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kaitlyn_rimi

In desperate need of some curb appeal

Kaitlyn Rimi
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

We recently bought a duplex (both sides) and the exterior is BORING! We have a limited budget because we need to replace gutters and redo the horribly cracked deck, but something needs to be done with the front. We debated painting the house in the next couple of years, but aren't sure because the aluminum siding is dented (hail?), so this may not be worth the time and money. We do plan to repaint the shutters and the front porch siding, but even this won't change it enough to make it not bland. Our color preferences are cool blues and grays. I've tried browsing on here and Pinterst for ideas, but that hasn't been helpful because every example house has some sort of interesting architectural detail whereas I only have a box to work with.

Any ideas? I am decent at DIY, but I'm at a loss for what to do.

(The grass looks better now than it did in the second photo, we are working on that)

We also do need the storm doors for airflow because we can't open the front windows and there aren't any side windows in the front of the house.

Comments (94)

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

    There should be no shutter debate. The purpose of shutters is to cover the windows for privacy or protection. Shutters that obviously could not do that are more properly called shudders; they look silly and totally out of proportion. Improper proportion is a serious design offense.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked groveraxle
  • polarity
    6 years ago

    Groveraxle, are you a McMansion Hell reader? I was thinking "out of proportion, they're shudders!" this whole thread.

  • VT Mom Shoemaker
    6 years ago

    I agree on the covered porch with the porch roof line all the way across the front of the house with a few square columns and a railing to add interest. Then on to landscaping.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked VT Mom Shoemaker
  • tuckerboo
    6 years ago

    This house needs much more than little changes. Because the lines r so flat and square I would add a large pergola over the front door with an angled roofline to add character. Change the house color, as aluminum siding can be painted and lose the brown. The pergola should be stained cedar color with heavy beams , at least 6x6. Hardscaping always comes first. The plants come after.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked tuckerboo
  • tuckerboo
    6 years ago

    Also beef up the moldings and headers and then adjust the shutter size accordingly.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked tuckerboo
  • gurukaram
    6 years ago
    Polarity - Thank you for the mention of MacMansion Hell! Went down a hilarious and educational rabbit hole with it.
  • polarity
    6 years ago

    Gurukaram, you're more than welcome! That blog is fantastic, especially the arch theory posts!

  • Maria Privat
    6 years ago

    Yardvaark made a pretty picture of how much a garden with some trees and color in it would do for your curb appeal. Definitely go for a garden with some trees in it, like he/she suggested! Somehow it gives the house the body it so desperately needs.

    I also like the shutters! Sold my house for a nice price indeed because of shutters! (And because of the beautiful garden...)

    You write you like cool blues and greys. On the cover of the book "can't fail color schemes" by Amy Wax you see in the bottom left corner a greyish blue house. The four colors used are to the right of the picture. Is that what you are missing?

    For no missing your house once it is dressed up in this color! Make the wall where the door is a lighter color then the overall picture. For it is in the shade and thus needs to be lighter, instead of darker. You'd be amazed what that will do for your house.

    There are other beautiful houses, that may be attractive to you in that book. Maybe the library has it, or you can buy it, for it is not expensive. Page 256 and 259 are dark and light grey. With a dark red door (and maybe even shutters?) they make the whole house sparkle.

    Sure, it is not a new book, but somehow this part 'outer charm' still has its value. Personally I like page 274 and 278 the most, but that's my color scheme.

    On the cover of the book "can't fail room makeovers" by Lucianna Samu you see what a BIG difference it makes, when one has the lighter/darker color in the right way. You can see what these covers look like at amazon.

    Congrats on the new house! Hope it will become a welcoming home for you and your loved ones and a gem in the neighborhood. Remember: it does not all have to be ready in two years time. When needed give it 7 years, or 10 years. Start planting the trees right this fall though (end of October, beginning of November is best for planting a garden, especially trees, depending on your climate), for they need quite some time to mature a bit.

    Azalea's, lavender, grasses and heather are very low maintenance and usually endure more sunshine. Beware of grasses that grow underneath the surface to make new ones. Be sure to add enough evergreens, so your garden doesn't get dull during wintertime. Some dwarf pines do miracles if your climate allows for them.

    Wishing you lots of fun transforming this into a house of glory.

