Here is an inspiration photo for you that has that craftsman style, but the roofline is similar to your roofline. The patio is a shed roof which could be added to your home and still look natural.

Here are a couple of pics. Hover over each one to expand and click on the name to see the entire project.



Here is another, just a little bit more involved than the Bon Ton residence posted above.


This one has craftsman elements too

Don't be embarrassed, a home is a home which some people don't have. New siding will definitely give it a whole new look! I have wood siding on my house which were repainting and adding brick to this year. I would focus on enhancing the entrance way and windows and landscaping. A new door and door trim to make the entrance way look larger, concrete steps, new windows and shutters and lots of flowers and fresh grass would increase the curb appeal ten fold.

NICE! I was thinking of adding some fake rafters. Thank You Denita :)

Welcome to houzz Chirly! Can't wait to see what ideas this group comes up with for you. I'm going to assume then that siding, some kind of porch structure, and hopefully a little landscaping are in the budget. Lots of potential and possibilities -- here are some photos to add to your houzz ideabook if they appeal to you. None is an exact match for your starting point, but each might have a set of columns, color combo, etc, that catches your eye.

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You really could get that craftsman feel with a shed roof porch all across the front and the rafters and proper pillars. Naturally you would need an architect, but I don't think it is as far a stretch to get to where you want to go as it first appears. :)

Hardie plank is great upgrade. We are replacing our trim with it. You can get it in colors so you don't have to paint it.
A porch would be practical and pretty. With the low sloped roof a simple shed roof extending just a little past the door to one side would look good supported by some wood and stone based craftsman columns.

You're right Nicole, I have a home and I'm overwhelmed and excited about fixing it up. I like the style of this door and love the color. The landscaping will be tough. I have a lot of trees and the house faces north. I don't get a lot of light.

I would be very overwhelmed as well! That is a huge project that will be worth it! There's a few varieties of grass that will do great in low light area such as Kentucky bluegrass. Maybe instead of flowers, some shrubs would look nice. Their low maintenance. Love the door and the trim! What colors are you thinking of going with for the siding?

Wow, Barnhart! Great job. Looks like a different house already!

Chirly, what has made you decide to replace your wood siding? It doesn't look in bad repair, maybe just a little untended. A good, qualified painter could go round it with prep and paint, saving you the expense of residing an entire house. The long linear porch would be a good and seemingly easy addition. What general part of the country are you in? That would help people suggest some good planting materials, and other landscape ideas.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and wonderful suggestions. Nicole I haven't decided on a color yet and nwduck I'm having second thoughts on replacing the siding. It is pretty bad in some places. I have a lot of problems with carpenter bees and woodpeckers. Replacing just the bad siding would cost almost as much as residing the whole house. I saw a porch here on houzz sstarr and catieb had suggested in another discussion that I liked. I hope it's ok to use their idea.

I've done a very crude cut and paste of some ideas I been thinking of doing. What do you all think?

I think this has really amped up your curb appeal. The functionality and presence of the entry has been greatly enhanced.

Some shade loving ferns and hosta would look awesome along the stone wall.

Lol, wow that design was from last May! Had so much fun working with catieb, who is awesome. I'll have a look at your house..... S*

Here's a slightly updated Craftsman look, with a pergola incorporated into the entrance, exposed rafter ends, more symmetry.

Your front door, the stoop and the (poorly proportioned) shutters sugest to me that the house was intended to mimic a Georgian Colonial home. You might play that up - it is a starkly beautiful style but a far cry from Arts & Crafts!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Josiah_Dennis_House.jpg

Sstarr What program do you use to add design elements to the house? I would love to try it.

Good Ideas! Definitely I would suggest to add a front entry. It will make a huge difference. If you can do the covered front porch with the metal roof would be even better! Good luck with your project.

@denagrl, I use Trimble Sketchup, and sometimes a rendering engine.

Oh, and Photoshop of course for pre and post-processing

It's interesting that Chirly did a flat roof deck on the garage. If you have views from there, and it has access from kitchen/dining/living, that might be worth exploring for a use standpoint, and not just a exterior redesign POV. Would be used? As you look like you are in a pretty open area, that might be a good addition, but expensive restructure. If you did a roof deck, what about a flattish porch covering that meets the bottom of the upper deck? (I'm looking at you, sstarr.)

;-) nwduck! Actually a few months ago, someone posted a dilemma wanting to put a flat seating area on top of a garage.... going to look for my sketch.

Put a little Georgian architrave porch over the door to break up the basic house effect. It's very bare, looks like you could use some greenery too.

Your house actually looks more like a southern or New England colonial, which are my favorite styles. If you do not anticipate being in the home for very many years, why not center the door and install symmetrical, matching windows to finish the colonial look? I agree with the Hardie siding, and I would suggest white with white trim. If you are keeping the dark roof color, I would suggest you paint the shutters and entry doors the same dark color. A portico-style porch with columns (round or square, as you prefer) would be nice, and you could add a pastel like light blue, light lime green, or pale shrimp pink as the color for the porch ceiling and porch floor.

Old post, 2014