Another question: Should we add railing around the porch and down the stairs? I'm having a hard time imagining what this will look like and if that would be too much for the front of the house.

First do NOT landscape before painting. Guaranteed the plants will suffer. This assumes the painting will happen within a month? Can you please show us up close how your garden area is by the front porch?

I would plant a tree in the front yard and watch it grow over the years

Choose a color to go with your brick.

Pale gray, ivory, or you could keep the white.

You may want to use a favorite color on the front door.

My house is similar in style to yours.

And it is across the river in Tn, so the climate is similar too.

I put Hilda Niblett azaleas in front of the porch four years ago and I really like them.

They grow low and spread out and will never grow too tall or need to be cut back. I have some green out there all the time and gorgeous flowers in the spring.

On my front porch I put big pots of Kimberley Queen fern.

I move mine into a shed and keep them over winter, but they are inexpensive enough to replace every year and they do well in direct sun or shade. Kept watered and fed with Miracle Grow they get big and gorgeous. If you decide to use them a big pot and the Miracle Grow Potting soil with the water retention crystals already in it will keep them from drying out too fast.

I also like boxwood for softening corners and sky pencil Japanese hollies for height .

There are also some new dwarf crape myrtles that would enjoy your full sun.

As for a tree, I love oaks, but you may want to keep a front yard tree in scale with the size of your front yard. Some varieties of crap myrtle(the ones that spread out) would work or a crab apple or flowering cherry or even a Japanese Maple. A saucer magnolia would also be lovely. Or some of the smaller magnolias like Jane. All would give you some shade and beautiful color when in bloom.

With a big shade tree like an oak, a tulip poplar or a maple in 20 years your yard will be all shade and it will be impossible to grow grass. Don't ask me how I know. :)

PS I want to see an after photo!

Not sure what colors you are planning to paint, but consider black shutters and white(ish) trim. You have a lot of white area on your home. It does look like you could use a railing on your stairs, or at least a tall pot on either side of the stairs that would frame the entry. As for landscaping, you have a lot of garden area - lucky you! Personally I love geraniums in front of small hedge-like shrubs behind them.

Hi, I would like to see dark shutters,I would pull a color out that is in the bricks (dark Brown) for shutters.Also the door perhaps choose a deep red for trim and a taupe for the gable and posts .As for the plants in the yard I'd like to see a few trees spaced apart ,to create shade through out the day ,but not hiding the house . In the existing beds a little Color with plants that have fronds . You have beautiful house already have a great day.

One problem we are seeing is that the owners before us did an extremely sloppy job painting the trim and shutters (they didn't even remove the shutters to paint!!!!!!)

So now there are splatters of white paint EVERYWHERE and we have tried all morning but that paint is NOT coming off. Should we paint the brick? I was thinking maybe a white wash??? I am going to take your advice on here and paint, etc before landscaping.

Are the paint spatters that noticeable?

White wash would probably look nice.

I like the house without white wash but it would still look good with white wash .I'm sure there is something quite reasonable to clean the paint off.As for plants I will look and post in alittle while

Please ignore my last comment I don't know how to load pics .i did look at plants and discovered a house with white wash and it looks beautiful I would white wash it .dark shutters ,the side house plants I would plant minimal spike plants on either side with little plants that are annual so you can see which color suits you best.the trees for the front closer to the curb might be with areddish Orange leaved tree s .g night