That place would look awesome with some stone veneer and rich colored CertainTeed Cedar Impressions siding. Keep nice, wide, detailed trim around the openings and change the fascia boards to 1x10.

What do most people in your area for your price point of home decide? I would go with what everyone else is doing. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and I don't think either product a clear choice. Now, if your house is built Ina neighborhood where the houses are extremely close together, I might lean towards the hardiplank, simply because if the house next door goes up in flames vinyl will melt right off and your house is more likely to ignite. I'm not sure that this is the case with your insulated vinyl though... Definitely less maintenance with the vinyl, but easier to damage, although the vinyl on our new house has a 50 year/lifetime fade guarantee on it, and also a hail guarantee on it, so I think the stuff has improved. Of course on the other hand you can paint your hardiplank to change up the color, although I recently read about paint for vinyl siding? See, no clear cut answer...

It feels like the porch ceiling is being squashed by the building above. We either have to accentuate the main floor height or minimize the 2nd floor height, or both. I suggest having a pair of gables over the front porch, perhaps having the larger roof part, centering the roof over the porch, with another gable nested inside that centered over the steps. Stopping with the peak of the larger gable about 4"-6" below the upstairs window sill. Put a frieze board, 6" to 8" high, above the porch ceiling level, then the roof overhang. Change the direction of the siding within this gable to vertical. Continue this eave roof and frieze board on the left over the big window, matching the existing eave overhang from the roof above. This would make the 2nd floor look like the 2nd floor pokes thru a bungalow roof. like a dormer. You could continue the same idea down the left side of the house, as well as the right side as far as the porch. You could even have exposed rafter tails, albeit fake ones, spaced 24"c.c. Remove and replace the corner support with a turned column, Keep all your lower floor columns larger than the upstairs columns. We are trying to bring the eye of the viewer down, minimizing the 2nd floor. Put about 10" diameter 1/2 columns where the porch meets the walls, then 2 full columns, 1 at the corner and the other beside the stair, creating a "public access" and having the rest of the porch room for a chair or so. A short railing between the 2 columns, and from the corner back to the house will provide a little privacy. hope your front screen doors are right-hand hinge.... Above this roof provide a pair of 1/2 columns, 8" diameter or so, above the 1/2 columns of the porch below, and a 3/4 corner post, giving the impression that the 2nd story porch has been enclosed. A change of siding material here, like a shake look would work here. Doing this will remove the big blank space between the 2nd story windows and the porch ceiling below. I agree with planting something low and thick hiding the block foundation, topping but in height with the top of the porch....do so in front of the porch also Upstairs windows, try planted window boxes, something to bring the windows closer to the lower floor. If you do this, then ensure the new porch gable brings this into consideration.

Hello @Denita, Thank you for the link to your blog. The green shutters that were removed were over-sized and not functional looking. The new white shutters we installed were sized to the window opening, not the trim. They do give the appearance that they can operate from the street. We do not drill into the aluminum trim around the window to keep the penetrations that the elements can sneak their way into to a minimum. Thank you for linking your blog so everyone can read about proper shutter installation. We do not offer landscaping services so the homeowner would be the one to refer to on that one.... but I think he likes his new less is more approach since it was vastly overgrown before. .