I don't think it is unattractive as it is. Maybe freshen up the landscaping a bit. I am afraid most anything else would look forced and kind of like poor color choice lipstick.

Do you think this looks too bad ? I think tje house itself needs some updating

@kandrewspa what ideas would you have for landscaping ? I thought this looked pretty good 🤦🏻‍♀️ I dont like alot going on in the landscape , just pretty and simple .

I have wondered if the garage doors would look better painted a different color or just new ones . They are in great shape and worry about paint chipping off if i would paint them

I would remove the shutters and beef up the trim around the windows and if at all possible paint the siding and garage a darker color from the brick A new front door in a style that suits the house and then landscaping .

If you want to improve your landscaping, go to a real garden store (not a big box store) and ask them for a consultation to create a plan. Then you can do the work if you want to, or you can have them do the work. If it's too expensive to do all at once, do it in sections, but you don't have a big area out front. I don't know what your climate is, but it looks like you have very healthy grass, so hopefully you are in a climate where you will be able to grow a variety of things. If you don't want to do a lot of maintenance, tell the person who does the design this. Here are some pictures of houses with nice landscaping. Notice how there are multiple levels of plantings in the first one. The second one has a very attractive walkway. Your front lawn is big enough you might want to have a planting area somewhere in your front yard to break up the expanse of grass.

French Country - Exterior · More Info

Colonial Revival · More Info

Those pictures are beautiful . Ive always wished i had a walkway to the front door .

@Patricia Colwell Consulting what style front door would better suit the house ? Maybe something with square windows not the oval ? unfortunatley , painting the house is not an option rn

I've had this one in mind . Would it look better ?

You are right to be concerned about painting the garage doors. If done incorrectly it will peel in no time. The people who bought our previous house painted the garage door and when my husband was over there less than two years later it was peeling. I doubt they did it themselves, so this was probably a "professional" job. However, any surface can be painted successfully with proper preparation. You can't just put regular house paint on a fiberglass door without the right kind of primer. So engage a professional painter who knows what they're doing, or for DIY, consult your paint store for advice and do some online research. If you know who the manufacturer of your doors is, ask them.

For the front door, yes, something with rectangular windows instead of oval, colonial style.

thanks ! The door pic wont post right now

As far as the front steps and porch, yes you can DIY. We researched staining concrete and it works. Unless it's been painted or sealed, de-grease the concrete and rinse and let dry. Get a handheld garden pump sprayer. Fill it with concrete stain and spray away! The result will look varied so don't spray back in forth in rows but randomly until you get the effect and depth of color you want. We did our front porch/steps in a rusty/brown color and it looks great. It's permanent.

You could paint the siding white to match the garage doors (if you can paint it). You might have to paint the fascia and eaves a contrasting color if you do that. It’s OK to have fascia and eaves a different color than the gutters, especially if the gutters are factory painted. Maybe a color to blend with the roof. I would just paint the fascia that doesn’t have gutters if you don’t have to replace the gutters.

I agree it’s hard to paint factory painted garage doors. You already have the white rails you love. It’s nice to have maintenance free garage doors.

Maybe some window boxes to add volume to the windows and shutters. Or some kind of trim that expands the visual mass of the windows above the garage.

If you paint the shutters and window trim a color with less contrast, it might help - or not. The shutters look tiny but I can see that they are the appropriate size. The Ben Moore color Gray Huskie goes well with concrete. You could start there. It may even be a good color for the fascia at the roof line.

I cant help but think if I remove the shutters those windows will look really tiny even with bulkier trim .

I don’t think you should remove the shutters. I don’t know how to bulk it up or even if it would look good. Maybe someone else can chime in if they have a suggestion. For my windows, I’ll probably thicken up the trim and add something to the top and bottom. Mine don’t have shutters though.

P.S. I've thought a bit more...a porch/stair stain will not work in this case. A stain is variegated in appearance and would add too much pattern against the brick. Use concrete paint, match color to the roof. Paint the horizontal strip under the rails too. Remove the colonial shutters. Change out the colonial door if it is in your budget. Remove the colonial garage window trim. The whole house will feel more contemporary. I like the black for the door. Leave the landscape as it is. Nailed it! Wish I had the software to show you.

