I am going to do something different with the post also. Something a little more craftsman style. Should I do a stained one instead of painted??

You're right to tackle the skinny post with something bigger. I would stain the garage doors and the paint the post. The garage door is your home's focal point now and that's not a good look. Stain it to match the shakes you already have. The post is part of your trim so it can match trim. What color will the bit of stone be? Can you put it on the foundation too? How sloped is your lot? You might do a slightly terraced landscape and use the stone again. Depends on whether it if real stone or just facade stone.

I think you need two light sconces on both sides of the garage door and a light fixture at the front door.

After you add the stone and change the post to something bigger (and white). I think you should stop. Then turn your attention to landscaping. Once you have landscaping your house will look completely different, more finished. You should include a nice WIDE walkway to your front door in your landscaping plan and make the step to your porch the same width as the porch. Your house is currently very pretty and will look really lovely and inviting with good landscaping.

Decoenthusiaste, The garage door is steel so that eliminates the stain. The shake is the same color as the siding also. The stone are some different shad of grays and I am thinking about the foundation but once I bring in the 4" of topsoil then there is only going to be about 6" of foundation showing and after the shrubs get put in I am thinking it might be a waste to put the stone on the foundation. We are thinking about a terraced style landscape. It does slope quite a bit and I will take some more pictures when I get home and post.

Jennifer, we have lights in the soffits but do you think we still should add them on each side of the garage door?

Brown Dog, here is a picture of the finished concrete work.

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I don’t think you need additional lighting. Looks good!

Your current lights do the job but don't add anything style-wise. Tackle the bigger jobs first. Landscaping is the major one; you can live with the rest of it for now.

Jennifer, but without the lights on I can see where it does look plain. Maybe for an anniversary present I can buy my wife a couple of these wall mounted gargoyles. She should be thrilled and I will give all the credit to you. lol

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I would recommend painting the front door a different color so that it stands out.
Also paint all that trim (white "outline") same color as siding. Right now it looks like a white box. Just leave facia and door trim white on bottom level.

That is a lot of concrete! What is the slab of concrete on the left for? I would have used that area for some greenery to try to distract the eye from the big garage door area.

Sandybean, the door is a special ordered stained fiberglass door. It is just hard to see in these pictures.

The garage side of the house - gorgeous! However, it swallows the front door. Is there anything you can do on that side to accentuate the entry?

Garage and porch lights.

Well there is lights in the soffits. In one of the pictures above it shows it. Here are a few more pictures I took tonight when I got home.

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The soffit lights are effective, just not the decorative touch most Houzzers expect. What do you do for light on the covered deck?

I recognize that this comment is not helpful, but I will say that many people build or buy houses where the entire front of the house is a garage and then feel like it is missing something. Sorry to say, but your house is missing the entire front. I don't understand why when people are making a new house on lots of land and pouring a driveway, why are these homes not designed to have a front to the house and a drive way and garage around the side or back?

That purple in those flowers would have made a good color for the front door. Besides landscaping, you need color and dimension. It’s all just grey and white. Some wood elements would help.

Add garage lights on either side as already suggested. Not because you need a light to see by, but because the surface is completely flat and grey and needs something THERE. You need a pendant light over your front door.

The cornerboards should be grey as well, as mentioned already.

What is that curved pad for to the left of the garage? Someone asked, you didn’t answer.

Lots ‘o garage to look at. Can’t see the entrance. Need to draw the eye away from the garage.

The walkway is too tight against the side of the house. It looks cramped. Though I don’t know how that can be fixed.

Thanks for all the comments. I will try and answer all of them in this lengthy post. It's a long story on why this design was actually picked but I do agree that if we did it again we would have went with a wider house. The house is actually a dark olive green but in the pictures you can't tell. To help elongate the house there is going to be a vinyl privacy fence coming out 12 feet from the right side of the house and I will be adding some type of tree out from the right corner also. The walkway on the side of the house is actually 12x20. You just don't see it all in the pictures. I have our Jeep that will be parked there. I do think I will add lights on each side of the garage because the soffit lights shine in the front bedroom window so we don't keep them on at night. As for painting the smart trim the same color as the house I will mess around in photo shop to see how that will work. Thanks again for the comments!!

From your ideabook - this is lovely.

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Olive green! Amazing how light and/or screens change a color.

I visited an artist who does intricate seriagraphs (silkscreenings). He showed us some of his works in progress. He pointed out how when he adds the green shades, that's when the pictures come to life -- it was amazing to see! I like your house a lot "as is." But get some landscaping in. It will come to life!

what about a curved walk to drive and paint the door a lighter color to look more inviting

II71, if you mean curved walk from drive to front porch it already is.

Landscaping will be an all summer and into the fall job. Going to cost around $30,000 and just don't have that in my cookie jar at the moment lol.

Sandybean, can you describe a little more in detail what trim you would paint the same color? Thanks!!

Right section of house - two vertical white pieces on both ends and horizontal piece across bottom.

Left side - same vertical pieces and the horizontal pieces that are directly above where stone is going.

