Here are more pics

Would also love paint color suggestions!!! :)

That's a tough one! The front of the garage is the first thing you see! If it was my house I would try and work some windows in rather than the "belly band" trim thing! That just draws more attention to the "blank" wall. If no money for windows I would do the landscape screen trick with a few big things up front. When in doubt plant it out!

The house would look great in a darker grey with bright white trim. As for the garage wall, I would install a wide tinted window, which would give the house a more contemporary look. I did a quick mock-up.

Thank you for your suggestion! We had thought about windows but that is our storage wall inside and are also hesitant to add an extra entrance point (security). Would you suggest one big window? Our landscaping is very needy also, that will hopefully come next tax season :-)

We love gray, wolujewicz! Thank you for the visual, that helps. I am not even sure who to hire to help us, an Interior designer? Architect? Landscape designer? This is our first major project on this house.

If you are in no rush, I would stop by a Home Depot or Lowes every so often. People special order big windows frequently and they did not double measure so they do not fit. Since you have a blank canvas, almost anything big would work ...even a arched top window. You can get these pretty cheap. You may want to leave your number with the millwork desk - they would gladly call you to get rid of a big window that is taking up space.

If you go this route, I would also pick up limo lint from the window dept. Since it is your garage, you would want the extra security.

If you prefer to do something immediately, I would get some larger bushes and a couple small trees to block off the wall. In either case, I think dark grey with white trim would look great.

Good luck!

On the cheap, find a local painter on Craigslist. For a full on professional designer, Houzz can suggest local pros by clicking the "Find Local Pros" button and then selecting Siding and Exterior Contractors.

Depends on the scope of work for your project. If you are adding windows or changing structure in any way you will need someone to draw up plans for the building permit process. If selecting colors this houzz forum is great. If new landscape I suggest a landscape designer. Best to have graphic exhibits for accurate bidding and tracking the cost of your project. You can source professionals in your metro area using houzz.com.

I've met with several siding companies and all but one will just do what we want. The one suggested the belly band with shingles on top and lap siding on the bottom 3 feet to save money. He also actually did suggest a big window in the middle but again we were hesitant because of security and losing storage space inside. We thought the shingles would break up the end of the garage a bit and later we can plant some things also. Again thank you for your time, fresh eyes are so helpful!

I once hid a HUGE blank wall with a giant trellis. I built a frame out of copper pipe and laced it with stainless wire. I planted it with confederate jasmine and within a year the whole thing was covered. The confer jaz won't grab hold of the wall and damage it, either. A pretty cheap and easy fix!