Here's a link I found, skip steps 6 and 7:

https://www.angi.com/articles/how-paint-concrete-porch-patio.htm 

@tracefloydthank you for those ideas ! I have actually been looking for updated window trim on the garage . Im glad you noticed that too . I seen this door that i love . Do you think it would suit the house better ?

As far as the windows , I think they will look really small and I have no idea how to bulk them up to look better ? I feel like they need to be almost double in size .

Im scared to paint the steps and porch lol . Ive seen paint peel on a concrete porch before then I would really have a mess

Love this door minus the sidelights

Hi AuntAnnie

Somtimes garage window trim is just screwed on as a facade and is removable. Double check that, otherwise the windows themselves are just screwed on.

For the shutters, they are the correct color but paint them to match the exact shade of the new door. If the width of 2 shutters does not match the width of the window including trim, replace them at some point with ones that do.

The door that you like is wonderful. I like that dimpled glass and rectangular panes..mid-century as is your house.

Concrete Stain doesn't peel but might require more than one coat to reduce variegation. I was thinking at first to match the brick, but no, too amateur. I still think a gray in the same shade as the roof. Follow directions on the can for prep and application.

yes, that door you posted a pic of is much. that's the first thing I was going to say is " replace the door"

It wouldn't hurt to paint the siding a diff color, or paint the trim out, but those are more expensive updates.

I'd also pop out those garage door windows and get something more square looking to match the new front door. They are easy to change out.

Maybe update your lighting.

Get some iron carriage hardware for the garage doors.

doing an arbor over both doors would break up that large front area

add some potted plants

as for the porch, look at "stenciling front porch" to get ideas.

@Beth H. : thank you for that picture ! I love seeing the changes on paper . A new door and changing out the garage door windows are definitley on the list to change .

Ive always felt like the garage area looked so big and bare . That arbor looks great on those other houses. I will have to give that some thought if it would look good on this house.

I keep going back to brick pavers , i think they would look best on the porch . Any suggestions since that brick is discontinued ? Would it look right to find one that is closest to it ?

As far as the lights , do you think what I have could work ? I really like those lights they are a really good size . You think more straight lines would look better ?

Heres a better look of them

look at brick veneer pavers that are close to what you have. bring a few home so you can see. (you could always give them a coat of limewash if the red is 'off'.

look at garage arbors to see more ideas. I like the idea of two pots w/vines on either side to grow over the top.

as for lights, if changing out the garage windows and the front door to squares, I think a more angular light would work best

new door hardware

but something like this would also work.

look into bronze or copper tones that work w/the brick.

address placques. these are easy to DIY. I put one in the middle of your garage

when it's time for a makeover:

I added more pics to my previous comment, but here's a quick redo w/your door and lights. can you see the diff?

Btw, this blue gray color looks nice w/your brick.

or any of these colors

@Beth H. :I love those makeovers ! gives me hope lol . I do see the difference with those lights and even that front door looks better than mine . Thank you for the help !

The landscaping done in the picture way up at the top of this thread is a nice and neat job, but the trees are waaaay too close to the house (the Japanese maple and the vertical evergreens). The Japanese maple on the corner should be pulled away at least 4’ from the house. The other one, and the two vertical evergreens, probably need to go somewhere else completely as they are quickly going to be too tall. Move them now while they are still small.

The small round evergreen blobs (I can’t tell what they are) are probably just fine to leave in those spots.

Again, the planting area looks like a nice and clean job, but minimal consideration was given to plant growth patterns.

We are diligent in keeping the shrubs trimmed . We have no intention on letting them grow to maturity . The green boxwood is 2 1/2 feet from the house . The japanese maple is 4 ft and the maple on the corner is 4 ft .

In the area where we live most homes dont have an abundance of shrubbery in the landscaping . We kind of like the ”less is more ” idea .. not saying that we cant improve our landscaping because Im sure we could spruce it up a bit

@Beth H. : Ive been looking over those before and after pictures . I think I like the first one best and that awning / roof over the garage door really caught my eye . What is your thoughts on that instead of the arbor ?

We just removed our shutters and added wider trim. I was kind of leary thinking the windows would look too bare. I do like if though - more updated look. i think your house would look good too with the shutters removed

This awning picture?

not sure how it would look becuase you have two doors. over the single door it looks fine.

maybe something like this? I also like switching to the batten panels on the area above the garage doors

Why not look up Garage door awning or garage door arbor" pictures and see what you find?

something liek this?

