If you're free at 11am PST today we're going to have a live Houzz chat about curb appeal! Look out for it in the Design Dilemmas, it'll be called Houzz Live: Curb Appeal. It might help you decide on what to do with your space!
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/houzz-live-curb-appeal-dsvw-vd~534358

Keep shutters black, visit www.martindoor.com they have black garage doors - and just spruce up the flower beds.

I would consider keeping the shutters on the upper floor windows and removing the lower ones. I would leave them black, and I think that adding some window boxes to the bedroom windows would be a great addition.

I might try taking off the bottom shutters. I am a bit worried that the brick underneath is a different color since it has been covered since 1961. Do you have any experience with discoloration of brick? I also need to paint the white a softer color of white. This one looks blinding like primer.

I would look to Pantones colours for this year.

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/the-news/244-window-covering-design-trends-2013.html

I would keep the shutters black and paint your door red! I would try taking the bottom shutters off and you may have to pressure wash to get the brick to match.. If that works, pretty pedestal planters with the right arrangement would look beautiful. I would also get a bigger porch light the one hanging is too small for that big of an open space.

I would consider taking all the shutters off and putting in more mature landscaping. Also maybe the columns could be made more substantial?

I vote no shutters, particularly on the lower level.

Paint the window sash and grilles dark.

I think you are right about softening the look of the shutters by painting them gray. Here is one example of a brick close to yours with blue shutters: one with taupe shutters: one with light blue

Here are two mock-ups:

I took off the shutters yesterday and it already looks better. We are going to try to paint the remaining ones a taupe/cream color, beef up columns and paint the door a bright color! more photos coming soon!

Correction, the bottom shutters only off!

I would suggest a larger walk from drive to front door curving outward toward drive, remove the plants and grow healthy grass up to the front walk. I have seen this style house and brick color with deep cadet blue not navy shutters and it complimented the pinkish brick. I know that you need room to walk but I could envision a simple front railing.

coordinate a brighter door color with whatever flowers you have. While you wait for the shrubs to fill in use annuals while establishing perennials and bulbs. Before long you'll be trimming the shrubs to not block the windows. You have lots of color choices but keeping the column white or cream would look best with many shutter colors and the brick. Is there room on the porch for a bench or rocker?

I think the walkway leading to the door should be nearly as wide as the two columns flanking the door. With tall potted plants, your eye would never see the lower windows. The front door would be a much stronger focal point and don't do a straight line either. Have it start wide from the house and meander to the driveway. Attractive shrubbery that will also hide the window but not get too tall.

I looked for two pix to attach that are kinda similar to your house; notice how strong the front entries are. It's a big house that looms out of the earth. It needs a very strong front entrance to balance it.

I agree with 21131 to just plant some REALLY nice grass between the driveway and covered walk, and make the uncovered walkway from the driveway to the front door much more substantial / wider and finish with pavers or something a little more upscale (this should be the ONLY walkway to the front door IMO). Then, this is a little unconventiona, but I might be inclined to try potted plants on that concrete covered area (keeping them from in front of the lower windows) to create a sort of 'containerized foundation planting'. I fear that if you keep the shrubs in that front bed that you might constantly be fighting the need for light into those lower windows with the shrubs growing up and maturing and blocking the light. Just a thought.

I really like the black door and shutters, they coordinate nicely with the brick and roof, but suggest you work on the landscaping, walkway and driveway to give your home more curb appeal. I also suggest you paint the garage door in black. I don't agree with the suggestion to paint the window sash black because you have lots of white on your house compared to the sample pictures that were sent where the whole house is painted in a dark colour. If you're not familiar with shrubs and plants, contact a professional who can give you good advice.

I would consider the lightest cream color picked up in the brick to replace the white trim, and the darkest of the brown color picked up in the brick for the shutters.

Your house is great , needs a little tweaking only. Keep the shutters, it gives it presence, leave them black as previously suggested ,the garage black also. I would beef up the front door by adding pilasters , if you look at the pics people provided all the doors have ornamental wood so the door looks more substantial.You also need some appropriate landscaping, you will need some expertise to get the correct effect without blocking the light for your basement windows. The walkway is too narrow and cheapens the effect.I would get rid of the grass in the left bed and redefine the right bed starting even with the right bed and enlarge the wave design so it is wider at the top also, you would definitely benefit by going to a reputable nursery that will help you with your choice. I think it will look fabulous. Good luck and have fun with it.

