fyi, the house was built in the 1940s.

It's a basic war/post-war tract home, depending on where you live it may also be called a ranch or bungalow.

this is a Dallas based home

this is a Dallas based home

HI -- It is a 1940's bungalow .

Bungalow, super cute!

I would start with fixing the dangerous stairs first, then come up with a solution to the driveway. You can always stain the concrete yourself for a marble look

. I like it in Gray or charcoal.

Are you going to paint? This house is very cute but very dark. I would play with the colors because there is so much potential. Whatever you decide, I would paint the trim and the outline of the windows a cream color.

Here are some ideas:

Good luck!

Here are lighter options.

I love these ideas and photos! absolutely open to painting!

I am not sure but I think your front door is 2 colors. If you decide to keep it, (doors are expensive) it should be the focal point and a cute pop of color would be nice if you are doing a light base, try teal. If you are going with a dark base, then a white/cream door color will do.

I would take down the bushes in front of the window and plant some cute colorful flowers and have it continue on the other side of the stairs to hide where the siding begins going up.

I don't know if you have central air or not so I don't know if the window shaker is a "must say". If you can give us some info on what you want and do not want to do, we can have more vision and help you out more.

This kind of reminds me of our house when we bought it. It was dark and made the house look small. With the right color pattern, new stairs, driveway solution and colorful flowers, you will have an inviting home very soon. Good luck.

I would love to mix a bit of traditional and modern touches to the home but not sure exactly how I would do so. hmmm.

Remove window air conditioners and replace with central hvac.

Tear the bushes out and pack perennials (that have long lasting blossoms) against the foundation on both sides of your steps. This would definitely give an inviting appearance!

it's so nerve wracking thinking of what would look suitable for the home. went to lowes today and checked out some flowers, shrubs, plants and exterior paint colors.

If possible enlarge your porch to include the other door if it is used. Find a better solution to the window AC. You have been given some great & charming ideas for improvement.

Hi Traveler. In my opinion, there is so much you can do to improve the curb appeal of your 1940's bungalow without spending a lot of money. To start, your shutters are entirely too small and should be removed. They're supposed to be large enough to look as though they would cover the windows if closed. Window boxes could add some interest to your windows instead. Your steps should be a priority. It looks as though the proper footings weren't poured in order to stabilize the steps. You could remove the concrete and rebuild with pressure treated wood for less than $100. I would definitely pull out those shrubs and look for plants that are native to your area. Your area cooperative extension can be a wealth of information regarding native easy care plants for your area. If it's not needed for security, I would remove the door. The bars make it seem as though the home is not in a safe area. I would remove the objects between the light fixture and mailbox-it looks a bit crowded there. I see you have a flag holder. If you plan on using it, that's great. If not, it's better to remove it. Perhaps that would be a good area for a pretty address plaque. I would replace the light fixture with something that points downward so it's in better proportion to the front door since it's mounted so high. Painting is expensive, but a pretty color on your front door along with some colorful landscaping can do a lot to brighten up the area. I agree that it would be a good idea to relocate the air conditioner if possible. I know it can get pretty hot in Dallas in the summer! Good luck with your project!

if you are in the Dallas area I have a lot of perennials to give you when the weathers cools enough to divide irises.

check out the habitat for humanity restor shops for great deals on all sorts of stuff for home fix up. you can spray paint metal door and light fixtures. The hammered metal finishes are even easier to use and will work on the railing too. choose a bright color you like to perk up the shutters and front door. buy samples to test. some of the bigger samples may be enough to paint the door.
while central AC would be best , you could just move the window unit to another side window or get one of those portable in room units.

I would leave the evergreens but trim lower. they will look bare at first but brush out in the spring. Plant daffodil bulbs in front of them this fall for early spring blooms.They come back every year. I wouldn't bother painting the foundation but hide it with plants. For fall get mums. put taller irises behind them for spring blooms and shot annuals or ground cover in front.

Remove all of the shrubs and replace when the budget allows. Get both sets of stairs repaired. Replace the storm door with an all glass one. Paint the door, trim, and storm door all the same color...sage green, navy blue, rust?

this is a little something I did with some spare time.

traveler47, looking good so far. Have you picked out any base, trim and door colors yet? That is always a relief and an instant facelift to the house.

Paint first before planting anything so that you don't step on the plants while trying to paint that area.

did a bit more editing.

Looking good! I like the purple for your door. Just be sure to paint the whole thing! Much better with no shutters! I might leave the light closer to the front door. It will brighten up the door area when it's on. That's a good spot for the house numbers though. Are you planning to paint the house or work with the existing color?

I want to try and work with the existing color for now, but I know I'll be open later for exterior colors.

Well, you should be able to remove the shutters at no cost...

I think a smoky, deeper shade of purple could look good with your existing colors. You can repeat it in the landscaping with purple flowers. What's first on your list of things to do? Perhaps the steps, since it is a safety issue?

this is a street view shot I edited.

Very cute house, traveler47. I like the idea of the purple flowers from kaolin paradise

Don't remove shrubs. Just trim. Also, painting the door is a great step, I think a more subtle color would work better.

I've already started with a few things. the stairs will be done a little later though. will have some pics up soon

Can't wait to see!

I will be posting photos soon, I ran into a few roadblocks the past month or so but will definitely get back to business.

I would suggest you take out the shrubs and put an open porch across the front so that you need only one set of steps to reach the porch floor and then walk to either entry door. I also would suggest you paint the siding white or a rich but soft pastel with white trim. It would be a good idea to have shutters and the entry doors the same color as the roof. If you can install equal-size windows, it would make the house look symmetrical and stylish. I especially like the drawing of the yellow house with white trim and dark shutters and dark roof, submitted by R. Robulock, above.