Definitely remove the shutters. They are way too small for the windows.

Cut the left side of the hedge so that it no longer hides the front door.

agree about a nice charcoal gray roof. you'll be able to do just about any color combo you like.

I did the bottom three on my home. but you could also do the navy instead of the dark gray

the dark gray w/white trim, and yellow door would also be pretty.

I'd also paint the doors and do a matte black door hardware.

get diff house numbers (put them vertically) and a new porch light. those shouldn't cost much.

the type of shutters/trim you have date the home. are you redoing the windows? white siding, no shutters, and updated black windows.

If not, perhaps bring in regular shutters (or none) and do some cedar window boxes instead

see these shutters? and the box? these are easy to make

technically, shutters should fit the window if you're going to have them. they should be able to completely close over the glass. the window you have on the left is too big for those shutters. (since if closed, it would not cover the glass). try removing them and paint the home. see how it looks. add the flower box like shown above and see if it changes the look.

I'd also take out that box hedge. it does nothing for your landscape

Paint your front door an accent color that isn't dark so it comes out of the shadows.

When you paint your garage door, have it blend into the siding so it isn't so prominent. It pops out now because it looks like it is unpainted. Some people like their garage door to pop out, most don't.

Any of the colors schemes that Beth or Nelly posted would look very nice for your home.

I agree that the shutters on the left window aren't appropriate and if you upgrade your landscaping to something more modern, you won't need the shutters to add color. Limb up the tree on the left too :)

The one below uses dark blue for the front door and shutters, but the front door is surrounded by white so there is enough contrast for the door. The walkway really helps define the entryway too.

Trimmed to Perfection · More Info

I'd get rid of the shutters. They really belong with double hung paned windows on colonial, cape cod, farmhouse type houses -- not so much on ranchers with modern hinged or slider windows.

You said you would remove the landscaping -- does that include the hedge to the right of the front door? Once that is gone, would you have room to add a small patio where you could place a small bench or a cafe table and two chairs? (Like one of the after photos Nelly posted, a white house)

There is a bit of a roof overhang there, not a porch really, but suggesting it with some furniture could be fun, and who knows, you might enjoy sitting out there on a summer evening, watching the world go by, meeting the neighbors, etc.

Taking out over grown shrubs is hard DIY but well worth it. I would take out all the shrubs in front of porch and by garage door. Replace them a low growing border of perennial and bulbs to provide year round color and fragrance. Some herbs like creeping thyme will make an evergreen ground cover. Bulbs like daffodils can pop up through it for spring blooms and a few mums can add fall flowers. Once planted they will come back every year and you can add a few annuals like Alyssum, pansies and zinnia to fill in until the perennials mature. Under the large window keep the shrubs low growing for less hedge trimming. Ask at a nursery to find easy care shrubs. Something flowering could add color.

Add some plants and boulders that fit the area.

We have removed the shrubs.

We weren’t fans of the shutters, so we plan to get them removed. Is the window trim fine?

The windows are new and will not be replaced.

We were thinking of painting the house BM Hale Navy with white trim or black trim with a black roof? Maybe a natural wood front door (if we can replace). We haven’t gotten quotes about repainting the whole house yet so if it’s beyond our budget, we may just repaint the door and trim. In that case, white walls with black trim? Accent door?

Some inspiration

Black roofs have baggage!! What climate do you live in? Will part of your budget go for air conditioning in the summer months? A black roof will soak up alot of solar energy, increasing the costs for cooling, depending on where you live.

A very big deal if you are in, say, South Carolina, not so much if you are in Montana!

https://www.greenhomeguide.com/know-how/article/three-ways-to-make-your-roof-more-energy-efficient

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/design/energy-efficient-home-design/cool-roofs

We have to use cool roof material. According to the roofers, the energy efficiency is almost the same regardless of the color as long as the material meets the cool roof requirements.

@Celery. Visualization, Rendering images Thank You for the mock ups! The blue doesn’t look that great, perhaps more of a navy? I do like the look of a matching wood door and garage door, but replacing the garage door is out of our budget.

We bought the house as it looks in the photo, so we are with you on not being fans of the blue trim. It’s difficult to see in the picture, but there is a trim Around the windows that is painted blue, and then the Shutters on the sides, and then three post stump things sticking out on the bottom. If we can, we’d like to remove the shutters and those post things, but not if it will damage the siding. We’ve been told if we damage It, then we would have to replace the siding across the front of the home. So minor updates it is!