Paint the brick white, the front door red, mulch the beds with pine straw, add flowering annuals in the bed each season, add two urns with small evergreen trees on either side of the sidewalk between the flower bed and the driveway.

I would paint the brick ivory, remove the shutters yet do something to draw your eye to the doorway and add a much larger, contemporary or modern pendant.
I would then go about landscaping. Forget the line of puny flowers and just have green lawn up to the sidewalk and add a wide walkway made of large rectangular shapes of flagstone or concrete with the edges uneven like a zipper.

Replacing the grass with a ground over would help define the space. Right now asphalt driveway dominates. Liriope would look nice you could add a few random Japanese maples.

Can you add some trim around the door to make it more of a focal point? Add a peak so the door looks bigger and less square?

I like your gray/turquoise idea but I always think in terms of green and purple with brick. A deep forest green with a restrained dark reddish purple or a bright lime with a blue purple are my favorites.

The trim needs to be the color of the brick mortar, and the garage doors need to be wooden, stained a walnut color. Remove the lower shutters, and only then would I choose the paint colors for the remaining shutters and door. Landscaping also needs to be the last thing you do.

Having seen many of these houses ("high ranch") in the 60s, I think the shutters might match the roof. The bottom row of shutters do not belong.

I think roof, shutters and garage door should be all the same color, in your case black is perfect, concentrate on your front door any color would look great (no white trim) nice lights on each side of the door and big planters on each side with flowers matching your door (remove lower shutters) that would look great!

If you like the dark color of the black shutters, I would try a little change up and to with a charcoal gray. Definitely a red door but you could play with varying shades of the reds. Also, match the garage door to the shutters and use more of a cream color on all parts that are white. You need to get rid of the hanging light, too 60's and find a larger sconce type lights on each side of the door and garage. you could use even bigger on the garage. You house is nice but a little tweaking and it will be fabulous. I am sure you are proud of you home. Let's make it shine!

Paint it All -- INCLUDING THE BRICK. Taupe with black trim.

I'm sorry but there's something wrong here, it looks boring, and the black door with the white triming looks terrible! The focal point is the door so it needs a BIG makeover the "WOW" is missing!! this door looks like it doesn't belong there!

Don't know your preferred style, but perhaps the addition of some corbels on each side of the columns would add to the interest in front. And the new landscaping is fine...it just needs some time! Stick a bunch of annuals in between them until they grow up a little. :)

We have started making changes! Basically, we decided to strip things off as the shutters were so old and cracked anyways. We painted the door a bright color. We are debating putting shutters back but in a different color, we plan to beef up the columns and maybe paint the garage door. We like brown and cream tons do considered taupe shutters with come taupe/cream accents around the garage and then a nicer softer white. What do you think?

Landscaping coming!

Does anyone know how much it would cost to do a gable over the front door at the roofline but pulled out from the house (we would move two of the columns out with it?

btw, we are not keeping the pallets there :)

I like the gable idea. A less expensive alternative would be to frame the door with substantial architectural white molding, replace the old shutters with new ones in white if you don't paint the brick. The green door would look nice with white/cream brick. If you don't paint the brick I would still paint the front door red. Paint the brick white/cream, place a beautiful bench centered between the lower windows in white or natural. I would replace the pendant light with an updated larger one.



https://www.houzz.com/photos/porch-bench-phbr0lbl-bl~l_52093

I just put new shutters on my red brick home. I chose an almost royal blue which I love. I previously had a Wedgwood blue which I loved, but needed a change.

This is what they look like on the front of my house

I would love to actually fully remodel like Sun Design remodeled split-level home example. We can go most of the work ourselves after we have the design. Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost - mostly external work as the home inside has been remodeled mostly.

That design would be big bucks because it involves reframing the whole roof as well as adding the porch. Plus it will be very disruptive to your household.

I like your house much better without the shutters and like the bright door and the evergreens in the pots. I really don't think an oversized portico would do anything to improve the curb appeal and would be quite costly. Landscaping would get more bang for your buck, and you can consult with a nursery or a landscape designer to find lower plants or ones with lacier foliage that won't block the windows too much and are easy to care for.

If you google image "split foyer house exterior remodel" the results are interesting and varied. This style of roof is so large with no architectural interest that is competes with any change made on the front of the house. I find your desire to make a major architectural change to be along the right path. There are a lot of considerations especially over-improving a property based on the other homes in the area. Lots of decisions!! Good luck.