Well the shutters don’t belong on those windows the rest of the stuff is okay. What you really need is some landscaping this is just blah and the 2 planters do not work with the house style.I never understand why people have no walkway from the street since that is where guests usually come so start with that idea, A new front door with some glass would be nice an awning over the door for rain protection , a wider stoop a wood garage door with front door to match color, paint the siding a nice sage green and do not paint the brick

I actually really like the direction you are going in - the shudders work very nicely and I'd stay with the white trim and white windows - it brightens the look. I wouldn't paint the garage door the same color as the door - it's NOT your feature point on the house. It would appear as though you already HAVE an awning over the door but I like the additional molding detail you've added.

Hope you post the finished look when you're done....

I would widen the steps and go modern.

I'd ditch the shutters altogether. They look pretty small.

Patricia: No, most people do not come from the street. Guests park in the driveway. Homeowners do not want to add a strip of concrete through their front lawn when they already have a large concrete driveway using that real estate. Unless the house is very close to the sidewalk (if there is one), we all use the driveway to park. So far, in CT, NY, and FL. Maybe a regional thing?

Take the grilles out of the garage door windows so they're just rectangles.

I would go more contemporary than traditional with this house. The existing architecture leans contemporary so keep going in that direction. I like all celerygirl's examples. Perhaps bump up the landscaping as well. Not enough can be said for a well-landscaped front facade.

Do board and batten siding instead of horizontal. The house is squat enough in appearance.

Upgrade the windows and 86 the shutters.

Agree with Beverly regarding the board and batten. Definitely no shutters in this case.

I like the colors in your photoshopped pic. Be sure to paint any downspouts the same color as the siding.

Throw some real money at it and give the front a face lift.

I agree as well with board and batten siding. Be sure to use the correct paint for the brick, like Romabio. Regular house paint will peel and will eventually deteriorate the brick. I like your choice of door color as well! I agree with removing the grilles from your garage window to update the look. No shutters-use wider trim instead. I like the grill choice you have made for the windows. Keep the corner boards on the siding the same color as the siding and don't forget to paint your downspouts to match the siding! Please keep us updated with progress and pics of the finished project!

Thank you all so much! I like all your ideas especially @Celery. Visualization, Rendering images's modern twist.... But nothing is modern in this neighborhood so the house would really stick out... Maybe that is ok though...? @BeverlyFLADeziner, I thought the vertical lines of board and batten would not mesh well with the horizontal lines of the brick or the house in general... But you think that is ok??

IMO, slider windows do take a home forward toward a more modern look. Check out other homes in your neighborhood that have them and see if they're updated to a contemporary style. I like charcoal gray and cedar combinations. The brick can be changed to a totally new look with Romabio.

I know you asked Beverly but because the brick comes up so high on the house, the board and batten will help it appear taller.

I like celerygirl‘s mock ups, I think that style fits better with your house than the Craftsman-ish effect you were going for.

Would not paint the brick. If that brick is only in the front, you should seriously consider removing it and putting the same siding on the entire home - saving your brick for your new patio and/or to outline your sidewalk and/or driveway.

The first "after" porch pic posted by gwc1973 would be something to aspire to for your home.

IF you do paint the brick, make sure it is well cleaned first and paint it the same color as the siding and, perhaps, the garage door. as well. Only keep your garage door white if your siding color is light.

You really do need a front porch.

Looks great Designer!

Some of these ideas would seem to be blowing up your budget. Stay with what you designed. It probably goes well with the neighborhood and will help with resale. You don't want to put in so much money that it becomes the most expensive house on what probably is a modest neighborhood.

Come back with your revised picture and ask for landscaping advice. That is where you really want input.

Definitely yes on vertical siding, no on shutters.

The first picture with the brick and siding the same color makes your house look less like a ranch and more like a modular/mobile home. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I’m not sure that’s the look you’re going for.

Much improved landscape with vertical features will do more for your house than you think.

