Emmarene!

Thank you so much for the advice. I had not thought about changing the color of the shutters. I really like the colors you suggested. My front door is not wood, it is currently painted black. What color would you paint it, assuming I go with the sage colors you suggested? Also, I wanted my husband to replace the storm door this week actually. I was going to go with a white, thin bordered one. Should I wait and replace it when we figure out the front door color? One other thing about the front door... Can I remove the black shutters on either side of it? A lot of the houses in the area have shutters on the sides of the doors, but I'm not sure if they add anything visually?

As for the USDA zone, I believe I am in between zone 6 and zone 7. I live in Northern VA, just outside of Washington DC.

Lastly, do you think I need to add some sort of hip roof porch, so the line across the roof isn't so straight? I'd like to make a charming and inviting house, and have a budget of about $15,000 for the outside, including landscaping, extending the driveway to the side door (picture doesn't show), re-doing the walkway, current front steps and front porch.

Thanks again for all your help!!!

Hi. Don't know if you are going the painted brick route, but here are some inspiration photos of brick ranch redos. There are good landscaping ideas, too. Note the glass storm door in photo 4 and the chunkier porch column in photo 2. Those could be pretty updates for your house.

This...muntins black. Add a front deck.

You can update the front of your home with Cambridge pavingstones and wallstones. Start with a beautiful pavingstone walkway leading to your front entrance and then add an entryway with a porch area, opening up the front of your home and adding additional space for leisure. You can also increase your curb appeal with Cambridge Wallstones in the front of your home, which can highlight your new landscaping this upcoming spring. Please go to our website and visit the amazing photos in our electronic brochure. By linking to Cambridge’s DesignScape Visualizer you can upload a photo of your entryway and actually re-design it using Cambridge pavingstones and wallstones. Visit our website at www.cambridgepavers.com

It's an attractive house with great brick
work. As suggested by emmarie, create two flower beds in front of the house and
plant a selection of low-growing shrubs and perennial plants. To create the
beds, remove the grass, then add top soil and organic fertilizer. Water the
beds well before adding your plants/shrubs. To stop the lawn grass from growing
into the beds, install a low-profile, metal landscape edging like this one. It blends in nicely so the plants will be the
center of attention. This landscape edging looks neat and also keeps mulch and
plants in place. After planting, add about 2" of wood chip mulch to
conserve moisture. The roof overhang will stop rainwater from watering the
flower beds, so don't plant anything under the overhang - just put some
attractive river stones or rocks there.

Make the path the width of the steps and
use a decorative paver that compliments the color of the brick. Use the same
paver to cover the concrete steps. Around the lamp, create a flower bed using
the same lawn edging to define it. Plant low-growing shrubs and flowering
perennials. You could add a small clematis or honeysuckle that will grow up the
lamp. Finally, install a small piece of attractive fence or trellis to screen
the trash cans.

Some low-maintenance plants for your climate
zone are hardy geranium, day lilies, creeping phlox and salvia. These are all
perennials, meaning they come back year after year. Some shrubs to consider are
hydrangea, boxwood, holly and creeping juniper - just make sure to choose
varieties that don't grow too big. You could also add a few spring flowering
bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and crocus. These changes will definitely make
your home more attractive and inviting!