I would put gable roofs on the dormers to start. Then, I would change out the porch rail on the entry. Work up a landscaping plan.

That big bush ,tree,thing needs to go ,and I agree some kind of new railing ,new lighting and lots of flowers and shrubs

Redesign landscape,add forsythia,privet,boxwood,hosta,hydrangea...replace the wakway,windows,the door,paint the roof black with blue,the wall grey,the trims white,add a pergola....

I'm not a pro. I agree tree thing on left is out of place - just got too big. If you have a bigger budget the upper dormers could be made like the lower ones. And you may like a larger scale planting for the right side. The little window over the garage needs some oomph. Maybe black iron like your window egress or a window box? It's a pretty house, regardless.

You can paint the brick so that there is less contrast between the dormers and brick. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/25784950/thumbs/painted-brick

How about update the front-- it would give you a totally different look!
http://houzz.com/photos/1882645

Thanks so much for the ideas. Most of the landscaping was removed to put in the egress windows. Our village required one but we had two put in to balance out the basement room plus it added much needed light in the basement dungeon. The rest of the landscaping will be removed including the big bush on the left and the tree on the right. Although the tree is healthy, it has these crazy berries which cause a huge mess that stain everything. It gets on the driveway, on our shoes, cars, just everywhere. The birds eat the berries and then they poop bomb the siding, patio furniture, playset, our cars, just everything. So its going. We are stuck because we can't decide which direction to go in with the look of the house ie. paint the brick, don't paint the brick, color siding etc. We can't do a total dormer re-do of the house (love the last post, absolutely beautiful) because it's not in our budget at this time (we just bought the house so our budget is quite limited). We also can't do a pergola in the front because our village will not allow it. We can possibly change the doghouses shape, do paint, siding, door, windows etc. although we might need architectural plans for some changes. Our village is pretty strict. We are looking for ideas for short term projects that we can do to improve the curb appeal as well as longterm that we can plan out and do over time. Thanks again for all the good suggestions.

Ok-- here's what I would do

Paint the brick and siding the same color- SW Intellectual Gray is a good one. ( remember the colors will appear lighter when on the entire home --in case you test colors).

http://houzz.com/photos/274918

Then, faux paint the stone so it has various colors in it and is more interesting.

Bigger light fixture above door

Move mailbox to right side to help balance.
Paint front door black, railings black-/ Rustoleum paint is easy

Put small shutters on upper window in black and black door.

Put 3small round box woods or arborvitae in front of the new egress railings on each side. Add some annuals here for color.

Curve out right side of landscaping use a birch, or hydrangea tree for height.

Put 3 taller box woods (triangle shape- wider at bottom) under both bay windows with something like spirea in front of those.

Then stand back and have a margarita!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Do you think the painted brick look fits the look of tnis house or should we just leave the brick alone and do the other updates. We definitely need to do the roof and siding because the last winter resulted in water damage in several spots. Then we definitely need to do the landscaping, but don't know what look to go for. Very structured, formal, english garden looking etc. down the road we would like to do the front windows, door, front stone, walkway etc. It's all about the bugdet. Lol

maybe getting a new door with side lights could re-center the door and you center the lamp. ( maybe two fixtures on either side.)The stone look too flat of a grey against the warm brick. If you repaint the white with a warmer cream color you could dry brush that color on the stones to make it blend better with the rest of the house. much less trouble than painting all the brick anddry brushing would give it more texture and depth especially if you used two shades of cream and beige or white.)
What ever shrubs you put in front of the basement windows should be small and airy to let more light in and not grow over the windows. Azaleas, roses or dwarf crape myrtles? Taller evergreens at the corners.

The off center door drives me crazy too, but inside on the right is a closet with heating pipes running through so it would be costly to re-do the whole vestibule, rip out the closet and center the door right now. We will have to do some of the other suggestions to try to disguise it, until down the road we have the budget to redo the whole thing.

I like the door being off center! Work with it and create and fun entrance way. The Stone around the door doesn't go with the rest of the brick work though.. Is it just a façade or real stone? If it is a façade then I would suggest taking it off and being creative. Give then front entrance to your house a bit of a country cottage look. Be creative!!
Use the door color as an accent around the windows and garage door. That will make the house look more cohesive.
As for the front lawn, I would suggest a country garden look. Better yet, think outside of the box and go with a permaculture design.. Geoff Lawton is one of the leading permaculture designers.. Here is a link to his site where you can watch a clip of his ideas.. http://www.geofflawton.com/sp/13753-sales-page
You can also go on you tube and watch some free videos.. That will give you enough information to get you started..
Good luck and let me know if you would like any more information.. :-)

You may consider to remove the stone and install matching siding. Paint the siding and brick. You can also stain the brick with another color, maybe a charcoal or dark brown.

Paint the faux stone to make the brick. That will help hide it. It is your major problem.

A tree to the far right of the house and pull the plantings out into the yard.