Kellie you did a great job and kept it to a low budget and jobs you could handle yourself. I really like how you picked up the window detail from the garage door and expanded it to the detail above front door. Ties it together. I love the splash of color you added to the front door. Great color choice. I really like the replacement window design you chose. I would leave the shutters off at first and then see if you need them. And the white on the spouting should stay white or the accent grey. It shouldn’t match the color it is against on the house. This is an accent, and I like it white. A wider front porch would be nice, if you could keep that in the plans for the future. I’m guessing you were focusing first on the house. That’s the design you need in place first before you can tackle the next thing. I would stay with your design but now play with landscape ideas. That will harmonize your house to the land. A curving front walk would be a welcoming addition, giving you a great starting place for bushes or flower beds. In place of a larger front porch, you could add a brick patio pad to the landscape for two chairs and a table. It would be expanding your front porch on different levels. Affordable and something you can do yourself. Keep going. Your are making great choices.

I think the small peaked roof as it is, is a little underwhelming. Perhaps extending it forward would create a stronger statement as well as shelter from weather. Alternatively, removing it altogether would give a clean roofline look. House and garage doors might also tie together better if the styles were more in keeping with each other. Good luck how ever you decide to go.

One thing I've never understood is why people like the garage door to stand out, painting it to stand out as a separate - look at this! - entity. That honor should be saved for the front entrance. Paint garage door same as siding. Same goes for downspouts: Why call attention to them by painting as "trim"? Think about that for just a second; a utilitarian add-on, featured as a focal point?

Remove shutters that are obviously fake. Improve landscaping.

Fwiw, I do not like celerygirl's mockups; they all draw attention to the garage [of all things] rather than to a welcoming entrance to the house. Actually, your simple craftsman header on the entry gable works pretty well. Attention should be drawn to the entrance.

Have you considered a color for the siding that goes with the current brick? Just asking, as not having to paint the brick will save time and money - now and later. Drive around and look at houses where brick is used with another color [maybe green?] and see if there's a color combo you like.

Regarding garage doors, my guess is some people don't realize the color they chose makes it stand out. I see so many white "walls" of garage doors around here. My guess is people think it should match their white trim, or a white garage is just what you do. They're not thinking about pulling focus to the entry area. Years ago a friend of mine really resisted when her painter explained why her garage door color should match her siding color. She and I both thought it sounded strange. She let him do it and the result was amazing. No more big white wall with a house attached to it.

I think that the brick should be painted for two reasons...it looks dated and it is a different height on each side of the door. Painting the house all the same color makes it look bigger. You might try photoshopping the garage door the same gray color to see how that would look. That would also increase the visual size but may make it look too long and low. Isn’t it great that options can be tried out ahead of time! I really like Arachnib’s landscaping ideas. That said, I love what you’ve done so far. Have fun with your project!

Add some color, even if it's just the front door. Use it also on the shutters if you decide to keep them. Maybe the garage too. Stand out from the grey crowd...

I feel by matching the brick to the siding, you are opening up the front of the house. The original two tones cut the house in half horizontally, making two very long different colored, not relating, rectangles across the face of the house. By matching the top to the bottom you create a harmony between the two spaces. Makes the house look taller. So with this in mind, play with it in PS and see what the two halves would look like in a color that matched the original brick color. I am a fan of a willow green with brownish red bricks. Craftsman/Arts and Craft style. It’s a warm feeling. The feeling I get from the grey is a happy, bursting out feeling. Just depends what you would like your house to say about you.

I do not see major issues with what you have, except for the lack of landscaping tying the house to the yard. Maybe a courtyard in front, maybe a pergola, but that is more major.

I do see issues with the suggested colors. The eye goes directly to the white garage doro, then to the trim over the front porch, not to the whole style of the house. The whole should flow and flow into the yard, seamlessly. We have a 70s u-shape, with an Eicher like courtyard. The first ting we did was chage the color of the white garage door to create continuity. After years, I told my husband I would not stand a white gable in the front, the first and only thing that drew the eye. He finally agreed, and we made it blen mroe with the whole house. A deck added to the side, tied the house, on a rolling lot, to the ground, making look more as if it were naturally growing there. Look at photos of midcentury homes and see how much the landscape can is a factor making the house seem to be at home on the lot.

I love both of celerygirl's first two mockups. the gray one w/black windows and not shutters, and the more modern one w/the wood.

