I would keep the white siding, porch white, dark grey garage door and shutters.

Personally i really really like your house, but the siding on the upper rooms does not blend, i.e. sticking out like a sore thumb, which means my eye is drawn up ward instead of being focused to your porch and landscape

I like the grays. Do door black. With brush nickel hardware.

I just add this picture to my ideabook. The colours are pulled from the stone, which you could do the same. I think wider window trim is a more updated look, rather than shutters. If you do change trim from white however, you would have to change eavestroughs.

I thought I attached a full photo but it looks like the full house photo didn't upload. I'm intrigued by taking off the shutters but would it look bare? Or odd? Should I add a larger frame around the window instead?

Just in case, I added it twice?!

I would paint the siding a darker color to compliment the stone. Removing the shutters (or shudders if you've read the posting at Life of an Architect) is a must. It won't look bare. It will look proper. The shutters are obviously non-functional and are distracting. Keep the fascia and trim white, same with the downspout and I think you'll be much happier with your exterior.

My husband thinks we should change the siding for a vertical siding. Thoughts? And yes, I too like the darker color with white trim on everything. What color would you do the garage and front door? Same as siding? Or darker?

The garage door and front door would look great if they were wood. I would not go with vertical siding. You don't have enough height. It will make the house look more squat and awkward. A thinner horizontal siding would actually be better. Hardi makes a 3 1/2" siding I think.

I would lose the shutters and the half-moon panel of the garage door. My eye says a darker color would be appropriate on the upper siding which is now white. I would pull some grays and dove colors from the stone to start with. Change the vertical siding above the garage to a solid piece with no lines. A dark door would look good, without the white casing around the door and sidelight. I like the colors in Marlene M's post too. Your home will look so much more up to date when you are done, it'll be worth the anguish of making all these decisions!

It will not look bare with shutters removed. I think besides being unusable, they actually make the windows on top look very squat, if that's a good description. And I agree about the garage doors too. We had those same windows on our cedar garage doors, and I resisted changing them because I loved the cedar, but we updated them two yrs ago with doors that had updated look and matched our siding colour and and I am very glad I finally did it. And I think the 80's are glad to have them back also. :)

:) The car's color matches the house IMO

I'm thinking a medium grey blue, white trim and a bright front door...since it's in the shadows, you want it to stand out....maybe a somewhat bright blue. I agree, take the shutters off, it will update the house.

Here's our changes! Still have to plant the garden and seal the driveway but we're close! Now, railing back on or no railing?

Plan to get a new door in the spring. Painting dark was a bandaid solution for now.

Put a couple of chairs or a bench under the window and no railing....it just blocks the view and really does nothing.

LOVE what you have done and thanks for the update!