I see. You are jealous. ;)

Hi! I think the main thing to do is spruce up your landscaping. Trim back the tree next to the driveway, remove the dead plants on the left and remove the grass from the drive. I understand your desire to make the wires "disappear". If you go with a darker gray on the exterior maybe do a funky fun color on your trim and garage door like a rich purple, a light blue, or a burnt orange. Have fun with it!

Here are some ideas (see pictures).

Good luck and I think "someone" IS envious...haha! All in fun. And we all have to start somewhere! :-)

soo sooo sooo jealous. If you are going gray, try a platinum gray this time instead of a blue gray - will make this very modern - i like gauntlet gray from sherwin williams and then pair it with bright aqua trim. Like sw tempo teal for eaves and any siding trim around the white windows (leave the windows themselves white) - you can do a brighter front door - http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6945-belize/ - look two shades down on this card for tempo teal

What I like about the half canoe gave me / you another idea. What about an entire vertical row on each side of upper window to hang brightly painted oars up and down they could be in different coordinating bright colors and you can hang some of them over the lines so they disappear from the eye altogther - I can see oars in chartreuse, cobalt, purple, lime green, marine blue. All shades of citrus green, bright blue, purples on the gray. I know a kayaker who makes all his own oars by cutting out a 2 x 12 with a skill saw and then sanding the heck out of the edges, so they don't have to be real oars - they can just be 2 x 8's in exterior grade trim cut in oar shapes - leave the handle on though - you never know when you'll need a real oar . . . this may sound like i'm missing an oar in the water . . .

Whimsy...how about painting each rectangle section of the garage door in a different color? This is a place you can really let go and have some fun!

You guys are the best!!! so many great ideas. I will execute a number of them and then post the results. give me a month. Look for update photos.
thanks again for very creative and fun ideas.

alazaro, it is helpful to know what the function is of the rooms against this wall? Obviously, a garage and what else on the basement level? What room is upstairs. Can windows be added in that space? What part of the country is this. Anything is helpful. The best advise from fellow Houzzers is born out of the more we know. I am happy to suggest ideas when I I have a higher level of understanding of the building. You will benefit from all participating parties, as well.

I confess to jealousy. What about hanging a bright sail instead of oars.(OR 3 sheets to the wind;-)
Seriously , paint the cinderblock to match whatever you choose. I think you can paint the wiring covers but not the meter.

The house is on the bay in Rhode Island. I have a dock and access to the ocean. The view is spectacular. I purchased the home as a tear down, but have run out of funds in this economy, hence the need to spruce up. The roof was redone this week, it looks a lot better already. The window is in a bedroom, but it is so small there is no way to enlarge it.
I thought of doing a trellis across the top of the garage and around the window to make the window look more in proportion. The color ideas and items to placed on the wall are very helpful.....it is a work in progress.

In looking at the photo, I am asking myself, If I drove up to your house, how would I get to the entrance door, the one you want people to come to?

I think if you make a nice way to approach your entrance, this side view won't be so dominant.

BTW. I have property in Narragansett, where in RI are you?

These are photos of the entrance and garage side. Roof was just redone.

If you go to the Sherwin-Williams site, they have a color visualizer where you can upload your photo and try out different colors. Fun to do and useful to see what a colour will look like on your home.
I'm extremely jealous :-D

How about an original welcome sign next to the front door (where the metal thingy now is):
http://www.etsy.com/listing/116405941/beach-welcome-sign-pretty-beach-decor?ref=sr_gallery_28&ga_search_query=welcome+sign+beach&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_search_type=all

http://www.etsy.com/listing/119499963/personalized-beach-themed-family-welcome?ref=sr_gallery_13&ga_search_query=welcome+sign+beach&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_search_type=all

and for lots more possibilities:

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=welcome%20sign%20beach&view_type=gallery&ship_to=ZZ

Oh, And I'd paint the siding a purple blue and the garage door lime green:



Trim: white
Front door: turquoise

This is quite cool too:

Good morning alazaro! Your posting caught my eye, seeing I'm heading down to my cottage on Matunick Beach this morning LOL . Point Judith Pond is a beautiful area. Two years ago helped out a builder finish a project off Foddering Farm Rd. If you ever want a second opinion on renovation costs, why don't you give me a holler. I enjoy working close to home and my bids reflect it (: . Have a good weekend!

