Yes the lawn needs help. Here is an updated photo of the house. We were able to get the overgrown bushes out already and the ring around the tree. Still needs a lot of work... We are thinking of getting rid of the pink rock.

How about bringing more attention to the front door with a roof structure/porch cover over it? Definately loose the pink rock. The bed to the left of the door really doesn't need the red cottage stones either. A planting bed with a small tree and some low shrubs would be great. The front walk could be overlaid with pavers or re-designed to curve and end further down the driveway. That pulls foot traffic and the eye away from the tall front of the house....

And, I agree, the large tree in front should be located over to the right behind the evergreen shrubs to help bring that corner of the house into proportion. What area is this? I can give a few suggestions for plants at the front that could dress it up.

I agree on the tree, but not sure if it is possible with the underground sprinkler system, but I will have to see. I think i need to move the evergreen on the side of house since i think it was planted too close to the house. The red bricks do not match the wall with the retaining wall by the sidewalk. Your photos above are beautiful!

The house is located in Minnesota, just south of Twin Cities.

Great, you are in Minnesota! I have a colleague there who has all kinds of great advice and is a hoot! Check out www.renegadegardener.com. In the mean time I will do a bit of research. I know you have harsh winters. It looks like the house faces west, is that right? Or am I all turned around?

I will check his website out! Thanks! Yes you are correct, the house faces the West.

Great! So here are some plant ideas. You will have to do a bit of research as to how tall and wide each gets and, of course I don't expect you to use all of them. Create structure and winter interest with evergreens. Choose 3 or 4 other plants that you like the best and place them in the front beds from the lowest toward the front of the beds, the tallest toward the back...Some of these are on Renegades website.
Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' (use at the back), Euonymus fort. 'Canadale Gold' (toward the front), Daphne burkwoodii, Fothergilla 'Mt Airy', Syringa 'Miss Kim'. Dwarf evergreens: Pinus strob. 'Blue Shag', Chamaecyparis 'Heatherbun', Picea 'Montgomery'.
Happy Planting!

Agree with feeny...I think some more substantial light fixtures would be great.

Thanks for the shrub recommendations - this will be helpful. I really like the colors. I am not a graphic designer, but made the shutters black and also took them off just to see what the house would look like.

I think the shutters are the right size its just a shadow making them look short on top. I would keep the shutters and paint them black and maybe the front door black. Then I would paint the white garage doors an otter color. i would freshen up the lawn and put identical urns next to the door and put fresh flowers that will spill over the edge.

Much better without the shutters in my opinion. Some lighting with character, and the front door in a semi-gloss black or even red (provided the pink stone is gone of course) and you're just dealing with landscaping...which I will leave to others who actually have a clue! :)

I really like the idea on softening up the garage doors because they are so bright. The dark bricks throughout the house are an otter color. Could I have black shutters and a dark brown (otter) garage doors? Do brown and black go together?

The inside trim of the garage door can be painted black to match the shutters and the door :)

I agree with others that the tree should be removed because its in the wrong place. The right side needs a beautiful blooming small to medium ornamental tree fo balance. Is that retaining wall on the left necessary ? If not I'd remove it as well , or if it can't be moved then I would repeat a wall going across the other side to balance it. I would plant some ornamental grasses and flowers below the retaining walls to soften them . I would remove all the evergreens from the retaining wall planter and use them in other areas of the landscape. A pathway from the entrance to the curb is needed for visitors. Here's a doodle showing my ideas for a lawnless frontyard landscape.

I think that painting all the white on your house a nice blue gray like the one below would look great .

Tone down the garage doors, paint the trim a warm color, replace the shutters with larger, darker, a nice deep, rich brown. Either paint the front door to match the shutters or choose a completely different color.

I never thought about a rich brown color. I guess i always leaned to black since this is what i have seen in photos. I really like this idea - thanks!

You could upgrade the garage doors to boss status

definately move the tree but think it mightnt survive. If it does move it towards the left of ur entrance and use some of the better plants to create a new shrubbery> I d remove all the shrubs near the window and I dont like the pebbles as they are too like the colour of the house............ I like the white with the brick and think plants and small trees will transform the house

If it's in the budget to upgrade your garage doors, a stained steel garage door would ad a lot of warmth and character. Residential garage door manufacturer Clopay has the Canyon Ridge Collection, Gallery Collection and the Classic Premium Series with Ultra-Grain finish. It's virtually maintenance free and available in several shades and styles. We have a design tool on our website you can use to upload a photo of your home and try on different doors styles/colors. www.clopaydoor.com.

That is a great looking house. You should hire a landscape designer to draw a design for the entire property. With having a design you will not waist money and time on the landscaping. If you're handy you can do the projects little by little on your own, or hire a professional on the big projects.
The front window spot on the left side of the door would be a really nice area for a water feature. I would also remove the concrete walk and install pavers. Attaced is a picture of a front yard project that we designed this month.

Nice house, mallow9! In this case I like the shutters but agree they should be wider to be in proportion with the windows.

Have you considered upgrading the garage door? The garage door is a major focal point on your home. One way to put your own personal touch on the house and set it apart from others in the neighborhood is with a unique garage door. Depending on the age of your door and the insulation quality (if it's insulated at all) it can be a wise investment to improve the energy efficiency and security of your home, as well, since the garage is attached to your house will probably be the entrance you use most. Look at the difference a garage door upgrade made to the appearance of these houses below. Check out residential garage door manufacturer Clopay's website at www.clopaydoor.com. Some affordable doors you may want to consider are the Coachman Collection and the Gallery Collection. We also have a design tool on our website so you can upload a picture of your house and try on different door styles to see which looks best. Good luck and enjoy your new home.

mallow9, here is a short but excellent article on shutter sizing (half the size of the window) and placement. Also it helps to have hardware on the shutters so they either are functional OR look functional. You can see from these photos that they are sized right and have hardware attached. Not all windows look good with shutters. Read the article for details.

