I agree with putting the walkway to the street. I would plant along the driveway between the drive and walkway all the way to the street, so you don't look directly at all the concrete and cars parked. I would keep the existing bed along the foundation, changing it just makes more maintenance for you. Clean up the rock garden area and plant a specimen plant with some interest.

Put your house numbers vertically between the alcove and the window (where you said the entry door is now)

KEEP THE BRICK as is. Paint the trim and garage doors.

I would paint the trim and garage doors a deep rich color like these Urbane Bronze, Rosemary, or Polished Mahagony with a fresh front door color like Blue Refrain

Adding some color with plants would help a lot. Not sure what area you're in, so these are just ideas (arborvitae, crape myrtle and azalea - would work in my zone, but maybe not yours). Painting trim a dark color may also be nice. Not so sure about the garage doors, though. They may end up looking like black holes. I think landscaping would give you more return than painting (unless you have peeling paint, in which case please paint).

I think I need to know if you are into making this what it is a MCM ranch ? No shutters, very simple landscaping a great MCM front door and garage doors . I agree do not paint the brick just use a siding color that works with it.. When you change windows you could also think about wider window trim. This is my fave for landscaping and garage and front door. Of course only if you want to embrace what you have Take note of the really nice walkway to the front door too.

landscaping is going to be the biggest bang for your buck truly. If you’re not sure where to start, pay a local nursery for a plan and then install it yourself over a few years -

also if you can’t get a nice looking lawn in there, then figure out some ground cover etc.. to get that looking well cared for - looks like a nice solid home, just needs some love :)

Get an arborist in to prune the tree. It looks like it's been hacked, That will open up the house and provide an attractive focal point.

Make a plan for the entire house, not only the exterior. Don't just start changing things because you dislike what's there now. Think about the order that you do things. As an example, a new walkway might be part of the project to replace the driveway -- concrete people will already be there.

If you decide to paint, carefully consider your roof when choosing colors.

For now, trim the tree. Clean up the yard and start working on landscaping (from your plan).

Consider a skylight or maybe a sun tunnel opening onto the porch. It would light what looks like a dark hole, and provide light to the window there.

Hi, what area are you in?

Can you get more pics — closer to the entry, and along the front (from driveway)?

Love those sweet metal columns, hope you’re keeping them. :)

I agree with consulting with a local, established nursery (not big box store). They can be a great resource.

PS: I’d have your trees trimmed up. They’ll look better and allow more light in for plants. (Edit: sorry, latifolia and PPF, didn’t see that you’d already posted that.)

You need to lean into the mid century clean lines of this ranch, I think.

So, no shutters - look into adding some trim around the windows to give them more of a presence and finished look (IE brick molding that wraps over the edges of the brick.)

The picture is a little blurry on details - is that metal scrollwork on either side of the porch? I'd remove that - if it needs to be replaced with something, I'd go with wood - painted or stained, depending on what you decide to do with the trim/gable/garage door.

I'd widen the steps to the full width of the porch, maybe incorporate some matching brick into the risers. Along with that, when you do your sidewalk, I would make a small patio like apron in front of and slightly around the steps, that connects to the driveway and to your new walkway both. That will be a good place for some cool pots, including a nice rectangular-ish tall one on the bit of wall next to the garage. I would relocate your house numbers to that wall - large, modern font, placed vertically.

Landscaping-wise, I would remove much of the grasses (I can't tell from the picture just what it is) which are too uniform, and add some variation in height and of shades of green, yellow and blue - perhaps a different tall grass at the corners, some flowering perennials that also add height (a couple of reblooming daylilies?), hostas large and small, some low-growing, spreading evergreens for more texture (like bird's nest spruce or blue rug juniper for winter interest (which I think would be a great color with your brick). Not too crowded. Just avoid a "cottage" look flower garden - if you love and want that, put it in the back yard!

