Pretty home and yard. Don't, for the life of me, know why they would leave that framing and layout like that.

Don't make an offer on that house. The asymmetry will bug you every time you pull up the driveway. For the rest of your ownership, you'll be trying to find ways to improve the look.

It would look better if the ground floor windows were the same size ..and remove the shutters !

You know, if you removed the second floor center window (or made it smaller and centered it), and then built your front entry addition with the door centered, you could make the awkward asymmetry go away. It won't matter at that point if the two lower level windows are different, as that's often the case on symmetrical houses. There's no rule against having a small window in a closet, too, if centering does not work up there.

Thanks for the thoughts all! This is all super helpful for thinking about what our short/medium/long term priorities would be if we do buy this house.

I wouldn't try to make an asymmetrical house symmetrical. Work for balance instead. Taking houssaon's idea...

What on earth was that builder thinking? That would drive me nuts too. You will never make this house symmetrical if you can't change the windows. I agree with groveraxle, try to balance it out. Looks like you may have a bit of space in your front yard, could you perhaps do a future addition with maybe a ten foot bumpout on half of the house? That way you could change the front to whatever you want.

No shutters and with bay window....

No bay windows and remove the shutters. More and better landscaping is what is needed a larger front porch that runs the width of the left side would help a lot

You might even consider carrying the porch beyond the end of the house with steps down the back side for access to the patio.

If you don't need the center window upstairs, remove it. Then you have to do something with the siding, though. Taking the shutters off does provide relief. I like that porch suggested above.

Wow, the porch idea is great! We hadn’t even considered that. The front yard is large with a nice view, so it would be lovely to sit on as well.

Is this REALLY the only house you are interested in purchasing? I still say pass it on by. I lived in an asymmetrical/unbalanced house which at the time of purchase, did not bother me. I spent the next 25 years, & tens of thousand of dollars, trying to improve just the exterior appearance...new windows, porch, landscaping, dormers....you name it. I think my changes improved the look of but at what cost? I noticed your land grading is even asymmetrical, sloping to the right. I had the same issue which I thought just added to the imbalance. While I think you can improve the appeal & perhaps even enjoy the process, you can potentially be involved with one project after another after another & still pull into your driveway & sigh...in exasperation.

I appreciate the comments about rethinking our offer. We’re looking in an extremely competitive market, and there is VERY little inventory in our price range and desired location. This particular house has everything we’re looking for, and we love the interior, the lot, the location, etc.

The point about the yard sloping is a good one. We would definitely be doing more planting and less sod, so that does present another opportunity to address the off-balance look.

Asymmetry isn't a bad thing it's just different and takes intentionality to create balance. First, I would be mindful where you place things. For instance, hang the flag on the left of the porch and put the large potted plant on the left, not the right. Also, add pavers to the left side of the porch and not just the right. Add plants with more weight to the left side of the home.

**I understand that those items might not be yours but just some things that are adding to it and can easily be remedied for when you settle in.

It's a gorgeous home that needs a few tweaks to correct the balance.

majorcat...I feel your pain. I was in the same position (location, price range) plus I too loved the land, school system, etc. My husband & I knew something of construction which helps in terms of ideas & labor costs. I even enjoyed the thought of "remodeling" as a creative challenge. I'm just giving you a friendly warning as I have been there & eventually found the process to be more work than I could bear. Everything is more expensive than you think, takes longer to execute then you think & often opens up a can of worms...plus the mental torment of decisions, decisions & more decisions all while working full time & raising children. Perhaps I was just a person trying to seek perfection as opposed to embracing the quirkiness of it all. But sometimes, it's just better to admit a house has fatal flaws & you have dodged a bullet by purchasing elsewhere. It may help to seek professional assistance in determining how you want the exterior to look so you have a master plan to follow as time & money allows. I ended up moving after 25 years to brand new construction. When I do pass my old house I can't help but think, "those poor slobs, so glad I'm out of there". Post pics as you move along. I think we would all like to see how your ideas come to fruition.

I've looked at some curb appeal posts on garden web and am astonished at some of the horrible architecture and wondered why anyone would buy these houses in the first place (mansard roof bi-level is the best example). My first instinct is to say "gasoline and a match" for most of them, since there is nothing beside tearing it down and starting over that will ever make any of those homes attractive from the outside. This one is not the worst, but I get that it could cost a fortune to move all those windows to where they should be to change the exterior from silly-looking to attractive. I think samondragon's warning about how, down the road, it has the potential to always irk you, is sound advice. That being said, if the good outweighs the bad for you, then go for it.

There's nothing wrong with asymmetry. IMO it makes for a more interesting facade than total symmetry. If you lose the shutters, modify the front porch in some form as others have suggested, and add landscaping it will greatly improve the look.

take the shutters off and add a pergola to left of front porch...vines/etc. Embarking on widening porch, structurally.....is a lot to undertake. Will you sit there to make it worthwhile? there is seating off to the side it appears. You want to fill in the gap somewhat to left of existing front porch, so I'd do a garden structure....maybe extend the concrete part of the front walk around to that side..[or brick it] put pots/fun garden décor/etc.. Then move in and do all your stuff and evaluate for the bay window/ etc. the issue doesn't seem that serious to tear out windows...but if you want the windows for other reasons....well then.....good luck