I would install vents ( even faux if nessary) in all gables to match the one already on house. Paint electric box and other distracting items same color as siding. Outside that I think the home is beautiful,but I'm conservitive. Depending on how bold of statment you want,use colors between yellow and red(tan/beige in the middle) for trim and doors.

lazy_gardens, There are lots of rhododendrons planted along the foundation. Maybe I should remove those and put in something else?

Klem1, thank you. That is an idea. I was thinking of putting a little port window over the top front windows but the contractor thought there wasn't enough space inside because it's a crawl type attic. The floor of the attic is in the way of where the window would go. There might be the same problem with a vent but a faux vent sounds like a good idea. The house is blue and white. That was the original color of the house and I decided to copy it. I opted for the white trim because there wasn't room for shutters in the front and I wanted a little more contrast. Someone was telling me today about vinyl lintels I could put over the windows. I really want this house to look more Victorian. Right now it is pretty nondescript. Anyway, I will take more photos as soon as the garden is in bloom so we can get more ideas of what to do.

lazy_gardens, forgot to mention there are lots of perennials also planted around the house too. As soon as everything is up I'll send you some picks so maybe you can give me an idea where to go with this. Thanks again.

I think it's beautiful the way it is. Put a big wreath on the door and decorate the porch a bit. I think that once you update the fencing, you'll be set.

I agree. Maybe a faux gable, but really that's a nice looking house. It is supposed to look that way.

I think it looks perfect as is! I wouldn't mess with it at all.

Your shrubbery is all lined up against the foundation like a police ID lineup. Curb appeal in landscaping starts at the curb.

Post some pics when spring hits and we can mark them up.

Some things will have to wait until the fence is replaced.

The house style is Folk Victorian: its not missing anything. I like the metal roofing. You might add taller trim above the door next to the garage door so the trim aligns.

The windows should have at least one vertical mullion in the upper sash. That's difficult to add now but not impossible. I would not add vents.

Spend your money on professional landscaping and a nice fence. Well done!

Lazy_gardens, you got that right. The previous owner planted Rhododendrons all along the foundation in a row. There is an overgrown red twig dogwood to the left of the porch. I just cut it back the other day. There is also a HUGE Forsythia I cut back to size after it bloomed last spring to the far left of that and one of those wild white cascading roses in front of that. I put in a big flower bed last spring that connects the front of the property to the beck patio. I'll post picks when everything greens up to give you a better idea and to get your input. The fence will be replaced by end of summer. I can't wait for that. Thanks again for your input.

JDS - Folk Victorian. Never heard that before but it sounds nice. Maybe a star above the windows would look good after all? There is a place that sells them around here. One I liked was a distressed white. Something like the picture I've included except it is 36". I'm afraid it would rip the siding off he house because it weighs about 15lbs. Is a mullion something like a lintel or window header like the ones on this page? There are a lot of different designs here - http://victorianwoodshop.com/ginger4.html but they are made of wood. I'd rather have it made of vinyl so I don't have to worry about rot and painting.

Well folks, I took photos towards the end of last summer of the garden area and was both too busy to post them and was also forgetful. Many times I thought, after the fact, while I had those few minutes I should have done it. Anyway, here they are for you to evaluate and especially for lazy_gardens discriminating eye. Just need to add that the fencing and sidewalks will be redone shortly in the future. Main problem I am having is deciding on wood picket fencing or aluminum fencing that looks like wrought iron. In no way do I want pvc fencing because from what I've seen around town it looks really bad in a short period of time. Anyway, critique away.

The floor and steps of the front porch are going to be torn out and replaced with a new floor and steps and walkway (either concrete or stonework. I haven't decided yet.


The two pictures above are very dry shady side yard. It is very, very hard to keep grass growing there and requires almost daily watering. I am looking into planting substitutes, perhaps shade loving sedges, except for thug varieties that spread by runners. If you have any advice/ideas for ground covers for dry, sandy, infertile soil (even though I amend with cow manure and compost twice a season) for a shady area that is tough enough to take foot traffic I'd love to hear it. No takeover thugs please.

Excuse this last picture. I was putting down more cow manure, mulch, and fertilizer at the time. I didn't take pictures of the backyard but as you can see I have a concrete patio and there are various flowering shrubs opposite that (Lilac, Mock Orange, a very old wild honeysuckle shrub that has a great shape, and two Cotinus (smoke shrubs) I've yet to identify. (I'll take more photos and post them when in flower in the spring.) One has coppery colored leaves and pink flowers and the other has purple leaves and a deeper shade of pink flowers. I don't think the last variety is royal purple because the color is not deep enough. Any idea what it can be give a shout out. I didn't take pictures of the back yard because after trying since 2011 to get grass to grow there, including having a shade variety sod put down ( a total waste of 1,500 bucks) the lawn is a balding mess. The reason is because all my neighbor's trees are shading it out. It is also dry, sandy shade, (despite constant amendments) but groundcovers are not an option because the constant running and playing of my 2 Beagles would prevent any plants from growing. Anyway, I've now resigned myself to the fact that the back yard belongs to the dogs.

I agree the house looks good as it is - you have the spindley railing thing around the top of your porch which is a very nice touch, but Id stop there. Sometimes less is more and when people pile on Victorian accents it can start looking like too much - a little tacky even. That said if you like the star - go for it! Why not?

What is that tree or shrub in the second to your second to last photo above? Thats quite a prominent location and deserving of some thing a bit more substantial - flowering shrub or some sort of ornamental.

Some good ideas above incl landscaping (you might post to landscaping or home dec forum does some of that as well) . And fence - my neighbor used their existing metal fence posts but replaced the chain link part with wood picket - attached to the metal poles - it looks very nice. With yours, Id perhaps stain the wood more like a blue or silvery gray to not match but harmonize w/ the blue body of the house & the gray porch - would not paint fence white since you already have a lot of white on the house and paint would be more of a maintenance hassle than stain/wood preservative.

If you are referring to the picture of the plant with the circular mulch, that's a crab apple tree I planted a season before. I can't remember the name offhand but it is a variety that won't get too big. I had a hard time finding just the right tree to put in that spot because I didn't want something that would get so big it would overwhelm the area. When in bloom it is beautiful with dark purplish red leaves and bright pink flowers that practically smother the tree. That's a good idea about the color of the fence though I'm trying to visualize that info you gave about the fence (metal posts and wood slats).