Cute house. Congratulations on your new home. I own a similar style cape. landscaping is going depend on weather where you live. I wouldn't plant along the driveway just yet. Gardens take time so I would study up on what you want. Flower boxes on the 2 front windows will help. How about a new color on the front door. Hard to tell from picture if it is open or what color it is. Maybe paint the breezeway and fence white.

I use to own a house very similar to this one. The foundation planting will break up the line between the house and yard, but you will enjoy a border between the house and sidewalk that you can enjoy from the window. You can incorporate the tree in the front and add another one to the right for balance in your design. Look for variations in leaf shape and color, compact plants that require little pruning, and blooming plants that have staggered bloom dates. I loved scattering crocus bulbs and planting them randomly in the lawn for early color in the spring. Adding dormers sounds expensive, but if the upstairs is very small and dark and you have the resources, go for it. I grew up in a house with the dormers and while they added light to the space, the actual floor space you will gain will depend on the size of the dormer. It will also mean that future roof repairs will be more expensive due to the changes in the roof line. Personally, I wouldn't consider it, but would use the resources to create a retreat in the backyard.

Your house is adorable!! Congrats! I would paint the breezeway white to tie in with the windows( classic look). Replace the wrought iron rails with white , wooden ,turned ones. A little roof over the front stoop would add so much curb appeal! I am not sure about dormers....depends on the upstairs space and how you will use it.

Super cute home, congrats! I would paint the breezeway black or a super dark grey. Any green plants you add there would really pop, but do selectively trim the rhododendron. I also think painting the garage door to coordinate with the breezeway would look great, add some nice carriage style door hardware would be a nice addition as well. Have fun!

Cute house. I would paint the breezeway and add some black shutters. Enjoy!

Congratulations! I would remove the basketball hoop, attach an overhang over the garage doors and install lights on both sides. I would redo the driveway, in concrete or pavers$$$, and create pathways to the front door.

i would remove the 2 windows in the breezeway and frame for a single window, add a brick facade, and create a porch there.

I would remove the storm door, in the main entrance, create a portico, add shutters and window boxes.

Continue to get ideas, tweak them out, get estimates and create a plan moving forward. Have fun!

Definitely remove the basketball hoop, paint the breezeway, show off the front door with color of your choice by removing the storm door. Later, add a small portico cover over the front door, and replace wrought iron rails with wood, redo the driveway and walkways with pavers, and add layered landscaping around foundation and walkways...don't know where you live, but snow plows and salt are not conducive to happy plants. Love your new house, congratulations!

Window boxes or shutters would do a lot for the front of the house. Painting the breezeway, though I'm not sure what color would make it cohesive. I agree about pruning the rhododendron, mostly taking down the height and giving it some shape. It's an adorable house. Congratulations.

I would add shutters and window boxes. Punch up the color on the front door. Add a trellis over the garage door and create a curved patio area in front of the breezeway with lots of over-sized potted plants and flowers and some small shrubs.......maybe time to move the rhododendron or cut way back. I love the washed look of the bricks in the second photo here.

Do you really want the breeze way to be a focal point? To me, it would make it stick out more and right now, it blends in with the house. A Pathway to the front door from the driveway would allow you to create a flower bed for some color in front of the house---do raised beds---easier to maintain and look nicer, too. What you plant there depends on what kind of sun you get in the front. A front porch is always welcoming and if you are planning on using it, I would go in that direction for long term---if not for your enjoyment, maybe a portico to create some interest. Maybe change up the garage doors to something nicer like carriage house type.

Definitely something over the front door, maybe a striped red and gray canvas awning. Window boxes under the front windows. Foundation plantings of something low and spreading, maybe azaleas depending on where you live. Flower bed under the tree and up both sides of the front walk. Hostas do well most places. I think a soft gray for the breezeway and the garage doors and maybe new steps to match the front door steps. Lovely house. Be careful with dormers - if not installed perfectly, they tend to leak.

- Remove the basketball net, if it won't be used.

- Add black shutters

- Paint the garage door and breezeway, incl window trim something that blends nicely with the roof, but a bit lighter.

- Remove storm door, and paint front door something cheerful (maybe turquoise or yellow).

- Window boxes or a couple of urns would be nice in the front - just something to bring some more colour and catch your eye; however, I would save most of the landscaping for your phase two, which will likely have you ripping a lot of it out.

- New front light + 2 on the garage, if possible.

The red on the breezeway is not the right shade to coordinate with the brick color. I liked the above suggestion of gray to coordinate with the roof. Or white would be okay. Or even a shade of red/brown/orange that more closely matches the bricks. A new front porch or even a small overhang over the front door could add a lot of pop. Remove the wrought iron posts and if you keep it small, splurge a little for posts/roofline that will give it some style. You have to decide what style. New or repainted front door/ new all glass storm door. Take time to live in the home a while before any big changes like dormers. See how the house lives for you,how dark the upstairs is, how much it get used. You may want to make a 5 or 10 year plan. You may not get to everything right away but it saves tearing out something you did 3 years ago because it is now in the way of the new thing. Enjoy making it into your home - it is a classic house with lot of potential.

