Hi, My husband and I bought this house last year and planned to add a gorgeous wrap around porch to the front (every other house in the historic neighborhood we live in has at least a full porch and some have full wraparounds). Our financial situation went downward right before we were kicking off the project, so it's been put on hold for a few years. In the meantime, I feel really disappointed every time I look at the exterior of the house. Other than a nice porch (and new siding, which will be major project #2), is there anything else cost-effective that we can do to hold us over to make the exterior look nicer? Would shutters work with this style house (to add some depth to the flatness)? If so, what color -- black, white, something else? (I'm a little worried the downspout might get in the way of shutters -- part of the shutter might have to go behind it). I talked to a landscape designer last year who suggested some tall thinner trees on the side (I think he said evergreens) to balance out the tallness of the house and add some interest, but he said they'd cost about $1,000 each. I can't justify spending that much on trees when we know we are going to have to pull them out for a potential porch (and there wouldn't be anywhere else on the property to move the trees). Is there anything else I could do to make the exterior look better? The only time it looks halfway decent is from a side angle when the magnolia trees at the beginning of the walkway bloom -- and that is only for two weeks out of the year :-( Thanks for any advice!