  • jverssue
    6 years ago

    As most of these post have centered on - landscaping is a great way to stretch your budget. However, ignore a lot of these posts' recommendations that tell or show your landscaping mimicking the rectilinear nature of the structure, which you obviously are trying to downplay. Your landscape plan should incorporate more curves and soft lines. Pull plantings away from the house, don't do straight lines, and incorporate more natural flowing beds on the edges of your lawn. Removing the straight concrete walk way with a more curved stone path from the front yard to the front door and from the drive way to the front will help as well.

    I would disagree slightly with the pergola over the entire front. I am not completely against it, but I would mock-up a pergola that centers on the front door to bring it to attention and perhaps a matching one or scaled version over the larger windows to the left.

    The shutters are ridiculous and area remnant of an era when door-to-door salespeople preyed on stay-at-home moms' desire to keep up with the "jones." If they aren't to scale, and can't actually close, and do nothing but mimic the rectilinear nature of the window - they shouldn't be used. The flower box idea from an above post goes a lot further to aiding the situation. Also, the stone front on the first floor helps bring emphasis to this area. Best of luck.

  • PRO
    Blue Sound Construction, Inc.
    6 years ago

    If you paint, painting the eaves a darker color to visually match the roof and give it heft might add some charm. It appears to be a decent overhang and provides a satisfying cap.

  • dghealy
    6 years ago

    I would paint the house a dark barn red. paint inset porch area charcoal grey. lose the shutters and make the window trim grey. Plant rhododendrons on the street side of the side walk.


  • Melissa Kelly
    6 years ago

    I would get rid of that storm door! I see those a lot in pa and nj!

  • Karenmo
    6 years ago

    Why bother painting the aluminum siding?

    (My neighbors did that & it was alot of bother for a less than satisfactory result, and then a few years later they ended up removing it to install insulation and vinyl siding.)

    It's easy enough to find a way to work with the white color of the siding, introducing color with various trims as suggested.

  • clemenza2
    6 years ago

    You mention that like many of us, you don't have a lot to spend on this project at the moment. And yet some of these suggestions are very expensive. How about, just for now, you plant tall, slender pines on either side of the front window. Add flower boxes to the upstairs windows and plant something colorful that overflows a bit.....this will balance out the awkward placement of the windows and make them seem a bit less jammed up to the roof. Add similar colored flowers to the front border of the flower bed along the path, and maybe a couple of baskets hanging between the iron posts in front of the other window. I realize that my suggestions hinge largely on flowers that won't grow in the winter, but for the flower boxes you can plant small evergreens......maybe boxwood? Along with pretty front door wreaths and of course lights on the shrubs for Christmas. Good luck

  • Chromatic
    6 years ago
    make it very modern....even "cubist" the shutters need to go!
  • shoshanna17
    6 years ago

    While there are some excellent ideas here that you may well want to implement-- repainting the house and replacing the front door should be at the top of your list-- a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to draw positive attention to your house (and distract from the negatives of its exterior) would simply be to add window boxes, upstairs and down, filled with bright colorful flowers. (Geraniums tend to be forgiving, and work very well.) Flowers draw the eye, and cheery window boxes impart the message "this house is cared for." They're the outdoor equivalent of baking cookies before showing a house. And they'll make you feel good every time you drive up. By all means, make the heavy-duty improvements if you can, but you'll be surprised to discover just how much difference a few flower-filled window boxes can make!

  • soulivin888
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I don't know what region you're in, but a subtle non traditional pastel with either some Bahamas shutters or, awnings on most windows in front would be really inviting making this house into a home.

  • PRO
    Aaron Holland Painting, LLC.
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    You may consider removing shutters that do not look 'usable'.

    Aluminum takes paint well (just pressure wash and (2) coats of 100% Acrylic Exterior Paint). You can tone-down that mass of siding with a more subtle color, and draw attention to your porch with the use of a slightly contrasting color or same color in a lighter (or darker) value, or a stone veneer as someone else suggested.

    If you choose stone to surround the entrance, you can pick a color for the siding that goes well with the stone and grout.

    As someone else suggested, a large tree in the middle of the yard to the left of the Entrance would look nice. Maybe something like an Autumn Blaze Maple, which is a fast-growing tree that has great fall color and is easy to care for (with few problems).