Proper sizing makes a big difference on how your home appears. Photos in the article and I am attaching a couple more for you to see too
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

Concrete edging is a great way to add some hardscape texture to your front yard

This was my home is SC, showing you with black shutters. I had also painted the front door black and we updated the light fixtures. The black door really popped and pulled it all together.

It's a beautiful house only needs some color. Paint what you can and plant the flowers blooming in similar color too! I would suggest to move the tree as it blocks the house view.

It's a lovely home, although not my style. However, I would change the garage doors, remove the shutters, replace the front door and add a pop of color, then landscape. There is no curb appeal at all presently. If you choose to keep the tree in front, be sure to keep it pruned up high so as not to block the door. Also, enlarge the planting bed to include the tree, a nice curved bed, adding color and softness to a very angular yard and house.

1) Landscape must be fixed. Doesn't matter what you do if you don't get rid of those dead bushes.

2) the green on the door needs to change

3) make your grass green

4) remove tree

5) maybe add a nice walkway from the sidewalk to the front door

6) 2 nice plants at front door

7) grey doesn't look good on the shutters

I put this idea together. Depending on what zone you live in, you can change the plants. Brighten up the landscape with color and add a stone walkway and arbor will gives a grand entry. Paint the shutters white. Email me for free ideas at grace@elementallandscapeanddesign.com

Have you ever thought about a paver driveway to match the house? There are many different colors and patterns to choose from sure to add curb appeal. Our company uses Belgard pavers.

Break the monotony of the overwhelming sloping roof surface over the garage. Frame a gable end roof over the double car garage projection. The new framing can rest directly atop the existing roof framing.

This may be more than you were thinking to do (expensive) but I would want to change the circle top window... It is a little oversized for the space and to me they only belong in gables, but maybe that's just me :) agree with others on upgrading the garage doors and removing shutters. Some kind of portico over the front entry could be nice.

Don't know what your view is out the front, but I think starting with a porch to welcome visitors would certainly add interest and the weight would create balance with the garage door. Once you do this it would open the door for a more interesting landscape design that wouldn't necessarily require lawn.

Brick exteriors are beautiful with a cream color stone surround all the windows and doors. For landscaping put in a lush mix of evergreens that color all year round such as leland cypress trees, normandy spruce dwarfs, barberry plants, rhodendrum bring color in spring but have their leaves all year round, azaleas are evergreens and they also have beautiful leaves in the winter and flowers in the spring and summer. The stone around the windows on bring brings a level of sophistication to the home. I would change out the garage door to wood too. Good luck.

That's what architects call a contractor special right there! Awww...just fill in the part that's difficult to brick with some vinyl siding and slap on some fake shutters instead of actually creating architecture...architecture would take too much off our profits.

We can render in a complete new look , shutters trim paint , new door , hard scape and more.

Potential! :)

Paint the garage door and the trim at the roofline a color that blends with the brick the red door is GOOD a paved sideway leading to the front door is welcoming, not all guests go in the garage to enter, I like the plants at the door, of course nice planting is a must.

With windowed garage doors...

The landscape needs to echo the style and architecture of the home. Something this traditional should be reflected in a less modern landscape. Think English garden... I'd add a center straight up walkway to the front door emphasizing the front door and not the garage. Also, think about lining that entry with appropriate traditional plants in perpindicular lines. the curves and current landscape design is too 'new construction/modern' and detracts from the home itself.

I agree, move that tree and add a curved sidewalk from drive to front door. Also like the windows in garage doors. I think it makes a big difference in curb appeal. Would also add cover with columns at front door. I personally like the white trim with white garage doors and white front cover and columns but that could be a personal preference.

Change the light fixtures to have more character and weight, like black lanterns for example

Paint the garage door soft terra cotta to match the brick. Paint the shutters and the front door side lights satin black and the front door a rich teal. Cut back the bushes to be no taller than under the front windows. Black iron statement light fixtures would be nice if there is money for it. Voila.....curb appeal that makes an impact

I really like Kevin's pictured suggestions! The only thing on his I would change is the shutters. They just seem misplaced almost. I would get ride of the shutters altogether.

I think the windows would need something if you decide to remove the shutters. Maybe consider a larger border around them, such as in the first photo AspenFalls posted.

Check the color of your mortar. Find a matching color and paint everything that is white now with that color. Paint your door and shutters a couple of shades darker than the house paint. I followed this advice from a designer and my house looks wonderful now.

The mortar is white and Kevin your picture looks great. Just move that tree and do some trimming on the plants.

Definitely a portico over the front door with a larger paved "landing area". The front door should be the prominent feature of your house. Even though the shutter size is off, it's less bothersome than the lonely entrance door. I agree with all comments about adding colour to the door, black being my preference.

Before anything, what is your budget? Because on the lot frontage like you have and the pictures some posted here to give you an idea, jump from 1k- 50k+ ideas.

Best bet for you is to set the budget you like to spend and contact a few local landscapers experienced in hardscapes and landscaping designs and have them lay everything out and give you a few ideas based on your budget, not to mention they will know the best plants for your region as seasonal changes go, etc. Because I see you have snow on the ground and some pictures have palm trees.

Good luck