What is paintable? To my eye, white paint on a white brick house makes the white brick look dingy. Are the windows paintable or are they vinyl? I would paint the garage door and the siding a darker colour than the brick. A darker garage door will also hide the dinginess at the bottom, probably inevitable as water flows down.

The shrubs that encroach on the windows, porch and driveway could be pruned back, or maybe one or two removed. They look as if they were the right size once, but have overgrown their original spaces. The steps should all be visible, and the shrubs at the end of the walkway look a little too close to the walkway, as if you need to squeeze past. They should be lower and further back.

Neaten the grass at the driveway edge, maybe add a row of edging stones.

Much larger house numbers and a larger light by the entry.

I like the shutters, although someone may say they're not architecturally "correct" for the house/windows. I think they look proportional and add some nice interest. If you remove them the bricks behind may be a different colour because they were not exposed to the sun and the elements, so be aware of that potential problem if you are thinking about removing them.

A cute house, don't worry about the neighbours! Just needs a little freshening up.

I agree with partim, it's a cute house that just need a few touches. I'd suggest a warm brown taupe color for the shutters to soften the look of them. And I would paint the gable the same color as the brick, so it isn't visually split. Also agree with cutting back some of the shrubs and probably removing like the boxwood that has gotten so big. I wouldn't remove the one with color as they're beautiful against the white brick. They may need some shaping. Paint the garage door the same color as the shutters, or if in the budget, replace it altogether. A bigger light and contemporary house numbers will really help give it a lift.

I’d remove the shutters. Extend the front porch and possibly shrink down some of the oversized landscaping

I'd do a hard pruning of the bushes and shrubs on the LH side of the walkway to get them more balanced with the items on the RH side.

Can you stand back and take a picture that gives a better view of garage and driveway and also a better view of the right side of the house. Appears you have quite a large tree encroaching on the house.

I wish my azaleas looked like yours! Just trim the evergreen. Could change the door color.

Your home is very lovely! I would invest in a professional landscape/hardscape makeover. Some of the larger bushes should be refreshed to give your home an updated look. You might update the porch light, garage door ( or maybe is could be power washed), and try a new door color. Would it look better if the trim and door are the same color?

I agree with the others who suggest landscape improvement. Upscale homes have better landscaping as you might realize as you look in your neighborhood. Contact a landscape architect who can make a plan the you implement as you have time and funds.

I think the shutters don't add to the look. I would remove them. I agree the gabel should be painted to match the siding and the bushes need a hard pruning.

If your home were surrounded by other 1950s split level ranch houses would you feel compelled to change the outside of it? If you are trying to keep up with the Jones, don't your home is quite nice. Paint the garage door the same color as the house and trim the shrubs.

UPdtae is remove the shutters and as mentioned clean up the landscpaing

I disagree with the taupe brownish color. You have a gray roof. Keep that roof in mind, when you change any of the colors. I do agree, the white makes it look a bit dingy. I would paint the gable, the same color as the brick. I would also keep the shutters, and leave them the color they are. Garage doors could also be the color of the brick. Paint the front door a nice bright color (your favorite color, maybe?) The left side bushes, could be trimmed back just a bit. Your azaela's are gorgeous, and add a lot of color. What is there for color, when the azaela are not blooming?

Add my vote to prune the shrubbery a bit. It’s beginning to look neglected.

In my opinion your house looks fine. An upscale feature would be brick or stone in your landscape. Especially the sidewalk. Ideally the driveway too but that can be $$$$ very quickly.

Trimming back shrubs would be a good place to start. They look a bit overgrown. If you were to decided to replace your shutters would suggest you use real operable shutters that fit the windows. Can't tell if the brick is already painted or if the bricks are white to begin with. Would suggest replacing your garage door but please choose one with lights.

Looks like you might want to improve the drainage and water management next to your garage door. Do you have a linear drain there? If not, you should add one.

If I was driving in your neighbourhood, I would choose the character of your home over anything larger and ‘trend’ styled with the same garden as everyone else. A garden doesn’t have to be trimmed so as to have no natural shape at all. Your garden is lush, colorful and the door is visible! The photoshop by Simply Natural with the small tweaks of color change to the garage door and eaves shows that really only a few tweaks are needed, not a grand overhaul of an established garden.

I'd paint the siding in the gable to match the brick --- which is lovely, BTW.

Then, I'd paint the shutters a more interesting color.

I like the blue in this photo:

Painted Brick with Southern Charm · More Info

This is another lovely blue, as you can see, even a pretty dramatic blue doesn't overwhelm the house.

Tropical Exterior · More Info

But there are a lot of pictures of cream brick houses with taupe or gray shutters, which go better with the brick than your black. The trick is to pick up an undertone in the cream. In the first pic, it's a yellowish undertone, in the second, it's brownish.

Capitol View · More Info

Painted Brick French Country · More Info

Thanks for all your great ideas!! Here is a wider shot, under current heat-distressed conditions. See overgrown Japanese maple planted very close to house and now leaning. Prunable or must cut it (it is beautiful, but big)?? The bush right in front of the door is a mature camelia btw, which offers enormous hot pink blooms in early spring. And before the hostas emerge, there are daffodils in their place. Yellow knockout roses are in front of the bigger window. I should thin out the hostas. If I remove shutters, I have to repaint all the brick. So in that case, would you change color?

I have a Japanese Maple that I prune because one side of it died during a cold winter. My experience is that wherever I prune, several long stringy branches shoot out behind the cut. So it is a never ending battle to keep the tree from looking weird because the cuts have stimulated it to shoot out overly-enthusiastic growth. Certainly you could try to prune yours, beginning with the branches overlapping your windows, and the ones that are simply too tall. But don't be surprised if you end up taking it down at some point when the pruning doesn't meet your expectations. It will be very hard to prune this tree back to where it is a good size, without it looking mutilated, or simply dying.

It looks as if your house juts back, behind where the maple is planted? Are there windows there that are completely covered?

Here's an idea of what it might look like without the Japanese maple. If it were mine, I would remove it.

Newer landscaping in a somewhat more natural style would really lift your house's appearance. Your current shrubs, smoothly sheared down to round and saucer shapes, are not as attractive.

I brightened up your picture to see what's behind the Japanese maple, and it looks like another section of the house. Wouldn't it look better if that wasn't hidden?