Dark brown.

The whole thing?

Hello; you have a lot of dirt/beige colour here. I would buy a new garage door that has windows built it in for interest and light. I would pick a darker beige cream colour. Use this colour for around the window area as well. I would hire a landscape designer to put in some desert type plants and solar lights here and there in the yard. You need to add inside shutters or wide mini blinds to the windows to add better appeal. Use a pretty bright celery green colour on the front door. See if you can get this entry way lit up bright in the evening. If you can, get interlocking brick on the driveway, or if not, perhaps red crushed stone. I would get a few pretty coloured planter urns to put some small palms in on either side of the front door.

You're so right. It's dirt/beige for days, isn't it! We're definitely going to landscape and add lighting but we'd prefer not to paint the house as it was just painted. Could we perk it up by painting the garage and trim/cut outs around the windows and along the walls in a contrasting color? We won't have major $ to spend after this purchase! You can't tell in this photo but the doors are gorgeous. Celery green would be so pretty but do I dare paint the beautifully stained wood?

Oh yes! I like the main colour of the house - the garage door is just bland - you can't mix what looks taupe and gold together very well. I had a re-think: Perhaps paint the garage door a pretty emerald /teal green or a soft sage green. I am not sure, but I think some sort of green will be the best. This will add life. Take your picture to a Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paint store. Maybe add dark brown to the window trims. No-one says one can of one colour paint has to do it all! I think these tones would go well with a red roof and gold walls. Some stores have "mis-tints". The paint is discounted because someone chose the wrong colour or didn't like it. Check this area of the paint store first. You might get lucky and find a colour you like. Eventually you can do the red stone to the driveway and put in a few cacti and aloe's on the front yard. It will take time... See if you can place an ad on Kijiji and ask if there is anyone that wants to give you their over-abundance of their aloe plants or other plants you wish. When on a budget you have to be resourceful... All the best of good wishes in your new home! :)
Emmie

Thanks Emmie! So we found a pretty green, "spicy oregano" that would look really nice with the golden tan of the house. We drove around the neighborhood and almost no one had contrasting garage doors and if they did, the door was a dark brown or else a lovely expensive stained wood. Would the green make the garage the focal point? We also want to use the same green for the line under the ceiling tiles. If you look up Behr spicy oregano, the color card look much more sage green than the computer shows.

Some landscaping would help. There are many "drought" resistant plants that would add color and uniqueness. French lavender of all things will do well in your climate with little watering as will bouganvillia. They spread, clime and flower in rich colors.

Yes! There are three new bouganvillia plants growing up the walls since this photo was taken. I didn't know about lavender, thank you!

Paint the garage door the same color as the body of the house.

I know it is hot and hard to grow things where you live because of the heat, but I really am not liking all that rock on your lawn. Or at least not JUST rock. I know there are ways that you can make this interesting. Have you looked at the ideabooks yet?

We just closed on the house yesterday. Promise, we have every intention of landscaping the heck out of the yard. But you're vote is not to do a contrasting garage door?

I love the desert landscapes and you have the space for a dry creekbed surrounded by desert plants, check out Sunset Magazine for some plant ideas...Add large boulders for variation, fill dirt to make a a mound here and there to elevate plantings, check out different size river rocks, and crushed gravel. I agree with changing up your garage door, add large house numbers to the front of the house, a decorative mail box and/or pole light at the sidewalk along the parking pad. Plant bright flowers in medium to large pots grouped together or separately where they can be watered easily to add colors you love.

Thanks, Linda. Do you think the green garage door is a good idea? Think sage/oregano...

I love the dry creekbed idea! I knew someone would come along with ideas for you divaskychick!

Hi Divaskychick, I think the sage would look lovely on the garage doors. The reason most people leave the body of the house and the garage door the same colour is to save buying different paint colours. And they don't have to '"cut in" and be careful with painting another colour. They try to general purpose one colour all over. So if you want to add dimension and kick things up a notch, paint the garage doors the pretty green that you saw and liked and use this colour again on your patio in the way of cushions on a wicker settee or out-door lounge chairs at the front of the house. Or an umbrella. Try to start a trend by doing something different. Paint can always easily be changed up.
Also maybe you could get some multi colour large urns that has the same green in it as well to place on your retainer/divider wall in front with flowers in them. Bougainvilla is perfect for your climate as a hedge - I'd put this in your garden for sure.

I can't seem to locate Behr Spicy Oregano colour...

You're right Linda Stewart. The reason I suggested a soft green was to add life to the visage, as there's a scarcity of real plants. Right now with the lawn being the same colour as the body of the house - then the garage if it were painted the same colour - it would be hard to tell when the lawn leaves off & the house begins! Happy Mothering Day to all (as you don't have to have actually given birth to care for others).

Thanks for your thoughts, ladies! I'll be sure to post more photos as we go.

You have a beautiful house! You need just a few accents to make it sparkle - go to a nursery that sells LARGE accent pots and get a large pot (minimum 2 feet tall) in a color that you love - cool colors would show up best against the warm color of the house - a blue or sage green would be great.Put the pot to the left of the walk way wall (facing the front door) with succulents and annuals for color. Paint the garage door the color of the pot. If you like the look you could also paint front door and trim around windows the same color. The pot will be expensive, but will last for a long time and other landscaping can be added when you have had a chance to live in the house a bit. If watering plants in the pot will be hard for you to do there are inexpensive drip irrigation systems. It is best to buy the pot first as it will be easier to match the pot with paint than trying to find a pot to match paint.

I like that idea, thanks! I've seen some gorgeous pots at Home Depot. I'm going to look around today and see what else we can find. Thanks again!

Divaskychick one more tip. When you shop for pots you want to make sure they are all weather...the high fired pots will last much longer than untreated terra cotta and not all glazed pots are equal.

Thanks Linda. I'm going to look at the big nursery here to make sure I'm getting the right thing.

Perfect place to get good advice and well worth it in the long run. can't wait to see your progress...have fun with it!

Is it possible to have planter boxes on top of the courtyard walls and have draping succulents cascading down the front? This will make the horizontal linear lines appear softer and not detract from the creekbed theme you are contemplating for the front yard. Does purslane grow in your zone? This would also give you bright color. You've got a great canvas for lots of interesting ideas.