Yikes. Tell her to get going and copy YOU on your great landscaping. It's so good, it almost looks Photoshopped. Sorry but all that gee gaw over your cousin's little oval door looks strange since it's so out of proportion. Because it's black, that house just looms over the smallish lot in a not-good way. Your house has a very welcoming, balanced, and inviting feel to it. Maybe the green shutters are too traditional for your taste. It's important to think about YOUR house in its setting, with its neighbors. I don't know, it's almost like asking: "I don't like my kid's sandy colored hair as much as my nephew's jet black hair. Should I dye my kid's hair?" Love the one your with as the old song says.

Here's a charcoal cedar gable with charcoal bornw shutters. Thing is you have a prominent sandy colored roof so shutters need to skew in brownish direction.

Remodel of a 1980"s ranch house · More Info

I would not touch the brick, especially because it is good looking and goes around the house. I would do a dark color on the shutters and remove the ones on the double window. Do a bright color on the door. Limb up the tree, so it doesn't hide the front door and lean too far out.

If you really want your house to stand out, you need a more dramatic color on the shutters. I'd go with a brownish orange with a brighter orange door. Use the urbane bronze on the trim.

For what it's worth, I think your house is a hell of a lot better looking that your cousin's.

Need to boost curb appeal, what can I do? (gardenweb.com)

Lots of ideas on your post a few months ago

Your house is nothing like your cousin's so forget that and do what works on your house I agree a much darker color for the sutters none on thre double window and I do not like your landscping you have a very casual type home and some very structured traditional landscaping . The tree hides your entry always a bad idea . Iwould love to see some color in the landscaping even a japanese maple for at least red in the autumn. I might be tempted to do a shade like this for the shutters and the front door it is called Arroyo from BM The the green landscaping would work better but I still would want some color there

I like Houssan's idea of dark shutters. Take the color of your roof and keep going many, many shades deeper on the color wheel until you have dark brown shutters. Add a dark orange front door. If you're getting a new roof in a couple of years, then do nothing now. then get a warm brown roof, which will open up possibilities. Do not, do not paint your beautiful blond brick.

P.S. May I ask why you are posting your Dilemma again? You got over 30 responses altogether, pretty much admiring of the house and making similar suggestions. If you come back a third time. instead of asking for suggestions, just ask people for approval of the ideas you already have instead of asking for new ideas--waste of time. Sell the house if you're still so negative about it.

Love love your brick the way it is, and totally disagree with Patricia about your landscaping, it is beautiful and totally becomes your home. Don't like the black house all, to me it looks like an update mistake.

Well the is dilemma is wanting to go in a new direction vs the dark shutters option everyone gave me beforehand. But I’ll stick to my original plan

Your house is lovely. I'm a fan of dark, dramatic paint on houses, but your cousin's house is a hot mess. That color looks horrible with her roof and also on the brick. I might look into bulking up the shutters a bit. They look a little undersized and larger ones would add more area to add color. Probably not enough to justify the expense, tho. Your landscape is gorgeous!

I actually thought you'd made a spoof post making fun of your cousin's house. It's truly not a good look on her style of house. Dark paint with cedar accents looks great on mid-century modern style or ultra modern style, but looks out of place on classic homes like hers and yours. Your facade is lovely-I'd only clean the roof, paint the shutters if you wish and perhaps trim back the small tree to the right of your door since it looks like it overhangs the walkway. Don't lean into to your cousin's mistakes.

Paint the shudders all black…and front entrance too! have your brick whitewashed/limewashed..

The only thing I don’t like on OPs house is the white trim. And I don’t like the cousins house at all.

To quote another Commentor upthread: "the cousin's house is a hot mess." Proceed wih caution.

I like your landscape!

Urban Bronze for sure would work better.

"the cousin's house is a hot mess."

x3.

Does your cousin know you posted her address on the 'net? I'd be furious if someone did that to me. You really should crop off the address.