Cornerboards and water tables, I believe, are the right terms. Don't know the term for the trim above the stone area.

Yes, to a larger column as others have suggested. A stone base with a watertable would be nice but if you install shrubs around the house it really won't be seen much. Yes, to landscaping btw even if you have to do it yourself. Also, yes to exterior sconces as someone else suggested. Good luck!

I think your house is beautiful ! All you really need is landscaping ..! Go slow and see what all looks like after landscaping ...then you can always paint the front door a different color ..for now enjoy your lovely house and look at HOUZZ landscapes ...and front doors ..etc. have fun ! Your house is just lovely looking .

What a pretty house you've built ! Just landscape THAT IS ALL YOU NEED .! Relax and enjoy . HOUZZ has some great suggestions with landscaping ..around houses and driveways ...enjoy the process and go slow ...and depending on where you are ...it looks as if you have enough land ..how about some fruit trees . I just picked my oranges from my Seville orange tree ...it's so nice ....to have an area for that also ...or vegetable garden ...??.

I would repost this just to get landscaping ideas and photoshopped options. I think that will DRAMATICALLY change the look of the house. I wouldn’t spend any other money (other than making the posts more substantial) and start saving for grass, bushes, flowers and trees. Yes, it can really add up. I ripped out my whole front garden and redoing it is more than I expected. But “do it once, do it right” is very important when dealing with permanent fixtures to a house.
Have you gone to a local garden place and asked about a designer? I had a professional do mine and I’m glad I had her to consult with. Worth every penny.
Your house is lovely.

Thanks again everyone. If it will ever stop raining I can get the stone done. We were driving around today looking at ideas. Now would it look odd if we start doing shrubs and flower beds even though we will not have any grass yet?

I would paint the front door something bright and inviting. in addition I would put large house numbers on house, possibly brushed nickel. finally I would put colorful planters and flowers by front porch.

We are going to leave the front door stained but are looking at options to put on the front porch like a bright colored narrow bench. The address was just thrown up just so I could get our occupancy permit. We have a custom address plaque being made.

I would recommend visiting with a landscape architect or other who can give you a design that you can work to over time. I’ve found we got a good plan and then buy and add to it each year as time and money permits.
Here is an online blog that I read recently might help... https://www.mariakillam.com/best-kept-secret-dramatically-improving-curb-appeal/

I should say we got our plan done at the local Garden Center by drawing all of it ourselves and providing pictures. It cost $50 and then we got that off our first purchase if you are also trying to keep costs down.

It's not a bad idea to get your beds established now and start planting. Just be sure to keep new srubs watered and plant according to recommendations. This is not the best time of year to start grass seed and you might drive yourself crazy trying to get grass started. If it's in the budget, I would recommend sod....instant lawn! You do have to keep it watered well too.

No amount of colour or material change is going to prevent it from looking like a garage with a small room on the side. Mature trees will eventually give some help.

I figured if I get the beds all done then I can layout my sprinkler irrigation and then by the time fall gets here I will have the 200 yards of topsoil in and hydro seed it.

Boomer: getting the beds done, putting in soaker hoses,metic and whatever bushes you can afford is a good start. Ignore the mean comments. Your house is adorable and will be lovely with some green.
Would sod be an option or too expensive? Apparently it is the best way to get an instant lawn this time of year.

Thanks RedRyder. I take a lot of comments here with a grain of salt.

Complete the front steps and add a front walk from the driveway when you decide about the level of the yard.
Add lantern lights at the front door and on both sides of the garage door. Add a house address near the road.
Beef up the front porch post with white wood.
Paint the garage door to match the siding.
Landscaping with zone-specific plants for maximum success....creeping, low, shrubby, tall plants, and trees.
Build a deck to enjoy your best view...accessible from the living room, family room, great room. Your best view does not include the driveway.

Felizlady, the front steps and walk is complete but It might be hard to tell in some of the pictures. We are thinking of adding lights similar to the picture below even though we do already have soffit lights. Garage door will stay white. The deck is right off of our dining room/living room area as seen in the picture below.

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If it’s in your budget and as long as you’re still debating that the front still is lacking something, I’d consider removing the board and batten vertical siding on the house below the window and replace it with the same stone as you’re doing on the garage at the same height as the garage. It’ll break up the siding and add significant interest to the front of the house.

Then, do landscaping (edging, mulch, maybe a accent boulder, add some perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, etc) and some decorative accent landscape lighting all the way around your front sidewalk and across the front of the house and do the back/side. Maybe a focal point larger Japanese Maple or larger shrub or smaller tree at the corner of the sidewalk inside the landscaping area? Add interest to the landscaped area with a fun, curvy shape to it 4 to 6 feet away from the sidewalk/house. I’d use dark brown mulch to tie into your stained front door for cohesive design.

That deck needs to be carried around to the side of the house to give it more depth. For this house landscaping will be Gold!....and a landscape designer is needed to help achieve it.

I like your choice of lighting for the garage. Even though you have the recessed lights, the decorative lights will give the garage some pizzazz.