A friend's 70's house has big double doors but one is not functional and covers the wall of closets on the inside.

There are way too many shapes going on on front of house,,,shed dormers, gable over door, round top door, odd shaped front lower windows. Front door isn't centered under gable. If you can, replace front porch, steps and walk to extend entire width of gable. Then move light fixture to right side of door. Change upper dormers to either gables with right roof pitch or to match ones below.

Hi Emma713
First off let me say what a cute home you have purchased! It has many charming details. Obviously my approach to this lovely home will have more of a traditional spin on it, I know everyone is shocked! The home has been added on to in several areas over time. The original structure I believe included the two ground floor bay windows, the single garage, and possibly the shed dormers, but I am not sure. I feel the projecting gable over the entrance was not originally in that stone. That is the only thing about the exterior that bothers me. Here's what I would do. I would cover that part of the stone in real stone, think more cobblestone or even in a beige hue, more fieldstone. The other option, and more cost effective, would be to parget over the existing faux? stone, and paint to match the existing trim. I would stagger different small pieces of stone following the arch of the door down to where it meets the porch. The overall effect would give the home an English Country feel to it, with an aged, grounded look. Pargetting is basically applying an ornamental plaster treatment to the surface, giving a whitewashed or roughcast look to the area covered. It is great for hiding flaws so to speak, and this would be in keeping with the age and style of the home. Relatively inexpensive, and this would fix the only real flaw in the exterior. Now for the fun stuff! I would place shutters on the two shed dormers, and on the windows above the garage, as well as a flower box below those windows above the garage. The reason being, that addition needs to be brought in to proportion with the rest of the home. Shutters to be black, front door to be black, wrought iron railings to be black on front porch, and when you do the roof, that should be in black, first choice, or deep charcoal grey. A single carriage door at the garage would complete the picture. Consider a lattice trellis to the right of the bay window on the right side of the door, perhaps flowering jasmine or maybe wisteria climbing up it. I am one who never cuts down an existing tree or bush, unless it truly is interfering with the structure or pipes, so I would prune the bush to the left of the bay window, and yes I would deal with the birds. Enhance the walk with flowers, and perhaps some cement colored stone pots on the porch, with possibly a vine that would grow up that gable to give the English cottage type look. The projects are meant to be done as the budget will allow, it's so easy to forget how most of us have stretched to get in that first home. Congratulations on the work you have already accomplished, it looks great! Again, what a charming home in waiting this is!

Spend lots of time walking/driving through neighborhoods and studying landscape designs you love. Also, many garden centers (independently owned, not big box stores) will do free landscape designs .....

I happen to like your home as it is, off center door and all. Think home needs lush landscaping and the tree in front of garage removed.

I would make the walkway to the front door more graceful
Rather then straight and work the landscaping around that
It needs some romance

Here's a couple of ideas

1. stucco the front and add decorative tiles.
2. add some awnings over the door and dormer windows
3. Plant a tree on the right side of the house to conceal the way the house juts out on that end.

To make the door appear more balanced in the gable, put the house numbers large and vertical next to the door on the right.

Another balancing idea is to build a small deck at the top of the stairs that is as wide as the gable. Then put some pots of flowers on the area to the right of the door or perhaps a small bench there. One of the photos shows a raised platform with a pot of plants on top. That could work for you here too.

I believe your house originally looked something like these pictured below, ( the bottom row is a bit earlier--1930s) and that the roof over the front door may have originally been more obviously asymmetrical. I do think some tall landscaping, such as an ornamental tree, would help balance the large second-floor addition on the left over the garage, and shrubbery can disguise the fact that the window wells don't line up with the bay windows.

I don't see why your village wouldn't allow a pergola. I used to be a zoning administrator, and generally that sort of thing is OK unless there are set-back restrictions, but that can be waived if you go to the zoning board of appeals. If the pergola is attached to the face of the house, but not supported with posts on the ground, then it doesn't count as a porch or part of your lot coverage ratio. But to me, it looks like there is plenty of lot. Don't just discount the possibility without looking at the regs and talking to the department that approves building permits.

A pergola isn't that common for the era of your house (c. 1950--Tudoresque--a variation on the Cape Cod/Minimal Traditional), but they can help balance a façade and hide a host of sins. Just a simple trellis on the blank wall would help, and possibly a little wing wall to hide all the meters and such by the garage. And pergolas were common on this house's ancestor, the Storybook Cottage, in the 1920s.

I'm wondering if the front entry was altered at some point. The gable may originally have been centered over the arch of the doorway and the light fixture. Not sure abut the stone facing--almost looks painted. Darkening the grout could help give it some dimension. And the soffits are pretty clunky--probably redone fairly recently. A tall bush or ornamental plant to the right of the steps could help soften the disconnect. I would put most of the landscaping on this side, and include some irregular elements, like an ornamental maple or crabapple, and keep the landscaping on the other side lower and plainer, so it is deliberately as asymmetrical as the house is, and will counterbalance the heaviness on the left.

