Need help with curb appeal! My house is so plain!

https://danleyb/exterior-landscaping-zone-5-7/ www.ehow.com/list_6977213_landscaping-ideas-zone-5.html

www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/exteriors/how-to-choose-the-best-colors-for-your-house-5588003

www.hometalk.com/categories/painting-techniques/exterior/front-doors

Flowers flowers flowers. they'll add color and charm!

Ditto the comment above - plants, even planter boxes under the windows...You might even want to paint the trim around your garage door squares so it's not all white and/or the triangular inset above your entry. Whatever your favorite color is, I would go with that are some variation of it. Good luck! :-)

For me- the front porch is tiny compared to the the size of the house. In a perfect world I would pull the porch to match the length of the front yard. But for a quick low cost cost update, simply trick the eye into making the porch feel wider. I would paint that little space under the eave of the porch the same color as the shutters. That would make the architecture of the porch pop out. Place planter boxes under the two lower windows- go for the top windows as well if that's possible for you to do. I would either paint them to match the shutters or go for a natural wood look. We also have blistering sun in our front yard, we planted lavender bushes and "full sun" flowers, have them trickle down your walkway also. I love black shutters, but I think the door needs to be a darker color. I am absolutely not an expert, but I hope my ideas give you a good starting point.

I think that painting the door, garage door and shudders yellow or gold would add color to the house. Flowers would add freshness and beauty.

You could paint the front door the same colours as the shutters but if it was me I would be spending my money on the LandScaping. Get some very established trees, then step down to shrubs, plants that add shape and colour. I would invest in a Landscaper to help you design a few different options but trees will soften the look of the house. Some large rocks could add focal points etc.

A little white picket fence is always a homely touch. I would even run it from the front door too as a little pathway and lay white pebbles as your path. Some people are not into gardening of any kind so the alternative is to have some eye catching statues or fountains either side of the pebble path. I would paint the front door to match the garage door with whatever colour you choose but you might find just by painting the porch a vivid colour and going for a contrast on the door would make the house stand out.

Personally, I like your house main colors of the siding and brick and would not change it. It gives the house an architectural contrast and dimension. The recommendations I offered in the attached picture are just my personal suggestion that I myself would implement if I had your home. The dark brown color of the planter boxes is just my preference but you could go with black like your shutters, or you could always paint the shutters dark brown, or leave shutters black and go with dark brown boxes. I hope this helps. I hope it helps. Sorry for the rudimentary drawings but unfortunately I don't have my design software with me, so I had to use power point tools.

Good Luck.

Gary from Florida.

Wow Gary...that is awesome! Thank you so much!

I like Gary's ideas, too. I would add at least one tree out in the front lawn area that loses it's leaves in winter. Position it so that it shades your house in the summer. This will cut down on cooling bills. Also chose a tree that has a nice form when leaves are gone such as a Sycamore, Alder or Oak . Nice trees add value to a home (and neighborhood), usually $10K per mature tree!

Your shutters are too small. They should be the same height as the window trim and each one should be 50% of the width of the window. Then they won't look like an afterthought.

I think some nice rounded awnings over each window, would be beautiful and helps with heat problems. example:

the awning come in different of shapes to match up the front porch.

Maria, I want to point out that the porch is the main break in all those horizontal line crossing the front of your house. I don't think that it is necessary to have that focal point as it is. I've always wanted a big front porch and this house seems to be screaming for one. With money issues not being mentioned I'd run one the full length of the house protruding a good five or six feet wide with a slanted roof matching the main roof. Every ten feet I'd put columns for structural and appearance sake. Doing this would give much needed shade to this portion of your house that, as you say, is blistering at days end. In between the columns you could have that picket fence railing pattern to enhance the facade. Good luck!

I would do red or burgundy on door and garage door and take off shutters on the brick part and start with a nice shade tree.

I would love to see a porch across the entire front (except for the garage), with some flowering shrubs at the corners and lovely flowers across the front. If cost is a big issue, I would opt for Gary's landscaping plan.

Trim portico same as shutters add some flowering trees shubs on both sides of walkway

Here's what I would do -- that full-length front porch. Need to align front steps with entry, sorry! :)

Second photo is the house I borrowed it from.

Also, plant a large deciduous tree along the brick work by your driveway, to provide summer shade and winter sun.

I would paint the whole whole house one color (maybe something a little warmer?) and then wider, white trim. Finish off with larger shutters in a dark color and an eye catching front door color.