  • PRO
    Loribeth Clark
    6 years ago

    Just another vote for getting rid of the shutters. They just need to go. First, they are non-functional. Second, they are the wrong size for the windows. Shutters, even if they don't work, should at least appear to work, which means they should look like they would completely cover the windows if they were closed.

    Otherwise, I think you've gotten a lot of good suggestions. Lighten up the front porch. Paint the wood so it's a lighter color, because it looks a bit like a dark hole right now. That alone will make you feel better about how the house looks.

    Good luck!

  • kstewartlycnh
    6 years ago

    A Houzz house for inspiration:


  • Lacy Wieckowski
    6 years ago

    I'd say, plant some taller plants in the planting area, maybe some small shrubs. Then on either side of the stairs, plant taller, sculpted shrubs or small tree like greenery. add a splash of color with a welcome mat and rocking chairs, colorful table and chairs, or a small porch swing. Also, maybe add a privacy drape over the porch opening. Not one that's completely blocks the view but one that is also movable so you can set it aside. Kind of like a mesh to also help keep bugs out. If you don't have too bad of allergies, I would also consider some hanging plants for another pop of color! hope it helps! and i hope to see pictures of what you do!

  • Emily Barbato
    6 years ago

    Making curved beds in front of house would likely be prohibitively expensive for OP as it would entail tearing up sidewalk, bringing in topsoil and putting in new front walkway. I know because I did it. I'd suggest Rhododendrons and/or azaleas as they have very pretty blossoms in late spring and don't lose their leaves in winter, plus they don't look boxy. If the beds are mostly in shade a very pretty border plant is Hakonechloa macra (Japanese Forest grass.) It is a low mounded grass with variegated leaves and it's not cut back until early spring so adds interest to a winter garden. I'd do three of the grasses then three hosta's and repeat that all along the bed on both sides. If your garden is mostly sunny I'd do Stella d'oro lillies, I'd also add one larger specimen shrub on the far left facing front of house. Perhaps a viburnum Korean Spice, Summer Snowball or Summer Snowflake ( which blooms all summer.)

    But whatever you do make sure taller plants are towards the back of the bed with shorter ones in front. Plus, always plant in odd numbers. So, for example 3, 5, 7 of the same plant and not all in a row (except border plants.) I plant in triangles. I also suggest buying the biggest sized plant instead of wee ones and waiting years for bed to fill in. Instead, I just keep everything pruned.



    I'd also do window boxes under second story windows to give the front of the house some depth.

    Also, you can also make a pretty curved bed in front of the sidewalk to pull garden away from front of house.

  • djmarb
    6 years ago

    First, make sure you use some evergreen shrubs for ease of upkeep and year round interest. I don't know if these would work in your climate, but I had really good luck with some Hebes that grew very quickly to look like round boxwoods, only they didn't need any trimming or special upkeep. Mine grew in between concrete on the north side of my house. I also really like the tallness and lightness of the European White Birch. It grows really tall, but not too wide with delicate weeping branches. Your yard could use some height and I would put it on the left side of the house, but towards the road more

    An annual Potato vine growing up the post on the right side would grow very quickly and die off for winter. Do some annual flowers around your bushes until they have a chance to grow in and for some color.

    I was also against the shutters, but then I was very intrigued by the rendering by Yardvaark. You need to decide whether to go modern or traditional and follow the direction for that choice.

    And NO, No, No to that circle window!! Don't do it!

    Good luck! I had a very flat pseudo Colonial. It had the proportions of a four square with wide 70's windows. We went modern, but it was a long road to finding some curb appeal.


  • decoenthusiaste
    6 years ago

    Go a bit stark and artsy. Black windows, retractable screen door, no shutters, minimal landscaping, replace the iron scroll support with something more substantial (see the carport here)

    Clifford Residence · More Info

  • PRO
    Elizabeth McGreevy
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The house is large and cubicle. Don't fight it. I would add a grid of 4 shades trees to the left side of the yard. The trees should be the single trunk, straight upright kind of tree...like a shumard red oak. Replace the sod under the trees with just a shredded cedar or cypress mulch.


