Thanks! Limited budget. In southeast USA so very warm and humid in summer temperate in fall and winter. Should we put big box hedges across front between columns to help mask that there is so much dead space under the windows? Or tall planter boxes with flowers in them. Or even climbing trellis plants directly under each front window. Hard to visualize! I wish the style could look more craftsman or at least transitional rather than colonial but probably too hard to pull off! I am definitely thinking to paint the brick but not sure of what color schemes would work.

What planting zone? 5, 6, 7 or 8?

Yes, you need to loose the colonial trim over the door. It will go a long way to making your home more loveable. By limited budget do you mean $2500, $25,000 or $250.000. It all depends...........

Planting zone is 7B. Budget is maybe 5-10K

Remove shutters and trim above the door. Paint the trim around the windows the same color as the siding or a slightly darker shade.

Thanks All!! Cool pics from er612, thank you!! I think I have decided to:

- Paint all the orange brick a neutral light gray color

- Paint the siding a somewhat deeper blue/gray

- Lose the colonial trim above door and replace it with a more craftsman era crown moulding

- lose the shutters and do simple wide trim around all the windows, including the smaller windows on the brick part. Paint window and door trim white to match columns

- Thinking about putting a 40" high grey stone/brick wrap base around each column to give them more bottom weight to balance how top heavy facade looks now

- Plant shrubs or large planters of greenery to fill in visual space under the front windows on either side of the door/entry

The roof needs replacing in the next few years, so when I can save up, I plan on putting a METAL roof.

What do you think??

Thanks again!

Electrableu

Like said above, get rid of the colonial trim (not sure if I would get rid of the shutters) and add lots of landscape to hide the lack of windows beside the door and to look inviting. Change out the hanging light.

A split entry home around the corner from me put a metal roof on and it actually looks really good.

It's more economical to add some plants that will grow quite tall and wide - you need fewer of them than if you bought plants that are narrow at maturity. And you need tall shrubs to cover the bottom half of your porch area. Here's a visual of what it might look like with a massed hedge of large shrubs.

Hydrangea such as Limelight would be suitable, or in your area SE USA you can use the blue bigleaf hydrangea.

It would be very attractive if you have a true blue-gray (not teal-gray) color on your house. Here's a picture of what a hedge would look like, not in bloom. Obviously would look better blooming. These shrubs are about 9 ft tall.

Did you ever do your exterior? Curious I have similar home

and deciding same.

Hello! Would love to see the after pics. We too purchased a 1970’s split level and ended up painting it all worldly gray. Columns, garage doors, trim, everything. Removed the shutters and colonial door trim. It definitely updated the house. Would have loved to have been able to remove the roof and add taller trusses for a better pitch but too many other big jobs to do. Total renovation. We are ready to landscape the front. Zone 7. Here are some before and afters.

Door like this.

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Change the windows, eliminating the apron, adding a porch or a pair of Juliette balconies.

Contemporary Southern Colonial – East Shore, The Woodlands · More Info

Fans and lanterns make for a nice southern colonial feeling.

Southern Colonial · More Info