I like thes garage doors too

look at a gable truss for an accent where your gable vent is. do a nice wood one

https://lehmanlane.net/house-tour-second-house-suburban-split/

@bekind thank you for sharing your picture . That looks great ! If I thought mine would look that good I wouldnt hesitate to remove the shutters . Do you happen to know how wide the trim is ? That would give me an idea of where to start . Is it a vinyl ?

@Beth H. : Im finding i like the homes that are one color . Unfortunatley , my husband is not on board for painting the house . I think it would even look better if the siding was a closer color to the brick color . You have given me some good ideas . It helps to have pictures when Im trying to explain what Inlike to my husband lol . Funny how you added black garage doors in the one pic . He just said last night he thought he would like black lol

@tracefloyd Ive been thinking about that porch color . My picture of the house isnt very good - the roof is actually brown and black combination . should i find something similar ?That seems kind of dark maybe ?

Picture of the shingles wont post right now

The siding and trim are steel and I think 4 inches. i had two sizes of trim to choose from and I chose the smaller. I asked for opinions on this site ( on removing the shutters) and everyone said to remove. i took their advice and glad we did.

Just leave the porch and steps alone. Your house is Mid-century style, as is a concrete porch and steps. Do not reface, it will be obvious and look amateur. A stain job would be too mottled and clash with a brick pattern. In the photo it looks like the concrete could use a good wash is all. Use water and vinegar half and half, or some baking soda, in a spray bottle, soak it down, let it sit 30 minutes, then scrub and rinse.

I don't think people read your entire original request for budget friendly with their very expensive remodel suggestions.

Your husband is correct, don't paint the siding or the brick or the garage. You don't want it to start peeling in a couple of years and they look fine. The colors are beautiful. Just your new door will transform the facade with its dramatic window panes. The garage windows should be easy. Everything else is fine as is. Landscape is great already, mid-century.

Your husband is very level headed and you are lucky he thinks replacing the door is fine. And don't get him up on a tall ladder!

I wish i was as tech savvy as some of you guys ! Can anyone possibly change my siding color to one thats more like the brick color , remove shutters and bulk up windows with wider white trim ?Sorry , I know thats alot

Black may be a bit too harsh. Look at Wrought Iron, Iron Ore or Urbane Bronze.

lisedv is really good at photoshopping, maybe she will pop on by.

@tracefloyd thank you for reading the entire original question lol . I knew i would get ideas for painting - the fact is if I was buying a house now i wouldnt buy this style again but its what i have and Im thankful for it . I just want to do what i can to make it look the best it can without putting several thousand dollars in it right now . The house is in fantastic shape .

I have power washed the concrete - I will try your tips too .

What are your thoughts on the shutters? I have toyed with the idea for years on removing them but will that look good with bulkier trim or best to keep them ?

Im working on finding the new front door and removing the inserts on the garage windows

The maple is way to close to the house - should be 25 or more feet from your foundation. If the Japanese Maple is one of the dwarf varieties you may be fine, but many will outgrow the space you have allotted.

https://gardentabs.com/can-maple-tree-roots-damage-foundation/

don't paint the siding or the brick or the garage. You don't want it to start peeling in a couple of years and they look fine

trace,,,,, Romabio. have you heard of it? it's lime and it's fine for brick. no peeling, no mold, but you get similar results to paint. No one should slap on regular paint on brick. That's what peels. Masonry paint or a Lime product like Romabio ages naturally w/the brick with almost no maintenance.

BTW, I don't have an opinion on painting the brick or leaving it. It just depends on the look one is after.

Several thousand will get you a nice new front door. For a bit less, a carpenter might be able to swap out the oval window for rectangular multi-pane. That's all the house needs. There. Done. Finito. Finished.

Your home doesn't need anything else just because you want a change. You say it is in great shape and you've already replaced the front porch rails.

The shutters...nice color but could be twice as wide at some point. Not urgent.

Don't apologize for your home. The only thing that matters, humble or grand, is pride of ownership and your house shows it.

@tracefloyd 😊 thank you for the kind words