We have to replace the roof, gutter (across the front, painted blue), downspouts (currently white). We can’t replace the front door and garage. if we can take off the shutters and posts, we will, but it might not happen.

If we keep the window trim the way it is and don’t paint the siding, is the best budget look to embrace the modern farmhouse and just go black trim, black or charcoal roof, black gutters and downspouts? paint the door an accent color? paint the garage door white, black, or accent? We are for sure removing the tiny house numbers and going with large modern ones.

New landscaping and a sidewalk from your front door straight to the sidewalk would help give your more curve appeal. I’d keep the tree on the left and get rid of the rest.

Keeping most of your landscape would be budget-friendly. Trim the hedges less rigidly or allow them to grow more freely after each trimming. If you have empty spots, add a few flowering shrubs (azalea or rhododendron) and a few bulbs here and there for Spring color. You could add a low planting area around the base of the tree and fill it with bulbs and annuals.

Is the garage door wood or vinyl? If the vinyl has never been painted, there is some utililty/economy is leaving it as is, along with the siding on the house, which I assume doesn't need painting from a functional standpoint. Will you just paint the blue trim around the windows or also the white framing around the panes? Again, if the white area has never been painted, it's probably practical to leave it as it is. I'd probably paint the blue trim a soft gray, somewhere in tone between the dark gray roof and the siding color, and then a welcoming red or a fun blue for the front doors. I'd paint those three posts under the big window the same color as the siding and use them to support a rustic wood planter box, something like to the ones in Beth's photos.

Having once chosen a black roof,on a house much like yours, I'd recommend a gray roof. Many products these days have multi toned granules, so you could do one that is gray shades plus black. My black roof kind of overpowered the house, and I wasn't too darn happy I'd made that choice. The white house with black trim that Nelly posted above seems like it would be the most economical to mimic. If you're getting new downspouts, I see no good reason to paint those the trim color (black). It's better that they just fade into the background with the house color rather than being emphasized. If you notice the bits of hardware on the garage door in Nelly's photo, that's an easy way to dress your garage door. I would get a new light fixture by the front door, and the numbers as mentioned before. Love the double doors. I'd actually paint those black if they aren't already. Find a fun piece of brightly colored iron art to put in the area where the hedges were removed. Ditto others' advice on planting colorful perennials and annuals in that area.

Landscaping: Would probably move the tall shrub beside the garage door and the uneven bushes under the left window. Keep the well trimmed hedge in front of the porch. Then focus on getting the lawn healthy.

Really like your doors.

Would paint all the siding a true white.

Would paint all that is light blue (fascia, shutters) black -- except for the trim beneath the window and around the garage ... paint them white, too.

Now that you have removed the shrubs, can you take more photos so we can see what the house looks like, and see any plants that are remaining? Closer photos of the planting area please, and different angles.

I have had window boxes and do not recommend them. It ends up being quite expensive to constantly re-fill them with fresh plant materials. You'll spend a lot of time watering them, and the water can easily damage the wall below.

What area do you live in e.g. what is your closest major city?

Downspouts should always be painted the same color as the house. I would not accent the garage door in any way. A home looks more welcoming when the eye is drawn to the front door, not the garage. So "paint out" the garage door the same color as the house, without contrasting trims. Paint the front door any contrasting color that you like.

Karenmo,,,. they have a gel material that goes underneath the roof tile (used for dark roofs)(I believe it's from Boral ) it actually makes the underside of the roof cooler. Just because you live in a hot climate doesn't mean you can't have a charcoal or black roof! I used it on my new roof.

egoninja,, I just had my roof done and picked the very dark charcoal (almost black) cement tiles. they are from Eagle roofing, Capri-Slate Charcoal color. Once they are up on the roof I can assure you they look way lighter! I was so surprised.

I believe these are the ones I got

and pretty much how they look. not the least bit dark and overpowering. This is the side of the house. (taken while standing in my neighbors yard!) from the front, you can barely see them because of the roofline.

in my first comment I posted the colors I used on my home.

these are others from Eagle

and Boral

Since I do not care for shrubs, I would remove them and plant something that you and your family really like! We have slowly been adding to our gardens since we started them in 2016 to keep the expense down. I have color and flowers that I love along with Hostas and burning bushes. I have plants that flower in the Spring, Summer, and Fall so that we have color most of the year!