A simple and relative cost features would be to add 1x4 and 1x6 trim to the windows, corners, gables doors etc and paint them white. The trellis idea over the garage door is good. Shutters on the center window. The wires are an issue which you could mostly box in. I would all of this then post an after pic for more ideas https://www.houzz.com/photos/custom-craftsman-home-exterior-traditional-exterior-chicago-phvw-vp~624881

I believe it is against the law to box wires like this in Rhode Island. Am I wrong?
I do p,an to do more trimming and clearing all the bushes and planting neater dwarf trees.
Stay tuned...and thanks all of you.

How about a pergola over the garage and then focus on on the driveway and entry way as others have suggested?

All of you with the beach houses posting comments are making me very jealous!

If I were you I would enlarge the flower bed area on the way to the front door and plant a tree or two. Maybe a twisting sort of pine, that can be sculpted into some interesting shape against that tall wall.

I would make a larger walk way where the current pavers are. Can stay casual, just replace with larger pavers. Then the area between that and the driveway, where the large rock is shown, I would remove the grass, add a couple more rocks, crushed shell, swaying mounded grass and a tall sculpture (one with some parts that move in a breeze.)

If you can reroute the rain gutter by the front door I would. Or can it be replaced with a rain chain? One way to disguise it, and something that would look good on it's own, would be to hang up a triangle "Shade Sail" over the entryway. You can find these in many catalogs (Improvements, Front Gate, etc.). Wish I knew how to post pictures, but just do a google search. Very much would tie in with "beach"!

My advice would be to address the driveway and the garage door. Those are the two biggest pieces of eye candy after you paint the house. Also, you should stucco that block foundation wall. Since you aren't going to be using it as an insulating exterior, you can just wash it, put a concrete fortifier/adhesion additive into the stucco and go right over that block with three coats. Plus, you can use concrete pigments in the stucco and have integrated color. I'd then go over it with a concrete sealer to give it a "sheen" so it won't be so flat.

Some old tobacco barns in the south had red brick base (since North Carolina was a big tobacco producer and have a lot of red clay brick manufacturers). That is a good theme. Make the base a deep red stucco with your grey painted walls. If the garage door is wood, strip the paint off it, sand it, and use a really good stain and spar varnish (over the stain) to make it a dark wood color.

PS: Addendum to my previous post.

Looking at your yard again, the slope I think could use stairs up to the front door (where current pavers are). Could do something very simple: railroad ties and crushed shells.

And for the triangle shade sail over the front door, I would go for orange or lime green. No one will miss the front door and it would be fun!

@JF Yenco, I am in Pt Judith area. We might need a consult, Need someone to look at foundation issues down near Scarborough Beach area. Interested in taking a look?

Alazaro--Here is an idea to break up the facade and to lead you to the entry. Given high winds, I suspect. get all the necessary reviews and approvals from your municipality, HOA et al, before you assume that you could just construct this. I would suggest review by struct engrr. as these trellises could do a lot of damage in a storm if not designed and aattached and/or founded appropriately. I like the idea of a dark body color to hide the electrical stuff, but keep the trim light in color. I hope that you like this budget solution to your issue.

Before you start in on the whimsical colors and nautical theme, consider the neighboring properties. No doubt the houses are close together and some may be year round homes. They will have as much impact on your property as you will on theirs. While you are changing your curb appeal, keep in mind the overall impact and if done with considered style, your house and the neighborhood will benefit.

Here in California, we love to go wild and "do our thing". Maybe eastern US is more starch in the collar.

DMH Design, thank you for the suggestion and drawing. I really like it. We are definitely going in the right direction here. Thank you so much!!!!

