Without -- Lovely house!

Without. Agree ^^ such a nice house! Congratulations!

In your case, the shutters add visual clutter. So, no.

Agree, without.

No shutters.

This is easy…definitely without! So pretty!

No shutters

No shutters.

Without

You could keep the shutters on the single side windows as they are appropriately sized and provide a ‘finished’ look. I would definitely leave them off of the two large banks of windows in the center of the house.

No shutters. Beautiful setting!!

No shutters and IMO no grids in the windows and some really nice MCM type landscping would all do so much for this house This is a nice MCM brick ranch try to apprecaite what you have and if it ain't broke do not fix it IMO. Google MCM brick ranch homes to get a feel for what you have. This is often my inspiration for landscping that style of home it shows off the house so wellI know th house is not like yours but the landscping really accentuates the lines of the house

The mullions....have to stay as the previous homowners replaced 90% of the windows (all of them you see in the photos) with double pane insulated glass with interior mullions...so the mullions are a thing that stays.

the landscaping....is like living in an arboretum or a park. It's gorgeous.

I agree the landscaping is an issue ….as your house has such a low profile ….the heavy spaced shrubs breakup the lines of the home

Mullions are perfectly appropriate for your traditional ranch house, and look nice … and that stark MCM landscaping example above would not fit your lush yard at all. I’d update a few things if you’d like, but definitely not in that direction.

I didn’t see your last yard picture before I posted, WOW! It is gorgeous! Feeling envious from hot, dry, scorching Texas right now. :)

I'll chime in. Here's something to think about.

1. If you did not have mullions the house could lean traditional ranch. Then no shutters.

2. The mullions give a charming cottagy feel. The bricks lean cottagy because of the mullions.

So you may want to lean a little into that look by using the shutters, as advised above, only on the smaller windows. In other words, think of what you want your house to feel like, then lean that way as much as you can. Think of what the inside is going to look like also. You don't want to see a contemporary ranch from the outside then walk into a shabby chic interior. I think with the shutters on the smaller windows gives the charm, without being overly cottagy.

I'm in love with your last picture. I want to see that vista in the spring summer fall and winter. I want to sit on the porch with a hot chocolate and watch an afternoon downpour. I would love to see more of the landscaping and house. What area of the country is this?

I’m not a fan of shutters so definitely no shutters.

One more "thing" that came with the house....no it isn't a wisteria...but it is definitely a feature! I have pulled down all of the "ivy" growing on the house walls as it had mostly died and was replaced by Poison Ivy....so, no more of that either! But the big vines on the pergola? They are doing fine. I just have to keep them in line with trimmers....so they don't eat the roof! (I have dubbed this "The Kraken" ;) )

Yes, take off the shutters under the pergola too.

The vines on the pergola and ground cover would definitely benefit from a deep thinning….if the pergola vines are evergreen, the weight could become too heavy especially when it rains…when they drop the leaves .this will be an overbearing amount of cleanup daily…the stuff on the ground will overtax the soil for nutrients, and be happier if thinned…and fertilized…we have both of these issues in our summer home…and thinning and feeding is the best way to keeping them happy and healthy ,long term…the vines on the pergola also block all the natural light from the house…which makes for dark dreary interiors…especially in winter

The vines are not evergreen and have been pruned for this year...NEXT year when they are dormant they are due for a severe pruning. They are Trumpet vines. Everything under the vines is concrete and has been for decades...so apparently the trumpet vines are happy with the situation....

And the shutters on the back of the house are down

Without.