As much as I love big old trees I would remove that one it is oppresive looking with that house and all I can think of is that falling on the roof in a big wind storm. I likke the black framed windows but really dislike the look of the shutters from outside it makes the windows look like secutity bars which IMO will never be agood omen when looking for a house. The porch door makes the place look like a cottage not sure that would be upscale. I would also remove the over growth that is in front of the other windows . That rag tag awning has to be replaced for sure.Is that porch the front entry to the house? The siding looks to be in good shape and I like white houses. If you want help with the inside you will need to post pics of it in this same post , just add them in a comment.

First thing to go if I owned that house would be the oak tree. I can’t think of another tree which makes more of a mess.

Turn the porch into a 4 season room.

For inspiration, check out the additional photos of this house:

I too fear that 1 day that huge oak branch will topple upon the roof. I have the tree inspected every other year and trimmed but to remove it would be cost prohibitive. I just contracted to remove tall camellias at center window. And yes, the front entry is inside the screened porch. Awnings or some type of covering are needed to prevent wood rot. I plan to repaint the house and replace awnings with new style. Thank you for your suggertions!

White house, black trim....always a classic.But why is the trim on the middle window not also black? Keep the camilla and clear out all else along the front foundation of your house.

Refer to local garden centers or your state arboretum for advice on a good ground cover for your

lawn. Live oaks are beautiful and long lived. Continue to keep it in good shape. Clean your cement path or replace it with something more attractive.

White house, black trim is the trendy thing in my neighborhood. Gray exteriors and interiors are past their peak.

The areas that need most attention are the improving screen porch appearance and cleaning up the landscaping. Trim the camellias way back, don't remove them. Add a light near the porch and put up big illuminated house numbers. Drive up to the place at night and see what additional lighting you need to feel safe parking in the carport.

For a young professional family, I'd include a bi-weekly gardener in the rent. Compare the cost of a bi-weekly gardener with the cost of move-out landscape cleanup. If you want the foundation plantings to look crisp and well cared for, add a concrete or other substantial edging.

Please show an update or "in progress" photo when you are ready.

I think the best color would be the white.

You can go with darker gray

Or even darker with blue

Love that marine blue @celerygirl posted! I might also take a look at the Historic color palettes of Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. A dark sage green might also be beautiful, with a deep burgundy for the window trim. Would be lovely in that setting with all the trees.

But as long as you're spending money on paint, I'd also consider re-landscaping. Keep the oak tree, but also put in some raised flower beds and invest in a new walkway with plantings along either side.

As for landscape, I have variegated ginger under a huge oak, different colorful croutons .

Our neighborhood is full of beautiful very old California Live Oaks. It might depend on the type of oak or location, but an arborist told us to keep the area around the base of our trees more open with no plantings to help prevent mold/fungus in the trees.

What geographical area, roughly?

The oak tree looks very old and some neighborhoods (or towns) have restrictions on cutting down “champion trees”. That is what they are called where I live. I agree with others on just trimming back the camellias and keeping them unless they are interfering with the foundation.

I think I see you have vents in your foundation for the crawl space so maybe the other foundation plants can be kept to a minimum. Just fresh mulch with perhaps some colorful smaller plants.

I like crisp white with black trim for a house this size. A fresh new awning, since you need one, could add some style. It looks like a charming house to me ~ have fun!

Sea blue! :)

I like the green above by CeleryGirl, but you could do just about anything but gray. Although if you keep the oak tree, the lighter the color of your house, the better.

It looks like you don't have gutters and leaders, which might be why you have problems with rotting wood and moss growing on the base of the siding.

Deborah, this happened to one of our oaks due to fungus not long after we moved in. Actually, it was part of the tree and fell on our neighbor's driveway. Fortunately, it didn't cause any real damage.

Yes...keep it trimmed up. That's quite a tree for surviving the hurricane! They're so beautiful but require some upkeep. We have tree crews in our neighborhood all the time. Actually, after that part of our tree fell we had a really nice view of one of our neighbor's gorgeous oaks. That made it a bit easier to deal with.

The oak may help keep the house cool. Keep it pruned and fed. You'll see signs of deterioration before it causes damage. There are a number of ground covers that'll eliminate the need to mow. - pachysandra, ivy. They'll need watering until established. The squirrels will keep sprouts to a munimim. Otherwise, keep sproust cut back. They'll die off without chlorophyl. Birds sound nicer than street noise.

Before you decide on anything paint wise.

1. prune that oak tree

2. remove all those shrubs

3. address if you need that screened porch can you take off the little over hang that looks decayed? Could you add a new porch to the back and open the one up in the front?

4. power wash the entire house

I love white and black, but, like gray it is getting over done already.

I think darker gray blue, sage green or a lighter gray would be nice. A new porch or extended would be cool and re do all landscape.

You have old, original asbestos siding on that house. It's okay as long as it's solid, but you do not want to paint it white or any other very light color.

Why? Because light colors will make the wavy shadow line of the bottoms of the tiles stand out--announcing to everyone that it's an old house with 70-year-old siding. People suggesting white aren't considering the existing siding. Ancient asbestos tiles are neither trendy nor hot.

If you want to blend in with the upscaling neighborhood use a medium to darker tone and camouflage large expanses with well-placed shrubbery and ornamental trees.

Or re-side the house.

Sage green and soft white sound wonderful!

This sounds lovely.

Love that you are keeping the big tree! I also think the sage green with soft white trIm sounds very attractive. Looking forward to seeing the results!

I think the pines are making a bigger mess than the oak.

The painting of the interior rooms will start tomorrow. This is how they look now. Check out the original 1954 tile in the bathroom

Following. Can't wait to see the progress! Those are cool tiles in the bathroom! The cracked floor and vanity looks scary to me though. Not a hard DIY to re tile! I'd lighten the walls in all the rooms too.