    Install a straight line coming up from the left side of the front patio and make that be stone or brick...some kind of edge. Then keep the rest gras. In other words...keep it simple and boxy!! Adding a pergola at the front patio would give house the pop it needs. And yes, remove those shutters...they look fake just because they are way too small.

  • PRO
    Live In Design LLC
    6 years ago

    Paint the front porch flooring and porch walls a punchy color (electric blue?) Paint the raise of the foundation the color of the shutters.

  • felizlady
    6 years ago
    The shutters are really small. You might want to replace them. The landscaping is what you can add for curb appeal. First, find out where the sewer line and sprinkler lines are so you don't plant right above them....then get as big a tree as you can afford and ask the nursery to install it in the front yard: it's worth spending the money because they will give you a warranty for a year or two and will know where it should go in the yard. Add a few other low-maintenance plants, too, in a few areas. To your tenants, a clean, neutral (not gray) interior and relatively new appliances will be more important.
  • sheryloconnor
    6 years ago
    Dont fight the house. It has everything that would make it great. I would paint the body of the house charcoal grey or perhaps black green including the overhang and window trim to unify and disguise out of proportion elements. A mid tone porch area of wood with matching wooden verticals floor to ceiling about 6" apart where railing now exists to continue around corner to make porch a cohesive feature. Add a bright orangy red door to welcome guests. Keep plantings low and simple, nothing fussy on this modern beauty. Voila!
  • Karenmo
    6 years ago

    I appreciated the comment by djmarb about deciding whether to go modern or traditional and follow the direction for that choice.....

    I totally agree!

    It is easier on a budget and in the short term to go the cottage-y traditional look, but probably more fun to go modern. And fortunately for you Kaitlyn, you could go either way.

    I am wondering what owners of other houses like yours in the neighborhood have done -- perhaps some have already gone the more modern route. And another source of info/inspiration may be any houses in the neighborhood that remain (more or less) originally created (original siding, original windows, etc.), perhaps in some kind of Prairie style? Where is this house geographically anyway?

  • PRO
    Sugar Hill Outdoors
    6 years ago

    If you are looking to do all of that remodeling it may be more beneficial to get some professional help. We would love to help you out and draw up a design plan for your outdoor living spaces to incorporate all of your ideas and let you know a cost estimate as well as let you know what is possible with your yard and what isn't. We will even do the consultation free. We hope that you can consider this offer. Also could you let us know what state you live in to see if this is possible?

  • Deb Danielson
    6 years ago
    I don't have anything useful to suggest, I just wanted to say, wow, you guys all have such incredible ideas!! I had a major house fire last year and much of my house had to be rebuilt. I sure wish I had you guys with me while I was trying to make zillions of fast decisions in my emotionally stressed out state. I literally remodeled my whole kitchen in 15 minutes while a builder, plumber, and electrician stood around me and asked me to decide right now if the walls etc. were going back where they were or was I changing anything!
  • Jane
    6 years ago

    We had a similar looking home (not a duplex) and painted the aluminum siding a blue/grey (Benjamin Moore but cannot remember the exact colour) and all the trim white. We did have a charcoal brick on 1/2 of the lower level where you have contrasting siding, so you could paint the porch area a charcoal colour. We had white shutters on the upper windows only. I painted the front door Navy Blue. We had lots of complements when we painted the house, so this might be a combination for you to consider.

  • Beth
    6 years ago

    To me - if you removed the shutters, the house would have a Tuscan look, so poplars would be cool. I also wondered if you could frame out an area below the windows exactly the size of the existing windows and have it a complementary color. I know I've seen that somewhere. Maybe find some pictures of Tuscan houses if you can - that would give you some thoughts. Personally, i don't like any of the pictures that try to cozy out the house. I like the ones the play up the modern (mid-century maybe) look more than something more classic. It feels like there is potential.

  • dtmcdermott55
    6 years ago

    Wow. Yardvark and design girl pictorials are swell. House looks cared for in its existing state, just barren! Least expensive ideas could be to firstly: keep the shutters! Next use yardvark color gray in porch area and paint storm door and window trim the same shutter brown color. Create a faux pergola effect that extends out from porch area and paint it the brown color as well. Support columns to be colored same. Colorful landscaping as shown in yardvark pictorial will pop againstmonotone house color venue. Install a grander front door ,later, after you win the lottery. Good luck.