I'd do more w/the landscaping instead of using those shrubs, but the way she did the house is perfect.

And the fact that no other house on the block looks like yours is perfect! for years I was the only house in my neighborhood w/bold colors. every single house was beige, tan or white. felt like I was living in a black and white movie! You want different. You want people to look at your house and go, 'wow'.

once you get the house painted and done, then work on the 'accessories' in the yard

this is what a flowerbed should look like

adding interest w/a pergola and some concrete levels/steps

the wood slat fencing w/bright green foliage, black pebble grout, succulents, boulders (whatever fits your climate) make a huge diff in overall look

I also have a 70s ranch, and I like what you want to do. I think painting brick is usually a bad idea, but in your case painting it to match the house makes the unevenness less noticeable. I replaced my windows with crank open ones. I like the new color for the door, but get rid of the shutters; they are too small anyway. Paint the downspouts to blend in, not stand out as trim. Then focus on landscaping between the door and the garage and maybe a curved sidewalk from the driveway to the house, since people don't usually walk like soldiers.

The Grey mock-up definitely conveys a mobile home look. Extending that little roof outward for a generous overhang, adding a front patio area with a low wall to mimic the brick facade and leaving the sidewalk where it was, would help. The front foyer is probably very dark-flanking sidelights would make the front door more of a gracious statement And illuminate the interior too. And then, landscaping, please..

Ok I also disagree with needing a walkway from the street. Although, a windy little landscaped walkway would look great. It would be an invitation to the home rather than an invitation to the garage as the drive does. The shutters look just fine as does the paint. Creating an overhang at the front door would be an attractive and useful addition too. All in all the house looks nice and neat and people do what they can afford to spruce up. If nothing else more landscaping, which isn't expensive, would give this home much more personality.

I would Not worry about changing the look of your house compared to the rest on the block.

If your changes are tasteful, so much the better to be different.

Have you considered extending the gable to create a covered entry? Would change the entire look. Maybe stone columns with timber posts matching the gable design you offered. One could match that simple detail around the garage opening as a trellis.

Would definitely consider bat and board siding as many have suggested. Again, will change the entire character of the house, but would be a better look sans the brick.

You can use treated 1 x 8s and 1 x 4s, or T-111 and 1 x 4s. A bonus here is you can seal it with stain which is must easier maintenance than paint.

Grey has been so over used. Grey is the trend at the moment. I would try to pick something that will not date so much.

I like your photoshopped version, minus the shutters. I would really find out if you could get rid of the brick, and go with Hardy board siding. I think horizontal siding is fine, head toward a modern look, like cerlerygirl's suggestions. The garage door needs to be updated, those corners on top date the house. I would also keep in mind the landscaping you plan for the future (unlike others I read that was your plan) so it all blends together.

i like your idea except id go a bit darker for shutters and stone

This is a drive by shooting in Columbus, Ohio. Looks like the house was from the same era as yours.

Everybody has an opinion, which you asked for, but you have to do what is best for you in your neighborhood. If you are replacing the siding and thinking about doing all the work of painting brick, maybe you should just remove some of that brick altogether. If you leave some of it, have it be lower and even across...maybe 1/3 of the height of the walls instead of half. Keep the excess brick for edging or patio like someone else suggested. I liked the trim-work you added. Definitely do not paint the garage door the same as the front. Keep it in the lighter tone of your siding color choice. This way the front door is a focal point. Do not replace the garage door if it is not needed. There's no reason to add the expense ($1700 or more). I would use the existing shrubs as background to a much larger planted area. Allow budget for mulching that planting bed and, for what it's worth, consider using rubber bark mulch. It definitely is more expensive, but it is worth it in the long run if you're planning on living there. Rubber bark does not attract termites or roaches, it doesn't fade, it doesn't disintegrate, and it doesn't blow away so it doesn't need to be replaced every 2 years like bark mulch. It keeps tires out of the landfill! Anyway, updating is a great idea, but keep in mind why you are choosing to do so. If you are going to live there, spend what you want. If you are updating to sell, keep your budget as low as possible because you won't recoup much of it and expenses can only be subtracted from profits on the house. If you're losing money on the house then not even the realtor fees are deductible. Best of luck with your project!