Yes a portico that is the same shape as the roof above (peeked) and shutters around the upper window to match the 2 lower ones. Try going on paint website and trying out colors on your house (with shutters). Or look at historical home colors.

Hold the phone!!! Be careful when painting brick, especially old brick! It needs to breathe and paint may interfere with this process meaning you've got problems.

When I zoom in, it looks like really cool details under your roof, any way to highlight those?

Shutters, window boxes, and a real defining of the front door (a few steps, a walkway...) would probably be a great way to start.

Youve got a few different colors going, with the green, white, brick and grey roof maybe find a way to harmonize what color do you want your roof to be? Will you go metal with shingle look? I think a brick, black and white scheme might look very grand

maybe some window boxes? Are you into gardening? If so, mixed flower and shrubs might be nice. If not, consider either evergreen shrubs or maybe some red or red and yellow twig dogwood bushes as foundation plantings to add some winter interest.

Finally, and this can get expensive, but maybe fence around the blue thing? Pool?

im sure your house is adorable in the spring and summer months with the great trees.

Good to know about old brick being painted. Actually, it makes sense and if you look at historic homes of this vintage, you'll see none of the brick is painted.

The wind is a major issue and it has ripped a few of the shutters off the house this winter. Same with the roof. I will for sure look into many of the suggestions. I thought I could search 1893 Ohio brick farm houses and see similar homes and get ideas but I have yet to find anything. The brick is showing it's age and the effects from the weather, that is why I suggested painting it. Never considered the need to breathe. I did find a few photos with brick homes with the white ornamental woodwork on the peak and porches. Reminds me of a Victorian when you add that. It could be months before the weather here in Ohio co operates to try and get anything accomplished . Appreciate all the comments.

You do have a unique old house. Nice to see that it is still standing. There must be some historic district commission or architects in your county who could give you some help with how best to preserve or improve the house without "remuddling" it.
You want to be sure that the brick and mortar are sound and do not paint it, it is quite charming as it is with white trim. You have a gem there!

It's an adorable house. I would plant some evergreen trees around the house to separate it from the surroundings in winter, even if I had to cut down some existing trees to make room.

We do have plans to add some pine or fir trees and possibly on raised hills to help with the wind. When we moved there we had 2 trees . We have since planted close to 40 trees. The whole property was in terrible condition and the barns needs a lot of help. I had a beautiful row of tall trees to the right with a split rail fence which helped hide the pool. We had some ditching done for a farm field and they killed the roots for the whole row. Every year is a new challenge and this year I am looking to give the house some curb appeal.( after my husband decided he wanted to keep the house and not build new).

Is a metal roof an option here? That might be very practical and very cool looking.

Since you rarely use the front entrance I would not do much there except maybe to paint the front door a color. Since the wind is such an issue, forget about window boxes and shutters. I can see it being very cool to have a silver metal roof with a black front door.

Line the front of the house with a variety of hearty, wind resistant, evergreen bushes and call it a day.

Best.

I love your house! I wouldn't even think about painting the brick. It's charming as is. If shutters are an issue, I'd remove them. Paint your door an accent color or black and add simple stairs and railing.

I wouldn't do pine trees. They probably won't block enough on the bottom and the needles will be a mess. Have you considered Leyland cypress? Fast growing evergreen with emerald foliage.

The house is special in style and historic. You may not use the front door, but if you want some curb appeal, you could consider larger/wider entry steps to match the foundation material and color, and a walkway leading from wherever guests might park. The top landing area could be wide enough to add a planting pot on each side with simple annuals or perennials for color. Perhaps a simple awning with black supports would add a little interest and offer shelter from rain. And larger usable shutters would help balance the ratio of brick, trim and windows. For additional color, you can underplant the trees with bulbs and annuals. I'm sure other Houzzers would love to see photos with the trees leafed out and whatever changes you choose all done. Such a charming house!

Wow, what a treasure--don't ruin it by painting the brick. Get actual shutters made. The kind that really work or look like they could.

These are always seen in historic homes like the ones in Charleston, SC.

You need landscaping. Shutters / no shuttters isn't going to make that big of a difference. The house has great bones, and shutters are just a splash of lipgloss.

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it looks are though you have replacement doors / windows that might be a little small for the openings. And maybe rectangular windows in arched openings? Since there are not that many windows, replacing what is there with really high quality windows might be nice.

Looks like the roof might be on it's last legs? So that will be an expense.

If you have had the house for generations, you are obviously playing a long game. The best money you could spend would be on landscape planning. You can put in small plants and wait.

Here's a pretty blue door on a brick Victorian.

Its a shame about the wind. That upstairs opening above your entry looks like a door, so a little faux balcony in Victorian trim would be a nice addition.
Here's some more cook looking gingerbread for a little faux balcony...

LOVE all the ideas here. I agree... your house is charming and has great bones with that historic feel - leave the brick. Love the detail at the top. I really like black tin roofs...gives a clean streamlined look. Definitely get quality shutters. I would also put stairs leading up to the door...wide enough to put potted plants in summer and pots of evergreens in winter. Decide on the accent color and make that your front door, flower pots, etc. (the pic below has a bold red color). Here are a few pics of ideas for you - roofs, shutters, color schemes. I think flower boxes on the lower windows could be awesome. Again, flowers in summer and pine boughs with red bows in winter....

DO NOT paint the brick. Shutters need to be wider, but the window above the door should remain with no shutters. The door looks suspended, so a raised area double the width of the "tower" would help to anchor the building. Landscaping extending beyond the corners would help with balance. Insulated metal shingles or standing seam metal roofing would be appropriate.

Your home has great potential! I believe adding shutters and window boxes is a great idea to breakup the brick surface.

If you are looking for an inexpensive landscape I would recommend mass planting of perennials and ornamental grasses with large curvilinear beds. Bringing the planting beds out and away from the home will help add depth and dimension so the home does not look flat. Most perennials and grasses will thrive in the full sun conditions. When choosing perennials pick plants that flower at different times of the year. Adding in a few Boxwoods to create informal hedges and Shrub Roses for guaranteed color will also be a nice touch.

If the front walkway is hardly used, maybe install a simple flagstone path set in the sod. Build your planting beds around that. Who knows the front door might get used just to enjoy the beautiful landscape!