  • Kaitlyn Rimi
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    First of all, thank you so much to everyone for your suggestions! I had no idea where to start and it was great to have so many great ideas to sort through! After going through all of them and figuring out what we liked, could realistically do ourselves, and could actually afford, we have gotten some things started and a TON planned.

    Here's some updated pictures. I still have a front door and door trim to finish painting, address sign to finish, mailboxes to make less ugly, and full view storm doors to install. Keep in mind, I can only do any of this during a 1 year old's nap times. We will also be removing the lower shutters and eventually putting a trellis on each side of the windows with a climbing (potato?) vine, replacing the upper shutters with ones the same color blue as the porch, painting the window trim medium gray, removing rust and repainting the railing glossy black, thinning out the hostas and adding more of a variety of plants, and maybe staining the concrete on the front porch. Someday we'll throw a tree out front on the left when, we get around to it.

    Painting the siding and any major architectural changes are out of the picture, because we have all of the gutters getting replaced (white gutters) any day now and, within the next few years, will have to waterproof the basement (not cheap).

    We did opt to stay more traditional in the designs, but MUCH more cheerful and welcoming (aka colorful!) than before. We live in Indiana, the street is a lot of 70's era duplexes and split levels with minimal modernization of the designs, so we didn't want to look too out of place. We also didn't want the exterior to be completely different from the interior, which is 90's era cabinetry and otherwise pretty traditional.

    I'll try to show the updates as we go.

    Thanks again everyone! There were some amazing ideas and hopefully it will inspire someone else with a similar house, so feel free to keep them coming!

    It started to rain, so I didn't get a whole house view, but nothing else changed except the hostas bloomed.

  • groveraxle
    6 years ago

    Kaitlyn, so glad you returned to show us what you've done and tell what you've planned. I adore the blue and yellow! Keep us posted, please!

  • Kaitlyn Rimi
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    It's been a while and a few more things got at least halfway done since the last update. I've been racing to beat the weather and get things done!

    I changed the blue on the porch, we decided we liked it, but it was a little too bright, so we went with a darker navy. Now we love it! We installed full view storm doors with interchangeable glass/screen, so we have better airflow and can see the cheerful yellow doors. I painted the door trim, made a more modern address sign, put up new automatic exterior lights, and repainted the railing glossy black. Ignore the droopy Persian Shield, I watered it right after taking the photo.

    I'm in the process of painting the window trim grey, which is turning out nicely. I've also used this as an opportunity to re-caulk the windows that need it (with paintable caulk!). Luckily I didn't get around to planting anything this year, because the poor hostas are getting trampled with my painting. Next year is plants.

    I've also built flat panel shutters out of cedar and painted them to match the navy on the porch. We just need to rent scaffolding to reach the windows to paint the trim and hang the shutters. They are a little heavy and our ladder is too short anyway.

    Overall, everything is coming together nicely! We just need to race the weather to get it all done before snow hits.

    (I also painted the garage door while I was doing the shutters. I had the paint out, why not?)

  • AJ G
    6 years ago

    You are doing a great job! Thank you for the updates!!!

  • Karenmo
    6 years ago

    The full view storm door was a brilliant solution to improve ventilation and show off a very cool architectural detail, the paneled door, which you painted perfectly!

  • partim
    6 years ago

    Great job!

    The fall is actually a better time to plant woody plants, better than spring. Especially for shrubs and trees. They can throw down some roots before winter, and any stress to the plant is taken care of when the leaves fall and the plant goes dormant.

    Trees and shrubs are often on sale at this time of year.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked partim
  • Debra Athanas
    6 years ago

    Hi I know this is October and you posted for ideas in June but October is when you get the best deals on trees and shrubs. We bought trees and shrubs for 5.00 at lowes, home depot or Walmart, or try your local nursery. Get them in the ground immediately. Don't forget to break up the root ball if the are root bound and water them twice a week until frost. Secondly buy a bag of wood chips and cover with 2" all around to keep the ground moist and prevent drying out over the winter. We have a snowball bush and rose bushes that we purchased that way. You can plant bulbs at this time also.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked Debra Athanas
  • PRO
    Bens Plans
    6 years ago

    It feels like the porch ceiling is being squashed by the building above. We either have to accentuate the main floor height or minimize the 2nd floor height, or both.

