Take down the Christmas lights

Put in lawn in the back

Water lawn in front

Paint trim a contrasting color

Paint front door a "popping" color

Landscape around the concrete steps to recess them into the elevation.

Landscape all around

Pave the driveway (concrete if money is no object)

Besides the landscaping, I would say the windows are the biggest issues. They're small, unbalanced, and appear pretty old.

If you have the budget, do a schoolhouse style portico, light hanging in it, numerals like these shown, and white porch railings.

Not a Pro.

What beautiful property!

I would go with a School House Cottage look.

Some great ideas above.

Nice sized property! If you want it to have the traditional schoolhouse look you want larger windows. Because the light was needed for studying, all the one-room school houses in my area have large windows almost covering at least two opposite walls.

If that isn't practical because of finances or the home's interior layout, or you don't want it to actually look like a schoolhouse any more, you will want some taller shrubs under the higher windows and medium under the large picture window, choosing plants that will stay below the bottom of the window. Have at least some that will be evergreen so there will be color in winter, and then plant flowers in front of the shrubs. If you don't enjoy gardening, choose ground covers and plants that are either long-blooming or have interesting foliage.

I like the suggestion of a small roof over the door, and a picket fence to define a dooryard. I might well wrap the dooryard and picket fence around the sides. Where I live, paved drives aren't the norm, so do what feels right to you.

Think about what you want for your yard as far as its use, such as play areas for the kids or a volleyball court or a shady sitting area or a place to BBQ, and decide on the best places to place those. Consider traffic flow around the house and decide if you are likely to need paths beyond the one to the front door. Making your paths at least 5' wide will make them feel more welcoming. You don't say where you are, but if you are in an area with any real quantity of snow, be sure to leave areas where the snow can be plowed to.

Railings like this would suit the schoolhouse look, if you're going for that (and I hope you are!)

Cape Cod Whole House Renovation · More Info

Hey Rachelle, I think you should definitely consider putting up a fence, it will give a boost to the overall aesthetics. I recently got a fence installed, and it looks amazing. I recommend searching some fencing contractors that offer custom designs. If you are in the Ontario province, look up Total Fence Inc.

Hi Rachelle,

You may think about adding some striking exterior lighting. We are the oldest open flame/electric copper lighting company in the U.S. and hand make every one of our fixtures in New Orleans, LA. We have hundreds of different lighting combinations and offer a complimentary design service. From your picture, the French Quarter lantern at the front entry or a post light, are just 2 great options. Feel free to email us pictures of your space with the door height and we will be happy to make style and scale recommendations.

Happy remodeling! -Lindsey @ Bevolo