Without the brick it would be nicely proportioned and is a very sweet house.

If the brick is staying, I’d paint out the brick to match your colour choice for the body of the house. I’d do a search choosing compact house, gable roof on Houzz photos. Or compact house and choose the color you are leaning to. Your roof color gives you lots of options. I’m partial to a sage green/grey.

Keep any shrubs or plantings below the window sill height. If you lean the wagon wheels, group them in odd numbers and vary the size. Maybe plant geraniums or begonias in front of them. Or a clematis vine or climbing rose if you attach them to a wall? Planting zone?

Pics

The line of the brick is too high on the face of the house like these trousers.

The proportions would be better if the brick was lower and the windows larger.

I know, right? Who did this exterior in the first place?! LOL

Taking down the brick would help, but then siding is needed there. (Well, a LOT of things are needed, ha!...) I would like to paint the brick to disappear (well, then the siding needs painting, too... and power washing)... add some shrubs or something low maintenance in the front (this is a friend's house)... that has edging to easily mow around, etc.

A lot of times I can 'see' what needs doing, but this house exterior has got me totally blank without a clue ...

If the brick is a veneer and replacing it with clapboards is in the budget, I'd do that. Otherwise, I'd get some shrubs for the foundation. I'm fond of broadleaf evergreens (rhodos, azaleas, mt. laurel). The wagon wheels might pop more from a green background.

If you can't easily remove the bricks, paint the same color as the house and landscape in front. Would look fine.

Don't paint the brick. The difference in textures means that the siding and the brick will not match, and it will just look 'off'.

Landscaping, landscaping, landscaping. That is all this house really needs. Reveal a location, and which direction the house faces, and we can help.

Here are a few suggestions:

Thank you for all of the helpful comments and photos! 😍

The front door and bay window side face East, the deck door side faces South.

Lots of trees, corner lot.

Zone 4 b... ( is my guess... not my house, trying to keep it private somewhat)

My friend is as basic as one can be, ( what a house looks like landscaping wise, is not a priority ) so slow growing evergreen shrubs would be best for the corners.

The darker gray deck, (and shutters) ,white house, and 'pink' brick does look good.

Cute house! I would get rid of the bay window. Then paint the entire house one color. I like the greens suggested. Finally landscape.

The bay window was especially wanted by my friend for indoor plants, and was installed when moved in...so that stays.

Painting the house sounds great to me, but remember that my friend has zero priority to putting money into painting what is 'good enough siding that works'. The lawn gets mowed, My friend simply is not gifted to visualize things, nor to see that 'something is off'.

(Think 'Yankee frugal' - and if it isn't broke, don't fix it. )

I appreciate the suggestions, though!

Did your friend ask for design help or are you just imagining what this house might be? Sounds like the friend doesn't want to change anything!

They asked me for interior help, which is where the current priorities are at. (Kitchen) My mind keeps going throughout the whole place for all the possibilities... just for a vision in case they would be interested in doing more. They approach change very very slowly... but if I have some photos to show as what is possible... going in stages (landscape a few things...then shutters.... ) things go quite well. I am here doing 'research'. 😅

One more thought:

Widening the side door deck a little could make a nice spot to sit. (The one railing is off already, so there's a head start!) The landscaping shown is all low maintenance, as long as evergreens with smaller mature size are chosen. Bobo hydrangeas, astilbe, and vinca minor need virtually nothing. Vinca shouldn't be planted where it can escape into woods, but contained it's okay, and no edging is needed, just mowing around it is enough. All are hardy in zone 4. (Photo also shows widened walks, but I'm probably already outstripping willingness to spend!)

Love the renderings - thank you. Yes, at least there is a vision now, and one never knows how far towards it they will venture ...

An odder suggestion: experiment (with Photoshop, not nails) hanging the wheels on the extra high brick, and on the siding over it, and maybe elsewhere, to see if it can help with overall balance of brick to siding to window.

Evening out the brick color by toughing up the dark ones only is perfectly acceptable if they look off in person. Can't tell what the texture is on these, but especially if they are the slightly whitewashed ones, then dabbing white on the dark ones won't cause any maintenance issues in the future. (The worst thing that could happen is that they return to their original color).

Great ideas. I do not have Photoshop. (Sounds complicated to learn...) Paint dabbing some bricks sounds doable, as does adding some landscaping, at least starting with under/around that small window, connecting to the side porch.

I found a picture of bolted together wagon wheels, and wheels incorporated into the landscape ... other than just propped up against the house or a tree. (Like there was a wagon accident at some time, and the wheels went flying off... rolling to a stop against the house here and there...😂)

I was exploring some ideas, and here are them. Includes some consideration of garden styles like Evergreen, Rock-Garden, and Pollinator-Friendly.