If you ever need to replace the roof, I would see about replacing the gable over the garage with a more modern style (I am assuming that it is needed to ventilate under the roof, plus it adds interest) - not peaked, but short and linear, like a shed dormer - match the siding to the replaced column on the porch, or perhaps echo the design or whatever that is over the garage.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions so far! I’ve attached more recent and detailed photos of the front/patio. I’m in region 8A, so a majority of my yard is currently dead/dying from the 100°+ weather, but we intend to install a well irrigation system in the future to help prevent this from happening again.

zone 8A - some, maybe a lot - of my plant suggestions won't work! You'll need drought and heat hardy plants - but there are some that will substitute for my suggestions, I am sure. A local garden center, as someone above suggested, or your local extension office, will be able to suggest the best choices; garden centers often have a designer to come up with a planting plan as well.

I'd be inclined to give up on the grass and go for a heat/drought tolerant ground cover. When I lived in San Diego, creeping herbs were becoming popular, such as creeping thyme.

Are you in Texas? I am, also 8a (D/FW).

Jilly - Yes, I am. It’s hard to keep anything alive in this weather but I’m hoping for better luck next year

No shutters. Shutters don’t belong on double windows.

Toss the iron filagree vertical post/panels. They definitely don’t belong on this house.

Remove at least half the items from the porch.

Powerwash the concrete driveway, sidewalk, steps and porch. That will help tide you over till you can replace them.

Would cedar wood garage doors, with windows, fit into your budget?

I agree the front yard tree needs professional attention.

Get a big colorful weatherproof rug for the porch, big enough to cover at least all the area from the front door to the right side of the stairs.

The world is going to continue to get hotter and drier--or wetter depending on where you live. Plan for the future; in your case look at plants for drought conditions. You can develop a stunning yard using the right plants.

I would not make a separate walk to the street--you'd have a strange narrow strip between the walk and the driveway, especially since the walk should be a minimum of 4 ft wide-- but I might consider widening the steps so they reach the end of the porch where the door is.

I would figure out what to do with the porch first, then get some amazing garage doors. The garage doors take up most of the visual from the street, IMO.

The porch could be fun if you have enough room to make it a living space, even if it’s just a chair in the corner or a bistro set. You could widen the steps to the full width, put nice rails on both sides, and landscape the sides. Whatever design you decide on, the porch could be a welcoming showpiece. Then invest in beautiful garage doors that compliment the porch, and do something with that middle piece in between the garage doors to make it feel like more than just a garage. Maybe large porch lights?

It looks like the driveway could use a little help in the corner. There are ways to improve the driveway, but that’s often not necessary if you have neighbors that all have the same type of driveway. Same with mailbox. It could be really pretty with landscaping around, but if you don’t want to draw attention to it, just clean it up as needed.

Not sure what kind of tree that is, but if it could be a big beautiful well-groomed shade tree that dominates the front yard, that would be great for living and visual. The left side of the house doesn’t need to be fancy if a large beautiful tree is the focal point. Neighbors would rather look at a beautiful tree than someone else’s house. You might be able to plant edged gardens around the tree or use it for outdoor living/playing space. I realize that people want to expose the house for resale, but honestly, buyers like trees and privacy too, so you can decide what you prefer. I’m all for trees and privacy.

IMO grass is a huge water waster for sure so maybe start with doing some good quality artificial grass to save water . Then go to native plants thta have withstood many droughts .The pic I posted has great ideas that could easilt be adapted with the fake grass. I live in Canada we have now had a drought for 2 years I find I ma leaning more and more on big pots easily watered by hand instead of needing sprinklers .MCM homes in many instances were built with huge overhangs to control heat from the sun and it appears you have some . Do not change those we have them on our house and they are agod send in the summer but help heat the house in the winter when the sun is low in the sky.These homes are my fave for both style and usually layout. Take time to really think about what changes are best.

I think a path to the street is fine. I had a house with that and had a nice planting bed in between it and the driveway. It’s more welcoming than guests walking up a driveway and beside cars, and much better curb appeal.

