Back up a bit and give us a better picture of the home and surrounding area. And a huge NO to stuck on rock.

Eliminate swings

No more rock and paint the door a great color you like but much brighter than what you have

No more rocks. Add lush landscaping that is proportionate, add a window box with red flowers.

I posted another photo showing entire house

No to more rock! I would remove both swings and, instead, place a brightly painted (so it is visible!) small bench to the right of your door. Or a rustic bench with a bright colored pillow perched on it. Flowers in rustic pots ( think carved out stumps, even an iron cauldron) near the porch and the path to the porch. Color should come in things like accessories. And… a bright colored (yellow? Bright green?) front door. GORGEOUS home!

It's already attractive! The potted ferns are very nice. Consider painting the front door and window shutters a brighter color. The fieldstone path is lovely, but edging the sidewalk with plants is a little too formal look for an informal home.

Maybe add to landscaping. Blooming perennials appropriate for your zone.

No to more rock. I like the swings! Agree with Patricia pick a new colour for the door

Thanks for all the comments. I just feel like the left side of the house looks so plain since there's no window there. I'll try to talk hubby into painting the door, but that's going to be a tough battle to win. So everyone seems to agree that any stacked stone on the house would NOT help at all?

Thanks for all the comments. I just feel like the left side of the house looks so plain since there's no window there. I like the suggestion about painting the door, but it will be hard to convince hubby on that one. So everyone seems to agree that stacked rock wouldn't help at all?

Everything is brown except one vinyl window. Your husband won't paint a door but will spend thousands on peel and stick stone? I like the natural wood areas but would lighten everything painted, or at least the shutters (why are they brown?) You could even add a matching 'window' on the left with the shutters closed.

actually we were considering stacked stone not peel and stick. maybe just across the bottom and going about halfway up. the shutters were painted brown to match the trim color on the house. color suggestions for trim and shutters?

Woukd it look better if the trim and shutters were painted a lighter color, Such as a light tan or a taupe color?

" actually we were considering stacked stone not peel and stick "

He meant that the stacked stone would have the appearance of "peel & stick" as they would be be very obvious as just "lipstick", so to speak.

" Woukd it look better if the trim and shutters were painted a lighter color, Such as a light tan or a taupe color? "

Absolutely, as well as the door being a brighter color.

what about the cedar shakes on the upper portion? do they need to be a contrasting color from the cedar siding? and other than a faux window on the left side, does anyone have any suggestons to balance it out?

It’s a beautiful home. The ferns are too big for the steps, they block the view of the porch and make it feel cave like. See how it looks with the ferns flanking the steps but not on them.

just out of curiosity, why were so many dead set against any rock on the house?

Rock or stone needs to look like it belongs. That is has a purpose, 4 sides covering the foundation. Realistic, like it was there from the beginning and had a function, like it actually is a wall, or a foundation wall supporting the home above it, not just lipstick. Shake is not the correct stile for this house either. Embrace what the house is instead of trying to force it into a different box.

Your home is adorable! No need for anything more, other than adding colorful flowers.

Embrace your home as it is structured. The asymmetry makes it unique. It has character. Loving all the suggestions, above, to enhance the landscaping. Nature is your friend, here.

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions. i will definately reconsider the rock. i do however think I need to have the trim and shutters painted a light tan or taupe. Is the general consensus

Is that the general consensus of evrryone?

Hi Karen. I like everything about your home. If it were mine, I wouldn't change a thing. If you feel strongly that the trim color needs to be changed, consider an earthy green.

I agree that it is super cute as is. You have stone on your columns that adds some interest. The thing that jumps out to me is your entry feels pinched. What about hanging your ferns above where the swings are? Do you use the swings? Or maybe hang them on shepherds hooks staked in the ground on either side of the entry.

For color, you could do a pretty green trim and door, or a white. White trim plus the white flowers that Beverly suggested would look crisp. Or you could embrace the darkness and do monochromatic black.

Ive actually been looking at pictures of green trim and I think it would look nice too. thanks so much for the helpful tips and compliments!

I guess my dilemma now is green trim or a light tan??

No to light tan. The dark green, or even a dark red would look classic. Think Maine cottage style, or Saranac Lake in upstate NY. (Where are YOU located?).

PS: Resize your shutters and make them look like real shutters with strap hinges, shutter dogs, etc. They need to appear as if they can actually close over the window. Love that little window more and more…

As Beverly suggests rethink some of the landscaping. She shows some great examples. I like your house as is. With more attention to landscaping, you may not want to make changes. Here are some examples of wood houses with and without shutters, plus simple hardscaping and appropriate landscaping.

Timberframe Lake Escape · More Info

Lake Minnetonka Home · More Info

Sherwood Forest Cottage · More Info

I like the simple rock walkway and landscaping. No shutters on this one.

Rustic Exterior · More Info

I think we will definately work more on landscaping. And maybe some wider and more functional looking shutters. And we’re located in north Alabama

I love cedar siding— it’s the best smell in the world! I like the swings and agree you should brighten the door and maybe add a taller planter to the right of it with flowering annuals.

I think for your house I wouldn’t go bright on the trim (or at least not the trim on your eaves), but I do like the suggestions to look at green hues. I like its look now, but you may also want to consider having the cedar professionally power-washed and re-stained, which can sometimes really help on refreshing wood siding.

Whatever you do, don’t do anything that draws attention to the shed dormers behind/ on the sides of your gable— you want these to recede from view as much as possible in relation to the gabled portion of your exterior. With that you may want to stain them a slightly darker hue than the rest of your house’s front, and maybe not differentiate a trim color on their eaves, if that makes sense.

I like your idea of potentially adding a window on the left hand side if it makes sense to do so in the room that is there and you put a lot of thought into its placement so it doesn’t make another off-kilter element (I think you’d want to mimic the right window in terms of distance to the corner of the house, which would put it fairly close to the front door, which could be awkward with shutter placement etc).

More landscaping is also good, but what you have is a nice foundation to work from. I would think about a small to mid-sized tree on both sides of the front yard that would further frame the gabled portion of your exterior (while potentially screening the shed dormers on the sides). Eastern redbud is a native tree that only grows to ~20-25 ft and puts out great spring blooms.

Overall I agree it’s a great house and small simple tweaks are all you need!

Great suggestions!! Thank you so much! i like the idea about the trees on each side of the yard.

Another vote to paint the door a brighter color and move the ferns. If you must repaint the trim, deep greens and reds work with a house like yours.

But it’s quite lovely and close to perfect. Have your husband read this thread. Sometimes others’ comments help.

A note if you do plant some trees in the front yard— on the left side I would go closer to the house (but still a fair distance) to screen the left-hand dormer from view. I think the shed dormer on the right side actually fits well with your home’s architecture, so a tree planted on the right hand side should be further out and away from the house.

Here’s some elementary finger-scribbling done on my iPhone in an attempt to illustrate tree placement 😂 (and, as it relates to garden beds around the foundation, I think really simple tweaks/additions are all you would need)

I love seeing the visual like that! those are great suggestions and i really appreciate you taking the time!