The location of the brick is odd, i.e. just added to the front of the house, especially with the uneven heights. The house looks lopsided and as if it has been badly patched. And although I am a big fan of brick in almost every shade, that brick is a very unattractive colour and pattern.

Every single mock-up above, no matter how beautifully and expensively landscaped, would look better with the brick painted the same colour as the rest of the house.

Shrubs will hide much of the brick. Use the wagon wheels in front of the shrubs or elsewhere in the landscaping. Larger house numbers and a larger front light are practical and more in proportion to the house.

Thanks, Partim... yes, I would agree painted would be best as this small section of brick would be very doable for upkeep. This house, I believe, was built as a HUD house... and my friend bought it as-is, and made the bay addition as well as having inside work done. That wonky brick discrepancy makes one just shake their head in 'what they were thinking?', right?

Larger house numbers... yes... and landscaping!!!

I will show my friend this rendition, it is much appreciated.

Wow! Akhilesh Joshi ... those look amazing! My friend is very visual, and will appreciate all what you have done. ..yet think LOW, LOW maintenance. ( mowing, watering, some random weeding...)

The house is situated on a corner, with no sidewalks, and that front door 'walkway' ends in the yard someplace. 🙄 There are large bushes on the lot line on the side of the house... look more like lilacs, perhaps? That front pathway is not used, unless access would be rerouted around to the garage side of the house pathways, where all of the foot traffic goes.

Would they sink $8,000- $20,000 into landscaping?! (All that brick and pathways, it would have to be professionally done to have it look good) Um... more like $20 - $2,000... maybe (BIG maybe).

Inside update to that front room... now has some blinds and curtains. 😊

Do you feel comfortable telling us closest big city to where the house is located? We can give you some ideas for landscaping that don't cost the earth (pun intended). Depending on where you are, during planting season (early spring in 4B) there are good deals on the common types of evergreen shrubs. Those would look best across the front of the house, all year. You don't need to get things that are expensive or exotic. "Garden variety" yews (for shade) or Juniper (for sun) is fine and you can find them on sale at the big box stores in early spring. Look closely at the tag to be sure you get something that won't get too large. Before you buy, check how many hours of sun you get where you are planting.

Choose shrubs that will be happy with the amount of water and light they will get in that spot. Don't plant them too close together even though they're small. Plant far enough from the house that they will be a foot away from it at maturity (although this will look weird at first). Look at the tag and space them accordingly. Planting too close together is a waste of money and you'll have to move them or prune them later if you do. To me it looks like you need about 7-8 evergreen shrubs, which won't break the bank.

When shrubs are small, I plant white sweet alyssum all over as a living ground cover between them. Cheaper than mulch, looks great, and reseeds itself every year. Tiny roots so easy to remove if you want to get rid of it. As the shrubs get larger they will cover it. If you want something taller against the house before the shrubs are mature, cosmos are so pretty. Again, inexpensive and readily available as tiny plants at the garden center in spring.

As far as flowers, maybe in front of the shrubs, there are lots of ways to do that economically too. Some of my favourites come up from seed every year (white alyssum, bachelor's buttons, calendula) or are perennials where I have received cuttings from friends.

Unless you need more pathyways functionally, I wouldn't add more hardscaping if budget is a concern.

As far as edging, some types are a big pain for mowing. My preference is to just take a spade and dig straight down to make a little trough. Re-do it early spring and mid summer. You can mow right up to it. If you like you can use a weed-eater to trim it, or a pair of garden shears. Free and looks good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBgqBC4EIxQ

Super advice. (Great how-to video - thank you!)

Since it isn't my house, just say it is in northern Michigan, but not in the 'U.P.'.

When I checked, it was zone 4b.

This looks like a great resource. https://www.canr.msu.edu/home_gardening/

I'm in Toronto Canada and gradually digging up my lawn and putting in native plants. Every spring I dig up another little section.

Native plants are so much less work than my lawn, and they spread like crazy. My 2 big successes are first the Canadian columbine, which blooms beautifully in spring, then the seed pods are interesting all year with the birds showing an interest in the seeds even in the winter. And the Black Eyed Susans which bloom forever and spread very easily from division or from seeds.

Great idea for natives. Love Black Eyed Susans ... (love about any perennial that thrives.) They have some daylilies, a climbing rose, and some other bushes around the small property. They put in a small veggie garden, and have a nice fire pit.

I could give them white yarrow and some medicinal herbs... not sure if they'd use those or not...but don't see them all that often, as it is a 3 hour drive away. When I do get to visit... it is usually a 'power projects' full day.