    I suggest having a pair of gables over the front porch, perhaps having the larger roof part, centering the roof over the porch, with another gable nested inside that centered over the steps. Stopping with the peak of the larger gable about 4"-6" below the upstairs window sill.

    Put a frieze board, 6" to 8" high, above the porch ceiling level, then the roof overhang. Change the direction of the siding within this gable to vertical.

    Continue this eave roof and frieze board on the left over the big window, matching the existing eave overhang from the roof above. This would make the 2nd floor look like the 2nd floor pokes thru a bungalow roof. like a dormer. You could continue the same idea down the left side of the house, as well as the right side as far as the porch. You could even have exposed rafter tails, albeit fake ones, spaced 24"c.c.

    Remove and replace the corner support with a turned column, Keep all your lower floor columns larger than the upstairs columns. We are trying to bring the eye of the viewer down, minimizing the 2nd floor.

    Put about 10" diameter 1/2 columns where the porch meets the walls, then 2 full columns, 1 at the corner and the other beside the stair, creating a "public access" and having the rest of the porch room for a chair or so. A short railing between the 2 columns, and from the corner back to the house will provide a little privacy. hope your front screen doors are right-hand hinge....

    Above this roof provide a pair of 1/2 columns, 8" diameter or so, above the 1/2 columns of the porch below, and a 3/4 corner post, giving the impression that the 2nd story porch has been enclosed. A change of siding material here, like a shake look would work here.

    Doing this will remove the big blank space between the 2nd story windows and the porch ceiling below.

    I agree with planting something low and thick hiding the block foundation, topping but in height with the top of the porch....do so in front of the porch also

    Upstairs windows, try planted window boxes, something to bring the windows closer to the lower floor. If you do this, then ensure the new porch gable brings this into consideration.

  • Kaitlyn Rimi
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    The trim is painted (except for the back that nobody can see, saving that for next year, it's too cold now!)! It looks so much better! I saved us probably around $5000+ by painting the trim myself and building my own shutters. Next year will be focused on plants and landscaping stuff, but it all would have been trampled by scaffolding anyway, so glad we didn't have time before then.

    We are planning on putting a trellis on each side of the bottom window with some sort of climbing vine to add height.


  • Chromatic
    6 years ago
    You are a real hard worker! how about instead of two trellises.....have it as a arbor over the window with the vines? sort of connecting the two trellises. 24" wide up and over window and back down.
  • Donna
    6 years ago
    If you can afford to do it I think it would look great to put small reverse gable doggie dormers over upper windows. Also window boxes overflowing with flowers on uppers
  • Denita
    5 years ago

    Kaitlyn, how are you doing on the landscaping of your home? This thread popped up and it reminds me of how much you were able to do last year before the snow :) Hopefully you have had time to refresh your landscaping this summer.

  • Kaitlyn Rimi
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    I added a second vertical brick to the flower bed edging because of the mulch washing out, but that's about it for this year. I am SUPER pregnant, so that has limited what I am willing/capable of doing this summer. We're currently working on getting the lawn to fill in with grass instead of weeds and still need to refinish the back deck, but otherwise we won't be doing much this year. Luckily the hostas go crazy every summer and help fill in the flower beds pretty well, so it's not too bad (until they die). My shutters, trim, and porch paint are holding up well though and make me happy every time I pull into the driveway, so I'll call that a win and ignore the rest for now!

  • Denita
    5 years ago

    Congratulations on your new soon to arrive family member! I don't blame you for taking a break from the landscaping. You have much more important work to do to bring this child into the world :) Rest up. Enjoy these exciting times ahead.

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked Denita
  • groveraxle
    5 years ago

    Congratulations on the new addition, Kaitlyn. Babies are way more fun than painting houses,

    Kaitlyn Rimi thanked groveraxle
  • Vanda Baker
    last year

    You could plant a small tree between the edge of the porch and the window and another at the other side of the window. Like those real skinny evergreen. https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/skypencil and red winterberry holy between them (keep these trimmed below the window). https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/winter-red-winterberry-holly

    https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/products/skypencil?refSrc=1532782477364&nosto=productpage-nosto-5-fallback-nosto-1

    Vanda