Where are you? State and/or nearest large city. Which direction does the house face?

The landscaping is seriously undersized for the house. Making the landscaping more in scale with the house is going to have the biggest bang for the buck.

IMO a darker sage for the siding woild have helped a much larger porch type entry a new door omma color and the side lights the same color they are part of the door .The landscping is just not good for the size of the house a nice walkway for guests from the street idelly but a t lest the one from the driveway nice and wide

If you go with Black shutters, I think you need to paint the garage door black too,

including the panels under the windows. Whatever color you paint the front doo, the side lites should be painted the same, so the door looks more grand.

I personally would sample SW Polished Mahagony

, instead of black, would bring out the maroon color in the brick, and compliment the green of the siding, not to mention, just different. Black has been done...

I'm sure you don't want to hear that the siding is the wrong color since you did it recently, but it doesn't look right. The garage door color looks good with the brick. Looks like the same color is under the windows. Did you replace larger windows with smaller ones on the first floor, or were there always panels under the windows?

In order to not cut off all the light from the interior I would put a pergola on the front, spanning the part of the house that has a second story. I also think your front door should be a more assertive color. It's blending in a litttle too much. Since the siding is greenish, maybe a green front door would work. You do need some larger plants next to the house as others have noted. It looks like you have some nice ground cover or low lying plants, but good landscaping is tiered. Plants are expensive, so you don't need to plant bushes that are large from the start, but maybe ones that will look right inside of five years, but won't look crowded after ten years. Consult a local landscaping company for a plan. They will know the best plants for your area.

Burlington Retreat · More Info

The problem is largely how the 2nd floor overwhelms the first.

It would be best if the windows were not white -- but that won't change.

The 2nd floor windows do seem to be proud of the trim, and the trim seems rather small. I'd make it thicker and wider, and remove the decoration above them.

Adding a roof across the front helps minimize the 2nd floor, and trim and a darker color in the gable help make the 2nd floor appear wider.

I might consider shutters to help fill all the empty wall on the 2nd floor.

IMO simply adding shutters would help.

You have a lovely home, sorry you are upset with the outside.

I would concentrate on lush landscaping. I would change the color of the front door.

Not quite sure what color, I just don't care for that color with your brick.

While I can take or leave shutters, I don't like the reddish ones Beverly posted.

Larger house lights & land scaping & the area between steps to yard light is bare! Earl Mae's or Menards, Lowes, Home Depot for landscaping. Love the shutters.

It's a very nice home and I don't understand why you dislike it. It doesn't need much.

I would paint the garage door and the window sashes and door side panels the same color as the upper siding. Simplifying the major elements of the facade and bringing the upper color down to the lower level.

A Navy blue front door is a nice contrast and a complementary color to the warm tones and ties in the darker bricks.

Here is a rough skecth of my concept.