I'd like to see a brighter color on the door. But I love the ideas you have! I think stone would look great, and flower boxes would be stellar. Maybe a different railing? And I don't like how the vent sticks out on the peak of the brick. Can it be painted to blend? Or replaced with something a little prettier?

Very charming home! Love your ideas, I would start with the suggestions you made and go from there!

I find your home charming. Use restraint. Flower boxes and a rustic door (if made well) would be nice. You could also paint your front door deep bottle green.

Oh your front door is charming - this is a tudor cottage . . .just find a different color after you settle on some other elements. Covering the brick with overgrouted real stone would be expensive but worthy of your time . . otherwise paint that brick to match the house and go for a poppy toned red on the front door . . . like bm rosy apple http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/rosyapple

if you add stone, consider the gray roof and get something with charcoal elements, pale gray elements .. this will prevent painting the windows (that are perfect as is)

Less. less would be better. fewer variety in plants. cover that lattice with something solid. more of a fade-away stair railing. i'd not cover with stone. i'd try painting brick first. the good thing about the brick is the right angles.... irregular nature of stone facade would be yet another smallish thing that is different from everything else. i'd try very much to update the look with a more streamlined look. i'd surely paint that vent above the door the same color as the bricks.

I understand the desire for stone, but rather than cover the brick, why not just do the lower story in stone? Hard to see behind the plantings here but the lower floor seems to be brick with stone trim around the windows. Your steep stairs do need a rail but you might find one with a more Tudor pattern.

I think the elements of your home - door and brick - are wonderful. I would be disappointed if you lost them. I would upgrade the railing though.

I think your house is near perfect. Yes, maybe change the door. But the main problem I think is that the garden is a bit, er, Disneyesque? Let me see what I can find that I think might work better.

The house is beautiful as it is. I agree the landscaping is a bit much, perhaps, but I would keep the brick and door as it is, and simply remove those purple things in the front.

well done groveraxle! can you color that vent the same as the bricks? and square up and regulate all the shrubs?.... lowering the two at the front porch?

Amazing what a few tweaks can do. It gives your entry a cleaner, fresher look! I do love the bricks around the entry. I would hate to see them painted.....they give the home a nice layered look.

Change the stairs to stone and widening them and fanning them out at the bottom and then using the same stone to replace the brick arches above the door and side windows… tudors came into being after arches revolutionized the way buildings were constructed in medieval times, it would be nice to highlight them.

Add decorative medieval iron hinges to the door. You can find authentic ones for relatively cheap on ebay.

Above the side entrance it looks like the verticals are painted on rather than being the wood as is typical. I would put wood on the upper stucco even in the front of the house, painted the same gray as trim.

Pull out the large overgrown bushes and add some topiaries and roses (common at the time), and brightly colored flowers morphing english gardens with the structured mazes and geometric forms. Tudors were all about extending the home to the outside with open gardens.

Your home is beautiful already, it just needs a little mascara and lipstick!

I didn't think I would find a "house portrait" as an example, but that's what this is. I like it because, like you, the owner obviously enjoys lots of flower colour and has massed it in two substantial beds. Note how the plants are arranged in small colour groups. Shrubs are placed strategically and breathing space allowed between them. The (gorgeous wooden) door is left to shine on its own. No flower frills. I think this approach may be to your taste, and shows you how to do it in a less fussy way.

http://customhouseportraits.com/tag/custom-watercolor-house-portrait/page/2/

That's funny, Grover. I gave up on my version below in favour the pic above -- but the thinking's not a million miles apart, is it?

Great minds, Rina... ;-)

Thank you all for your time, work and awesome suggestions! Also seems like the
railing is one of the sore points everyone agrees upon, what do you people
envision it should be- wooden, iron, solid?

Btw, here are some more pictures when it is not so colorful outside. Thank you again

I would leave the entry brick, but with a dark brown door.

Stone or brick veneer on the lower level front wall.

Enhance the timber frame look with James Hardie Stucco Panels & Trim.

Here is an example of timber frame & stucco front with brick:

To boost up that curb appeal think about your current plantings. Right now the shrubs are all spread out. I would think about grouping your plantings. Mass planting really emphasizes the structure of your landscape which makes a difference. I'll attach some pictures to show what I mean. But either way, your house is charming! Excited to see how you improve it!

Thank you all again! Fantastic ! Question @Rina- what software did you use to change the appearance of my house? I would like to experiment with different looks based on the above suggestions

I use an old version of Microsoft Paint, but it's quite basic and takes a while to sort out how one can use it for things that are a bit less basic. I imagine Photoshop might be more useful to you. That's what Grover uses.

Good night from me in Joburg. Looking forward to reports on your experimenting.

Thank you. Will let you know !

How about painting the existing door a smart yellow color to give it some pop?

The house is lovely.

And I like the pale purple door and the baskets of purple flowers.

One of my sisters always has a purple door. :)

Hello again everyone,

Thank you all again for your useful suggestions. This is a follow up from 1 yr ago. I considered your opinions and have redone the landscaping in the front of the house completely.

Now I am thinking of addressing the door situation. Seems we are leaning towards a rustic type entry door with clavos and strap hinges which btw can costly due to nonstandard size (90 in high). Some examples below.....

I was wondering what people - think replace the door vs paint it. Also still considering flower boxes under the windows. Any other ideas to improve curb appeal is really welcome (will be painting the vent above the door as suggested)

Thanks!

If your door is functional from a weathering point of view, paint it and keep it - it is soo so charming, and appears to be original. While the newer doors are certainly attractive (because of the non standard height and shape), your original door is more charming than any replacement in my book.

Thank you for the suggestion , I agree on the charm part but the door is not in the greatest shape, maybe I will consider restoring it if I dont change it

Oh the top door you posted is beautiful. It has a little window and the hardware strapping is divine. If it gives you better weathering . . . go for it.

Gorgeous home! We have a similar Tudor home and just replaced the front door with one very similar to this pic with an operable speakeasy door (which actually is quite fun) from Nick's Building Supply in Indiana. Not sure if that's close to your area, but they do custom sizing which might be useful for your space. nicksbuilding.com

Can't find an exterior pic of ours, but here's the interior. Quite happy with it!