Are you experienced with plants and planting? If not, I can list some suggestions on what can survive our intense heat and scorching sun. It doesn’t have to be a severe look like Patricia posted (unless you want that). All that rock would be quite pricey and not fun to keep weeds, leaves, and other debris out of. Ask me about Bermuda grass and decorative stones. :D

Besides plants in your beds, think of bird baths, a bench, obelisk, and other decorative items (not too many, of course) that could be integrated.

In our drought, it’s important to have fresh, clean water out for birds and other critters, and to plant pollinators.

It’s going to look great after you put your touch on it!

ETA: My daughter and son-in-law just bought a 1960s brick house, too. It’s so cute…. and mom is ready to get started on the yard. Well, if it ever gets cooler. :)

Once you decide on the trim and garage color, it will make a giant difference. Consider a large patio courtyard towards the entrance, as it will be less landscaping and less upkeep. Here are some good trim colors for orange brick:

Sage Garage Doors and Darker Sage/Grey Trim

Federal Blue Trim

Dark Brown Trim and Garage Doors

Black Trim and Garage Doors

Midnight Blue Garage Doors and Blue/Black Trim

Inspiration for front patios to cut down on plantings and grass:

Would you consider painting only the back wall of the entry area to lighten that space? It's sheltered from sun and rain, no weathering, so the finish should be durable. I tried darker colors for the garage doors but didn't really like any of them (maybe just didn't try the right ones!), so I only warmed up the existing white. And I'm with @Jilly; I like the filigree panels!

For this image, I also widened the walkway and steps and added a low brick wall in front of the tree to create a patio/courtyard feel and to emphasize the long horizontal lines that are the visual essence of these houses. I didn't add a walkway to the street, since it looks like there is no sidewalk. I'm assuming visitors would pull into the driveway and walk from there.

I also pruned the tree to reveal its sculptural structure, then planted some heat- and drought-tolerant Texas natives (should need little or no irrigation) for color and softness. Left to right, these are Texas lantana, firecracker plant, sundrops, red yucca, black-eyed susan, blackfoot daisy, with horseherb as ground cover under the tree and cherokee sedge in front of the low wall. (All of this could be done gradually, in stages, of course.)

Some ideas, anyway . . .

Just curious: what is the patterned strip above the garage doors? Windows?

Awesome mock-up, simplynatural! Wow, fantastic ideas!

I like your house. The landscaping is something you can do yourself if you are willing. It does not have to be complicated. It needs a deeper planting bed and I suggest another tree. The shade provided by the current tree is good. I can't tell if it had grass or groundcover beneath it. There are some plants that work in dry shade. Here is where I suggest another tree. Crape Myrtle would be good there. Some get large so be sure of the cultivar if you like this idea.

When you can I suggest extending the steps at least on the left side and all the way across if you can afford it.

If you don't love the iron supports remove them. Perhaps you can use them indoors if you like MCM. Otherwise find a home for them. They will be wanted.

As Simplynatural shows above there are plenty of plants that can live and be attractive in your setting. What is show is just a suggestion of where plants could go. You need at least two shrubs.

Regarding shutters, it may be true they are not part of MCM design and yet many of the houses in my neighborhood had them where I grew up and they were custom homes. If you heart is set on shutters then have them.

I reconsidered the path to the street when I noticed you have no sidewalk. I think the money is better spent on enhancing the entrance landing or apron, not sure what it is called. I have no skill at images but I hope the descriptions helped. I almost forgot, do you have a porch light or over garage light?

Here are some ideas:

@emmarene9 we have a simple flush-mount light in the porch area. We’ve considered adding more exterior lighting in the future, but that’s far down the light. There was previously a security light on the far corner of the garage but that has been out for at least as long as we’ve owned the house

HALLETT & Co - what brand are those windows? They’re exactly what we’re looking for! I can’t find those pane designs anywhere

The ones in the picture are original from 1950. The rest of the house (we only kept the front wall) got custom windows from Sierra Pacific made to match. You can click the link to see more pictures.