more photos

I think the house is adorable. After you remove the shrubs, perhaps continue with the crushed stone back towards the garage area, in front of the french doors. This will provide you with a larger outdoor 'courtyard' seating area and camouflage that this may have been a two car garage at one time. Congrats on your new home and enjoy !

Congratulations on your new home! I think the removal of the shrubbery will make your house feel more balanced, and make it easier to see what will work best for you. The chain link fence at the end of your driveway is jarring next to the charming stone wall. Do you need it for some reason? Can you remove it and, if necessary, replace it with something more in keeping with your house and yard? Do you live in an area that gets lots of snow? If so, the front entrance would benefit from some form of covering. In any case, I would remove the shrubs, then live with it for a a full cycle of seasons. Figure out how you will use the space, then make a unified plan for your landscaping and any adjustments to your facade.

Hi! Thank you for answering. We are in New England and indeed get snow. The chain link was there when we bought it and yes needs to be replaced with a driveway gate because we have kids and dogs. We did install am acre of privacy fencing last week for the back of the house. I was thinking of maybe a white picket fence to replace the chain link and a white driveway gate with black hardware? If anyone could kindly attach photos of ideas that would be so helpful. I am not the best at visualizing things. what color should I paint the doors and shudders? how to fix the front steps they are a mess!

Congratulations on your new home! It is a darling place. Yes, I think a white picket fence would fit just fine. I also agree that once you get rid of those bushes, you may be able to get a clearer picture of what you want/need to do.

I actually think, if it fits your budget, that you could build a porch all the way across the front and widen the stairs to the lawn. Your porch columns could provide the symmetry you would like.

If you are keeping the house yellow, a pretty blue or turquoise door would be nice. Not sure what happened to the photo-way too big and distorted. Oh well, this is a great door color.

Well photo won't load. Sorry. Here is a link to similar-5th photo down.

blue door

Just what I was going to suggest. I’d try to do as large a porch as I can. I’d also pull the door out a bit and make a larger doorway. With a gable above it. Possibly add some French doors to the front. Do you want the yellow? Or want a more neutral color? What’s the door next to the garage? New lighting? And yes. New landscape lol.

I LOVE the altered photo you did!!! thank you SO much for this. I have issue visualizing ideas in my head and this has been a huge help

For some reason black or otherwise dark shutters seem to have become standard operating procedure with a lot of the houses shown and asked about on this forum having them. And as with so many of these others I don't think they look good on your house at all. With because the walls are pale and there are two windows placed like eyes on the face of your house the shutters make it look like it got punched in the eyes.

I have some on the house I moved into a few months ago myself, intend to have them removed.

I tend to agree with Embothrium, and prefer light shutters to dark, especially under a porch where there isn't as much light. Here's your house with shutters to match the white trim on the door.

The most dominating white element in that shot is actually the columns.

pds290, could you resize the porch to end where the roof line changes? A small portico (either triangular or curved roof line) above the front door would emphasize the entry and let in a bit more light.

Then I'd landscape with a tree or crape myrtle in front and toward the right, to balance the garage/courtyard on the left.

Coincidentally, I saw a neighborhood yesterday where the builder loved him his five white columns in front of every house, regardless of windows, doors, size, or anything. It looked like all the houses were in jail because there was no other rhyme or reason for the columns to be there.

This one would look better without them also.

The idea of creating a porch out front will completely change the house. [No one will notice the windows that upset you in your original posting.] Remember that adding a porch affects the roof, so are you thinking of doing that as well?

Porches DO cut out the light from that side of the house, but nothing say "Welcome" more than a porch. Ours is very wide across the front of our home and although I'd like more sun coming into the house, we sit out there a lot.

RedRyder-- Thank you for replying! Can you explain to me about the roof? I assumed an overhang of some kind would extend from the original roof as an add on? or does the entire roof need to be redone/replaced 😬

I doubt you need to replace the roof to add a porch or even a small portico, but if the roof needs to be replaced, now is the time to do it. The challenge will be making the new part match the old so consider something completely different like a metal roof. Extended across the porch will look lie it’s always been there.

I would go with overhang or pergola with wooden posts.