I was thinking of a porch, but I wondered if that would reduce the light too much coming in through the front windows on the first floor. I was thinking of putting in a stone wall along the front of the house as well to make the house -- relatively contemporary -- feel a little older and more classic.

That big house forehead though. Ughhh!

I agree with mmilos' comments. The red door you want is a terrific accent. You might also benefit by having the proper shutters to replace the existing ones (see below). Do your landscaping and entrance walkway before you do major changes to the front entry, I think you will get a different perspective on your lovely home.

You could stone clad the bottom floor of the main house. A fieldstone would give it more of a farmhouse look and break up the white siding.

I would focus on the landscaping and minor improvements first. Live with the house for a while before making permanent changes.

In the meantime, hang a big Christmas wreath above the front door.

If you are a first time buyer, I suggest that you live in the house for 6 mo. to a year, before you commit any major resources for anything. Preferences and priorities will change, as to your needs and wish lists the longer you remain in one home. Changes in the building envelope are likely best pursued when collaborating with a designer or architect. As one example, for a porch to be as useful as it can be perceived as a nice design element, it must be a minimum of 6' front to back, or it is design chattle--it won't function. If your home is part of an HOA, there can be issues re: what you can build, and often, there can be architectural control committees which have to give their blessings before you can proceed. Ultimately, though, The land use codes relavent to your site will be the guiding light as to what you can and can't do, in terms of bldg footprint/lot coverage/bldg. setbacks. Any pertinent HOA and permitting issues should be pursued and addressed concurrently. I suggest that your home is not as bland as you infer, and with the assistance of a talented Houzz pro in your area, you will be able to make some great decisions that will meet your needs in terms of curb appeal, without breaking the bank. Happy Houzzing.

Love the orange/red door color suggested above. Not as expected as the traditional red. Adding some larger, dramatic out of the box lights would add some panache. Doing a brick paver porch and sidewalk in an orange/red tone would look nice. If you have a larger budget, I would consult an architect on utilizing the large blank area between the two upper windows to raise your outside entrance area and create a covered porch.

carriage style garage doors can really dress up the front. we just purchased a home in nj and I just ordered 2 new doors by clopay with beautiful arched windows and wrought iron accents. we spray painted our brass numbers and mail box a hammered bronze. replaced our lanterns by door, garage and post lamp to match the painted numbers. the light fixtures were from lowes and they make a great statement. we also trimmed back a lot of the landscaping too. painted the front door to bring out the stained glass windows that we have. good luck!!

"thinking of pulling the front walk forward away from the house and bricking it in with a more graceful swoop. "

Good thought ... the walkway needs to definitely lead people to the front door, without having to do an Indiana Jones with a machete through the bushes.

Step 1 ... remove all the bushes between the front door and the driveway, and those things by the corner of the driveway.

Step 2 - Bring the front entry steps out as a small terrace, with a wall that is bench-height and make a wide brick walkway all the way to the drive ending at the end of the driveway. Leave an inconspicuous opening in the wall so you can use the old front walk to get to the other door.

"Swoops" are harder to install than squares, so use an interesting series of squares leading off the drive and to the front door.

Use short columns with downlights around the entry terrace and along the walk for safety and interest.

Step 3 - Start your "foundation landscaping" at the curb, with plantings of mixed evergreens and perennials and ornamental grasses that follow along the entry walk and around the terrace.

I do like the orange red door idea. Do extend the front porch as a varanda type thing and redirect the walkway. Other than that I like the idea of waiting for 6 months. there will be things inside that take priority, i am sure.

Thanks everyone for your comments. We will wait before making any major architectural changes to the house, like windows or porches. There are interior spaces of the house which will take time and resources to fix first (such as the hideous kitchen floor tile). We will start with the door color, shrubs, and walkway and reassess from there.

Denita, can you explain what you mean by better shutters?

Yes, the shutters need to be sized right and look like they could operate. Here, read this very enjoyable link by an architect that explains the differences much better than I can and he shows photos so you have a good handle on it too.

http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

Here's a pretty updated garrison style home where you might find ideas. Major first step is removal of the blocky hedges and overgrown shrubs which are covering your home. Then have professionals come in to prune the tree in front.

Decoenthusiaste photo is almost the same design. the reverse color scheme looks great and I like the porch cover. It gives importance to the actual entry.

Novice noodler, Hi. Hey, you've made a good start by blocking out the wheelie bin : ) Look, the simple solution is to build a portico off the front entrance. It will direct the eye away from the - yep not a great feature- 'forehead' it will give the house real style, an attractive portico entry will actually provide shelter over the existing exposed front door. Check out the pics below from Houzz (Traditional Exteriors.) You'll find a local builder who can build it for you, no architect required. Good luck.

Properly fitted (half the size of the window), functional shutters will truly make a difference on your home, as mentioned by Denita. We couldn't agree more with this suggestion and believe a louvered style would look great. Are you totally set on the color black?

Timberllane -- I'm not set on black at all, although I'm not sure what color to replace them with once I upgrade to the proper size shutter. We were thinking about a red door -- would green or blue be appropriate?

Rosecafe - Thanks for the suggestion. A portico might be a more affordable way to upgrade the exterior of the house than a full porch. The side entry there is covered and actually quite deep -- enough to sit in two Adirondack chairs in the rain and not get wet. So a true front porch isn't really necessary if a better aesthetic can be achieved with/for less.

We always encourage our customers to follow their own personal aesthetic taste when it comes to decorating their home. Green or blue would not look bad with a red door. Our Colonial Times Blue color paired with a red door looks great on this home pictured below. We also have a Charleston Proper Green and Old Essex Green that could also blend.

Thanks for the suggestions. I love that white house in the bottom left corner of our post. Something like that would be my dream home (some day).

Good pun, novicenoodler.

You're welcome! You can learn more about our shutters and what we have to offer on our website at http://www.Timberlane.com and be sure to request a free catalog for reference!