I hate to bring this up, but it looks like a small body is buried between the tree and the gas meter. Is there a reason for this mound?

LOL. Yes, small body. No just kidding. When we finished our basement we had to put in an egress window. We decided to do 2 to bring more light into the basement which is being used as an office and rec room. When they installed them they took out most of my landscaping and the the excess soil wound up on the mound. When we address the landscaping it will be hauled away. We will be starting on a new roof and siding in the next 2 weeks before we move forward with anything else. Getting leaks upstairs and we've been getting lots of rain lately. I can't decide what color roof or siding to go with. Driving my husband crazy. Long term, I want to get rid of the bay windows and expand the window opening on the right side. Also want to do something with the stone work in the front by the entry but don't know what. I saw some posts where people white washed their fireplace stone walls and I thought maybe do some sort of white wash on the stone in greys and tans. At least until we can rip out the stone and redo it. Some good suggestions in some of the above comments. The village will not allow a porch or pergola because some sort of distance restrictions to the curb. Also our taxes are really high in the village and if you add anything they tax you on it. So what color should I do on the siding and roof? Thanks for all the great ideas.

I would go with a really dark gray roof, very classic

Have a couple of questions: When you have visitors do they park in the driveway or on the road? Reason for asking wondering about adding a sidewalk from the driveway to the front door but creating a small courtyard where the front walkway and the new sidewalk meet. Adding a small deciduous tree on the right side with some evergreen shrubs below: The tree would create softness to the corner of the house. One the left hand side of the entry I would keep the plantings lower.

We actually have two driveways. One on the left in front of the attached garage and another on the right which leads to another detached garage. There are restricted parking times so depending on when, sometimes visitors do have to park in our driveways. I am intrigued by the courtyard idea but I am not sure what you mean exactly.

i would do a dark brown roof and tan siding. then paint the stairway rails black. get advice from a good paint store about making that stone look better - more beige/taupe/brown.

Here is a quick idea for the courtyard area. I switched the new sidewalk to come from the right side instead of the left but could go either way.

I think the main thing you need is a darker roof color. It would utterly change the whole house. I think black would be too dark, but a nice middle to almost charcoal grey or even greeny-grey could be nice. A dark maroon-brown, middle brown, or even a type of muted green might be a possibility too, but I think the grey is more classic, would relate to the stone facing and could really solve a lot of what is bothering you about the house, along with some creative landscaping.

Even the stone would look much better with the right roof, and I think gently darkening the grout could add needed dimension, but done darken too much. Sponging the stone to change the color a bit is possible, but takes several related tones and a gentle touch to look good. Honestly, I would do everything else first before attempting anything to do with the stone.

I think the existing siding is fine, and I would leave it alone. Changing the color will just emphasize the small windows and create too much contrast with the white window frames, unless you go with a very light grey or tan. But then the undertones with the brick could be tricky and could easily be too cool or the wrong tint. You could go with a darker color, but only if you can also darken the window frames to keep it from being choppy.

If it is old aluminum siding, that stuff will last forever on an upper floor as long as there is no hail damage. Try GENTLY (no more than 1000 PSI from 1 foot away and/or with a scrub brush) cleaning it, and if it is chalking, you can carefully prime and repaint for far less than replacement. Dents can be fixed with Bondo, much like as with a car. Vinyl has a much more limited lifespan, but it too can be cleaned and even repainted (there is special paint for this and best with light tones). While you are at it, check the flashing and window caulking.
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Higher taxes are a fact of life when you improve your property. But you can challenge the new assessment with comparable properties in the neighborhood. Tax assessments by address are public record, and look at comparables in the real estate listings. I have successfully challenged large increases in my assessments on both my homes, because a dollar in does not mean a dollar increase in value, especially if an improvement, like a new roof, is really routine maintenance.

Pergolas, awnings and canopies and patios shouldn't affect setback requirements like a porch would. You should be safe with anything that doesn't extend beyond the face of the front entry, or maybe the stoop.

Should we add shutters? On the dog houses? On the bay windows? Window above garage? I feel that we need to put something under the window above the garage. Maybe window box or decorative iron something. Any ideas would be appreciate. Met with the siding and roof guy today. Too many color choices.

We have to change the siding. There are 3 different sidings and some of it damaged and there are holes and birds have made nests inside it.

I don't shutters would look good on the bays.

Hi! Update on the the work. We did the siding & roof. Landscaping is next. As some of you suggested we painted the railings and added a bigger light fixture above the door. We don't have the budget to change the door this year but we want to paint it. We just don't know what color. My husband wants red, I am leaning to black. We also have to do landscaping.

As a professional landscaper I can come out and give you a free consultation and estimate. If hired I can totally redesign or upgrade your landscape to that curb appeal that wows onlookers. Thank you for your consideration.

HERE'S A SIMILAR JOB EASTERN LANDSCAPES HAS RECENTLY FINISHED. FROM THIS.....

TO THIS....