For long term, here are some ideas. For short term I agree with painting the breezeway a different color.

What a cute house! Congratulations! Until a few months ago we lived in a Cape Cod home. Landscaping was essential in providing curb appeal. I'll show a photo -- we never got beyond probably the medium-range phase although we were in it for 23 years:

I also have a Cape Cod.... I found this picture inspired me. Hope it does for you as well. I intend to build out over my front entrance just like in this pic.

Unless your climate requires protection from the weather when passing through the breezeway, I'd open it or screen it for a more usable outdoor space.

Sweet, sweet, such a sweet house. congratulations! Some Ideas:
1) A Nantucket or shed dormer could add 1/3 more floor space to upstairs, way more light, and up your curb appeal massively.
2) Some kind of overhang over front stoop to keep deliveries and guests dry.
3) if you are in a snowy area, fill in a foundation planting bed with perennials (corabelles, hostas, whatever is indicated for that side of house). don't put near driveway due to salt and plow, and don't use bushes at foundation that will be squashed flat with snow. I prefer bushes by the sidewalk, to provide separation and keep dogs off your lawn in a way that is friendlier than a fence.
4) leave driveway, it's in good shape, but line with two flat courses of brick. do the same for side door and front door walkways. and create a path from drive to front door for guests. These kind of details show beautifully and you'll be so proud you did it
5) tone down the red on breezeway to match the rust/taupe of brick. do you like the white trim? Taupe might look more elegant but the white is classic, so either way it's good!
6) brass or silver kick plates on doors, new matching door knockers. Is the doorbell in good shape? If not, replace.
7) add some solar up-lighting to cast some light on the front of house and under the tree.
good luck and enjoy!

shutters, coordinating paint for the breezway, lights on sides of garage would be my dream list. I would plant flower beds in a curvy shape on each side of the front, not little straight lines, curvy is better. I would reccommend crepe myrtles in white and green shrubbery. I think the existing Bush is ok if you keep it tidy. nice home!

remove or move the rhodadendron. plant flowers around the front of the house. any tall bushes or plants put the away from the house. trim the low hanging branches on that tree. put white siding on the breezway. dormers dont add any space to upstairs. your house is half the size of mine. i only have 2 dormers but really needed 4. if you have bedrooms upstairs dormers will allow more light and possibly a place to sit. no wrap around porch or farmers porch. put a deck out back if thats what you want.

This is my first time replying to anything here...
Cute house. I like the rhododendron personally and think it helps as a balance to the tree. But could see trimming it up a bit
My two cents for short term: painting only. And starting with the trim. I have never been a fan of white trim on brick houses - they are practically begging for black or another very deep dark trim. White stands out far too much, distracts the eye from the beautiful brick and, for me, generally makes brick houses look cheap and uncared for. Black covering up all the white trim around the windows and gutters etc, so that no white remains will be a huge change.
I would consider painting the foundation as well. Not as dark though... A very deep green?
And most definitely paint the garage door something other than white. Better yet, maybe replace it with some type of natural wood door...? (And if you intend to keep the basketball hoop perhaps it could be relocated? Or changed to a clear one??)
I don't have a specific idea about a color change for the breezeway but think you could have fun there if you've changed the trim all to black. Or keep it simple and subtle. Whatever makes sense to you.
Lastly, dormers on the front: I think they would come down to how the space is currently and what you can do with it - would dormers improve the space or just be aesthetic additions? To my mind they are very rarely necessary to improve a cape aesthetically and often are not done properly as far as proportions and alignment to the point that they make matters worse or no better. They can be amazing and quite reasonably priced means to increasing floor space however. Especially if you can do a shed dormer across the back where the aesthetics become less important (well, I still think they are important but most people don't really care about the back of the houses they are driving by...) but if you have a decent builder dormers are not a difficult job and shouldn't leak as a previous poster mentioned - and are thought of as a really inexpensive job as a general rule.
Well that was a lot. Apparently I've just been saving it all up
Good luck! And have fun with it all!!

