There is absolutely nothing wrong with the exterior of this house, in my opinion. If you want to change the color of the door and the shutters then go for it but please don't do anything else. I don't think brick would suit this style or shape of house at all.

Any color ideas with the beige? Would black shutters and a red door be too stark? I want to experiment with colors but I feel like siding color is limiting.

the first things i would change besides color would be to replace the posts and light fixtures with something more substantial and current.
change the front door with skylights to a double door.perhaps a true divided light french door.
not sure what the foundation plantings are but it all needs to be redone to provide a gracious and welcoming approach to the front door. depending on the zone you're in, you could plant encore azaleas to bloom in spring and fall. a perennial garden could also be good.
hang beautiful ferns or overstuffed wire/moss flower baskets dripping with 'spillers' all along the front and side(6 or more)
congrats on your beautiful new home.

Thank you! I've never heard of those doors before but they sound cool and I will look them up :) I agree, flowering plants and foliage is a good idea. Maybes it's the posts, or colors - all I know is when I look at this picture, my face scrunches.

Oh, they're just French doors, haha. Perhaps with a different color trim? I'm worried all white would be too light with everything else.

I like your idea of the black shutters and red door. Maybe not a true black but rather something softer/matte like Benjamin Moore's Baby Seal Black. You may also want to consider a slate colour or grey roof (if you are changing the shingles and then going grey with the shutters (BM Chelsea Grey or Kendall Charcoal) with a black door (again matte like BM Black Berry) or a wood door in a walnutty stain. I would take out the pickets and replace the posts with same size square ones painted the same colour in whatever paint you choose.

Now there are some interesting ideas... I hadn't thought about taking out the one point. That could be a more classic look... I had thought about shake, just in the triangle point, and maybe the area above the garage. The stone would go just halfway up the first half? Or the entire first floor? Standby on the window thing, we haven't actually moved in yet. We're moving halfway across the country here in a couple weeks, I just want to have a plan for it. Gotta love the military life ;)

Now we're talkin. Daniella, could you clarify what you were saying about the porch? Love you color ideas, I'm just not picking up the last part.

Or removing the gamble, brick wouldn't look so bad?

Good point. Any input on the walkway?

I'm dreaming big! Haha, I'll probably start with the least expensive changes and go from there. Shutters? New walkway cant be that bad, right?.... I just think about the impact of a whole new feel for the outside. I'll be so excited to come home!

It's good you're starting with paint. I think a rusty red or hunter green on the shutters would look better than the current blue. But personally I'd remove the shutters entirely, replace the tiny dark brackets at the entrance with larger brackets (painted white to match the porch) and continue them all the way across and around the porch, paint the blue railing white, or if the porch is narrow, get rid of the railing altogether, get some larger light fixtures including for the garage, add more/hanging light fixtures if the railing is removed, ditch the concrete and square planter on the driveway side and put a curvy path of brick (herringbone pattern or such) or etched concrete and carry it all the way down the drive way. While I figured out what kind of plants to add to the new curvy bed by the driveway side of the porch and the already curvy side opposite the driveway ('cause I'm coming from half a country away and need to see what is pretty that grows well locally) I would put some large pots down in the planters, on the front edge of the porch, or in the voids between where the shutters used to be. And of course some nice furniture. (Just a note, I live in Colorado where bugs are not a problem and we live outside a lot). Thank you for your service.

Hi Chris!
A fellow Coloradan! We're excited to be transferring to DC but will miss the Springs greatly. Living up the bug free life now but I think the mosquitos will become quite an issue once we get there. Perhaps we'll buy stock in citronella.
I think you have some awesome ideas for a fairly inexpensive facelift. What a difference a little paint, light fixtures and railing removal could make... I hadn't thought of the herringbone path, I do love those - beautiful and definitely classic. Thanks so much!