I like nFormal's idea about stucco on the cinder block wall but being a Gulf coast girl my style would be closer to pcmom's "do your own thing" style. I would make a mosaic with shells and beach pebbles, seaglass,etc. While a bright broken tile mermaid mosaic might be too loud for RI, you could do a subtle wave of shells and pebbles in a sandy or grey colored stucco.
Real storm shutters might be a very practical addition to the windows and give some color, too.
You definitely need a good light fixture or two. Maybe some solar garden lights along the retaining wall and path to the door.

So glad I didn't offend a lot of folks with my "starch in the collar" comment. Anyone who has walked around neighborhoods in CA knows that you will see a Spanish adobe next to a French chateau next to a Florida beach house with palm trees.

One thing that makes New England so beautiful is the cohesive style!

Alazaro, you are welcome. Pretty simple, really. Painting out the shadow boxes to resemble a window could be a bit tricky, but it is an inexpensive way to dress up that side of the house without 'breaking the bank'.

DMH, if I Ever, Ever find that 70's ranch I'm looking for I'm tracking you down !!!!

@pcmom1 - Not offended ...the point I was trying to make is that no matter what is done with a building, it should be done well with good design and life style considerations. It not only pays off for the homeowner but for the neighborhood as well. I'm not talking "Designer House" here just an appreciation for a job well done.

Oh, by the by, even in New England, there is variety. For instance, Gillette Castle is up-river from 100 year old fishing camps. Glass houses are next door to beach cottages that huddle around a Mediterranean style compound. Victorians, raised ranches, cape cods and contemporaries pepper the coastline along with an occasional light house or Fort. You should visit sometime. I lived in California for a while and really appreciated it.

See you around the houzz!

Thanks, Keitha. That is a high compliment. This is a fun format to exchange ideas because stylistically there are issues all over the map, and it is a worthy challenge to try and provide an idea that makes someone happy.

Scott Design, I have visited a few times (lucky me, once when fall colors were at their peak!). And will be renting a grand place on the water with 10 girl friends in September. Might have to look for poster's place to see the after!

To chime in here and go off topic a little, I think that the Midwest is more conservative than the East Coast. However, there is actually nothing wrong with a little "starch on the collar". Just like in corporations, there are "dress codes" for reasons. "Going wild" to one person would be appalling to others. I'm sure Scott Design was talking about being sympathetic to your surroundings and your neighbors, and that is advice we can all heed. Seriously, who wants to invest close to a million dollars to fix up a Victorian "Painted Lady" just to have someone buy the house next door and paint it neon orange with chartreuse trim?

My Mother lives in a quaint town in Maine, and someone on one of the side streets painted a Cape Cod with a myriad of different bright colors. That is fine for the homeowner if that is what he/she/they like, but the issue arises from a "House Gone Wild" bringing down the property value of the neighbors because they can't sell their places to anyone due to the fact that most future buyers don't want to live next to it. We are designers, so we have strong feelings tied to being unique, but hopefully those you are telling to "go wild" have a modicum or taste and courtesy.

Remember when the house at the end of our cul de sac had each section painted a different color. Must have been six different ones! We all thought, "What???!!!" Turned out they were just selecting the final shade, but they painted each section totally. Why they would go to that much work...gave all of us quite a scare!

@pcmom1...That's awesome. We are definitely not advocating something like that (neighbors would cause an uproar), but it would be a sight to see for sure. I'd get quite the laugh out of it if I didn't leave nearby. Even better, paint each piece of clapboard a different color. Let's have some fun with this. Haha.

Seriously, though, I think a little whimsy can be a good thing. Just make sure that whatever you embed into the stucco doesn't have sharp edges/points on it...as it could be a headache down the road (upset guests, etc.).

Find more ideas for nautical theme decorating on http://gonautical.com/nautical-decor-c-2.html

Lady Von has some nice ideas. I like the look of the garage doors she picked out.