Congratulations on your first house! If this were my labor of love, I'd start by painting the garage door, add some decorative hardware, and pressure wash the concrete for a fresh, clean look. Then bring the sidewalk all the way to the street! For now you could use oversized concrete pavers, but eventually the front walk could be re-done in stone. I would create a mulched bed under the tree. (Better for the tree and for the grass.) Given the size of the yard, keep the planting under the tree very simple and small scale - perhaps liriope or mondo grass. On either side of the front door, a tall (4 to 5 ft) narrow evergreen shrub or tall planters with an evergreen and annual arrangement. The foundation bed should also be at its widest near the front steps, to the left of the front door, maybe start even with the top step, curve out a bit towards the street, then curve back in and taper it narrower as you approach the ends of the house. Use a complementary shape to the right. The plantings should be tallest near the porch. Is the neighborhood one where you'd like to hang out in the front? Consider a small patio in front of the breezeway, with low shrubs in front for a sense of enclosure. I'd then paint the breezeway a mellower color - the grey or white suggestions are good, though soft, not stark. Shutters could be problematic given the different-sized windows. Fresh front door hardware and entry lights would finish it off! Read lots, make an idea book, and have fun!

Firstly I would change and widen the front walkway. Maybe brick. Picket fence is a nice idea. I agree with you about the breezeway

Try making the breeze way and the front porch go together. In my opinion the front porch needs to be more of a focal point and less emphasis put on the breeze way. The front door need to have a cover over the porch. A larger porch would bring more attention to the entry

Congratulations, your home is just adorable. I don't think it needs a whole lot of $$ to make it look like a home that is loved.

First off do not cut that Rhododendron way back you could kill it and come spring you will be glad you didn't. just barely trim it up a little, but wait until right after it blooms because it has already set it's blooms.

I would paint the breeze way a pretty slate grey with blue undertones and that will go with your roof and I would paint the front door the same color. then I would put up flower boxes and paint them black, and if there is adequate room I would hang shutters done in black.

I would take the B-ball net down and and put coach hardware on and coach lights on both sides of the garage.

I would not do any major construction like dormers until you have lived in your house a few years and you see what your needs really are, that way you can open up a special savings account and when you have extra money put it in that account so that when it is time to do anything major you will have some money saved.

as far as landscaping goes, it looks like you have shade and sun, I would use old fashion plants like Ferns, Hosta's, Hydrangea, they have new variety's now that don't get as big as the older variety's.I don't know where you live, but do your research, ice snow, salt, zones, etc.

You don't have to spend a fortune to make it look like a million bucks, just take your time and choose wisely, you have years to do what you want to do. One other thing I forgot I would paint the fence white and put a cover over the front porch, either dog house or front porch style will look good.

Good luck and I'm sure whatever you do will look beautiful.

Your home is charming! You could easily play on the craftsman charm by having a custom wood painted carriage garage door made for this charmer.

Do NOT paint the breezeway a different color! It needs to feel like part of the house. Consider painting all of the brick a medium taupe or grey. Add shutters in black and window grids would do wonders for the windows. Loose the railings and create a rounded front step to counter balance all of the sharp angles of the house and a smaller matching one for the breezeway door. If you can afford the renovation, move the door to the breezeway to the center. Dormers are not necessary. Landscaping is where to put your money!

Dear Annetters,

Congratulations! Your house is adorable; but it could use a few tweaks. When I look at it now, what stands out is all the distracting bright white...I think if you painted the garage door, the basket ball backboard and the breezeway and the breezeway window frames the slate grey mentioned above, that would be a great start. Do you want friends/visitors to come to the breezeway door or the front door? Right now the house says "use the breezeway door" with the little walkway and the bright color. If the front door, paint the front door something contrasting; and either remove the storm door or paint the white on it the same color as the front door. Extending the front walk to the street with pavers would be nice, and maybe adding pavers from the drive to the front porch, following a gentle curve, would look nice and be practical. I agree with others, adding window boxes on the main part of the house would look great, and don't prune the rhodie much if at all. It does balance the tree, and I'm sure it looks nice from inside the house, "bringing the outdoors in". Your front porch is nice and wide! Add planters with annuals on either side, consider a new mailbox with house numbers above, shining up or changing the light fixture and door hardware will all emphasize the front door and say "welcome".

I would not add tall skinny plants on either side of the front door, it looks like you have mostly azaleas now, hard to tell from the size of the photo, but just adding more to make a continuous low layer of azaleas, fronted by liriope or mondo grass would be almost no care and unify the look of the house. Someone mentioned power washing, that is probably a good idea to do first, and then decide if the foundation should be painted; probably, and that slate grey would work there too. Maybe in the future cover the porch as funds allow. I wouldn't worry about adding dormers just for curb appeal; the other minor changes will increase curb appeal and let your love show. Have fun and good luck!

Thank you everyone! Just checking in a few years later -- we removed the basketball hoop because you were right. We didn't plan on using it. And it was an eyesore.

We're working on fixing up the breezeway and making it prettier. That bright red is going to go. We're probably going to paint it a pale gray to go with the roof color - either paint or siding. (The paint that is there now is chipping.)

Love the idea of a portico. We started putting in some foundations plants and it's made a big difference. Will post photos soon.