Most original colonial houses were built close to wooded areas and close to water. That was the environment of small colonial towns and villages. I think you could do with a color update but not try to change the style of the house into something else.

The first "Board and Batten" transformation looks more "Modern" but personally I think it looks terrible and it tacks on the worst parts of current house design on what was a charming, if "dated" house. The random knee socks stone around the bottom, random metal roof, and stained columns that relate to nothing else on the house are all very popular, but they are all not very good design choices tacked on to a house like that.

Change from the yellow and green to something a little more subtle and you will have a nice looking updated house.

Are you interested in replacing or painting the siding? What about the roof? Your inspiration houses all have darker roofs than you do. I think there's a limit as to how dark you can go with the siding if the roof is light gray. Personally I don't really like dark roofs, but medium gray is a versatile roof color. If you're replacing the siding you can look into flattening the large bay window which would require construction on the interior and exterior. Even if the window stays, you can certainly change the siding to a different color - a medium tone if the roof stays. You also might like it without the shutters. Or change the shutter color along with the siding.

New England Colonial · More Info

Agree with everything that's been said - a nice middle ground might be to simplify the façade by removing the shutters, paint the house a more sophisticate hue than the yellow and change the front door color, invest in some larger traditional (but high style) black light fixtures by the door and garage - last but def not least, improved landscaping will go a really long way

It's a little difficult to tell the roof color (? gray or brownish), but the three exterior colors seem a little discordant, mostly the saturated green color and the large expanse of the garage door color. I'd replace the bushes in front of the bay and adopt a new color scheme.

I think the small "before photo" of the five-four-and a door colonial in gray/blue with charcoal door on the bottom right collage is a classic look and well suited to the house though I'd probably opt for a door in something like BM cottage red.

As for your inspiration photos, they seem quite affected with the faux stone, cedar wrap on posts, metal shred roof and black windows like one is trying to modern farmhouse up a traditional colonial and forgot to edit materials.

I will look at roof color. Anyone have an after pic of a colonial (or similar) after bay window has been removed.

I live in the woods amidst plenty of colonials. Your bay window is pretty. Before I painted I would loosen up the landscaping and have less of it -- you really don't need much by the way of ornamental bushes at the foundation. A few roses might be nice and other low flowers.

I'd remove the shutters and would square off the garage door openings and maybe replace the doors with cedar. i'd consider re-roofing the small section over the bay window in metal.

For paint I think I might pick this kind of color combo of browns and grays and dull green and dark stoney blue, with a bit of black (like the metal roof on the bay window and a black storm door.)

Will def be redoing the landscaping!

Roof is brown.

I grew up in a home with a bay window and it was a lovely spot for holiday decor with the lighted tree in the center. Non-holiday time, two comfy chairs made it a cozy reading nook in the large living room. Your bay currently balances the off center door and window to the right of the door and is the best feature of the front elevation.

I don’t mind the yellow siding, but definitely change the outdated hunter green on the shutters & front door. Or repaint both. Beef up the size on the small outdoor sconces. Possibly take out the angled corners in the upper corners of the garage openings & square them up. And new landscape will do wonders!

The pitch of your roof is not quite as steep as many colonials. But that can be ignored if you love the exterior.
Here is a yellow colonial with deep green shutters, which make a huge difference.

Some color ideas. One of these has a bay window like yours.

Blue colonials look regal to me. Notice the use of white trim to create contrast.

You can’t go wrong with a soft sage green. The black shutters work here.

Love that blue!

@Shannombu of course you can. Google "contemporary bay window" to see images of what you can replace yours with. Remove all the shutters, replace all the windows or if you have cheap windows, pull out the fake panes. Remove the front door and replace it with a modern one. You can even put on a steel roof, but do the whole roof, not just a little bit over the porch because there's no natural break in the roofline. Replace the garage doors with contemporary. Replace the exterior lights with contemporary.

Having said all that, there's nothing wrong with a colonial style house being in the woods by a stream. Perfectly natural.

An easy start would be to paint the shutters white..but a picture as far away as the road in front of your house..will most likely offer more ideas..and even suggest whether additional landscaping would suffice to give your home more presence…

I find bay windows like that hard to work with (in terms of curtains etc); how about turning it into a squared off bay? (Not sure what they’re called)

Perhaps a search on Mid-Century Modern homes will give you some ideas on a …sleeker… style direction

I think you are looking to take some of the cute out of this colonial, which isn't a bad idea. I think you can achieve a pretty big change simply by playing with colors. Currently there is a lot of contrast between the roof, shutters, and walls. I'd try some deep blues and or deep greys and paint the shutters in a deep color as well so there is not so much color pop.

Also try removing the window grids, getting some more striking exterior lighting, and consider new garage doors, or painting them the same color as the exterior body of the house. I too think the example posted above looks pretty ridiculous and you can do much better with much less work.

Whole House Fire Restoration · More Info

Memory Lane · More Info

Colonial Home in NE Portland · More Info

Exterior house painting · More Info