Your decision should be based on a professional ...on site assessment...from someone not pushing their services or products if possible....with the time and money already spent ...it is not a good idea to skimp on the entire exterior...it may just be your job to work on finding the best price on the most acceptable product...the option you are considering could be right ...with the right info..but could undermine the other improvements if it is not the right thing to do

"Professional onsite assessment" and who would I contact for that other than a company that does exterior work? I'm confused about that recommendation.
The vinyl siding is in good shape just not a color I like. I know gray is trendy but it's just not for me. Keeping the gray vinyl but upgrading the rest as I mentioned will still cost thousands of dollars so I don't consider it skimping. What I'm trying to ask is what can I do to add detail to the exterior without a complete overhaul? How do I get thicker trim around windows without a complete siding removal?

Um, vinyl can be painted, you know? She means someone who is not selling a product, like a general contractor, not a vinyl dealer/specialty contractor.

A general can help you with trim replacement, too.

Oh, and I would never rec. vinyl siding. If you spend the money use wood, or even better, concrete board siding, like Hardie or similar brands.

To side my house in hardie is $45-$50,000+ so not an option and I don't care for the look of it. I love and prefer wood but hubby doesn't want the maintenance and it seems to be a lost art in our area. No one installs it that I've found. Again, I'm looking for suggestions to update and polish the exterior without replacing -or painting- the siding. Thanks!

Why would you not paint the siding?

Your original post did not say you wouldn't paint the siding, so please don't say again.

That's the only sensible thing to do if you want to like your house exterior. A general contractor can consult with you on changing out your trim.

The siding is a nice neutral color. I'd suggest power washing it and the roof. Have a floor built to create a porch under the overhang. Add an additional porch post and beef up the two existing supports. Paint the front door a contrasting color. Get rid of the dead grass and add landscaping.

Oh....and get a nice painted bench for the front porch. Get rid of the chairs on the lawn.

Wash the house, add plants, accent the door.

Are they're any professionals out there who can suggest how I can add wide trim around the Windows and doors without removing siding? I stated in my design dilemma that we already have a professional landscape plan to be completed once the work is done. So thank you but I don't need any suggestions on landscaping. :) we've begun the transition to beautiful flower beds, new trees, and all are bird, bee, and butterfly friendly - all organic. The front yard recently had a sick tree removed thus the bare spot. The majority of the front will be flowers - very little grass. A curved brick paver path will also be added. We also already plan to change garage door. Front door is solid wood and will stay but will be stained dark. I did not mention that. Already have an accepted bid to power wash exterior. The "dead grass" someone mentioned is actually a small gravel patio where a table and two chairs are located. That was created by original owners and will be removed when landscape design is executed. Thank you for the window mullion suggestion. Most windows have already been replaced and will have mullions added. That's a great suggestion and I should've included that we plan to do that.

I should say thank you for all of the suggestions!i really appreciate them! We will not paint the siding. The gray is staying. We plan to build a porch and add very bulky posts here. My previous comments include other renovation plans already in the works. What I'm looking for is suggestions on bulking up the trim around doors and windows please. Is it possible to do that without removing the siding? Are they're products out there that can make that happen? I can't find anything. Is siding easy to cut and work with so maybe we can do this ourselves? Attached is the look we're working toward. Thanks so much!

It depends on how much experience you have in construction. You haven't said, so I will again recommend a contractor. You can cut any type of siding and add wood trim. But you should know what you're doing. You keep asking the same question, which tells me you don't. I wouldn't want you to mess up your siding, so please call a pro.

My husband is a general contractor and so is my father, so I do know something about what I'm talking about, here. I've worked several projects like this and am currently adding on to my own home.

Hi Krismays- My family has been in the construction business for nearly 50 years and I've successfully g.c.'d this project and have many others. What I don't have is any experience with siding (we've always subbed it out) and none of the professionals I've contacted have been helpful. They all want to do the entire job. Understandable. However, that's not what I'm looking for. Sounds like you can't help either so I'm waiting and hoping to hear from someone who can help me but thank you for your time. Just wanted to clarify what I'm looking for which is why I repeated myself. Thanks! :)

You are looking for someone to give you step by step instructions for free, then? Who is going to do that?

So happy! I just found what I was looking for! It's an AZEK rabbeted trim board and will do exactly what my hubby and I are hoping for. AZEK also sells several other molding/trim products that are easy to work with. I found the info on houzz gardenweb feeds. Then I googled it and of course there are tutorials on it. It doesn't appear to be a basic DIY though. Experience would help. Not sure how to link to it -sorry. I hope this helps someone else in the future! :) I'm going to contact a rep right now. Will let you know how it goes!

E L, any updates? I was gonna suggest 4" or 6" PVC trim board around the windows/doors, directly on top of the siding. They sell it at lowes/depot, etc.

Thank you! We haven’t done a thing yet. I’ll look into this.