to help give you some ideas! Good luck!

For once, I'm okay with shutters since you'll want usable, not decorative shutters you can pull closed if you get tropical storm or hurricane warnings.

@ sacun I'm definitely going with mid century modern. What do you think about putting a chimney where the ac unit sits?

I like the white/beige house with the dark trim around the windows and a Pop orange color for the doors, and a chimney where the ac unit sits

One color (a dark grey) all the way up to the roof line. Have the roof a sleek black or crisp white. I would not outline your windows. Yes, it looks great in the white house you have posted above, but that house is huge with a lot of visual space. I think having contrasting trim around your windows will be too much going on in that size space and will chop it up and make it look smaller.

I like the bush. I would trim it. I think vertical house numbers would look good on the right corner of the front of the house. A subtle metal against the grey.

Before you do anything to the lawn, do some research to see what is the easiest to maintain, and the least costly to upkeep for your climate. Do the painting first, clear the debris, trim the bush, mow the lawn and live with it for a while before you make any big moves on the landscaping.

It m ight be a good idea. will you use it though? they are expensive and I am not sure if your winters grant it.

I'm asking For Aesthetic reasons because I'd like the fireplace to be the center place for the interior but our winters get pretty cold

Yes, I think that would be nice. Dark chimney and trim, crisp white and a pop of color at the door. Then add some pops of color to the landscaping when finances permit!

add shutters, remove/ cover/ relocate that AC, clean up yard, plant a few well trimmed bushes, paint brown on top to a different color. maybe something to match shutters. navy?

Then by all means build it. They do look nice.

Angela, this is not an ugly house. it is a house that has not had any attention in a while. dmanuel3 will probably do very well fixing it. his equity will be significant. I too had an unloved, angry house. it looks great now

look at this house

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That's nice @ sacun

would you consider incorporating the car port into the house by closing it off?

Cute little thing!

I think it needs a front door (where the right window is) and a covered porch

extended over the front of the carport as well, maybe some stained (gray or natural or medium toned) horizontal wood siding in the front and just paint the rest and do the large-pot-with-grass and some easy appropriate landscaping like others have said. A fun bright green for trim and see if you could use the stone or whatever it is to make a nice path next to the driveway towards the new front door. MCM sounds right to me.

Also love the awnings! A house with a visable entrance looks more inviting.

hey any updates?

No unfortunately I was in between jobs but I should be doing some improvements with in the next few months.

ok. keep us updated.

I too would suggest you relocate the window AC so that it is not visible from the street. Also, I would have the left window lengthened so that it is the same as the window on the right. I would paint the house white and then get an interesting pastel metal roof and shutters the same color as the roof. Between the two front windows you could install a bird bath, some low flowering shrubs, and perhaps a park bench to create an outdoor entertaining/living space. Your house has so much potential, and it can be really charming.