Suggestions for improvements on the front of my house?

I want to keep to the adobe style, but make this front view more interesting and welcoming. There are two other entrances on the left side of the house, so guests don’t know where to go. Also, just how ugly is that bush? It’s a camellia with beautiful blooms in February. I can’t decide if it’s worth keeping for that. It survived the drought, unlike my lawn. I know you are a creative bunch! I’m single and in my upper 50’s, so keep it simple!
If I add railings, which space do I leave open?
  12 answers
  • One word. Xeriscaping. A great way to replace the grass using drought tolerent native plantings. I wouldn't add railings as it would "cut off" the clean lines. Use that porch or patio space, add a rug, seating, potted plants, lighting and decor. You can build a simple path to the side of the house to your front door. Then decorate the door with a seasonal wreath, welcome sign or flag, anything that denotes where to ring the bell and enter.

  • Carol abernethy Carol abernethy on Jun 16, 2018

    i think some kind of red flowered potted plants would look great all along your porch ... one in each opening between uprights ... i don't like absolute symmetry so would place them just to the left (or right) side of the upright supports. once they're planted, it's done except for watering. not knowing where you are or what plants grow there, i can't recommend specifics. that's just the first thing that came to my mind's eye when i saw the photo.

  • DCB4711 DCB4711 on Jun 17, 2018

    I'd add a walkway leading to the front door and place two big rounded planters to frame it. The walkway could be just small stones corralled by some kind of edging. As for the big camellia bush, it just needs trimming so it's a better shape and not lopsided. You could even stick some "fairy lights" in the bush so that at night it would twinkle a bit. I'd paint the door a lighter color; it gets lost in the shade of the overhang. Put a wreath on it so it signals itself as an entry. Wrap a post (the one on the left corner if possible) with some chicken wire and train some kind of climbing vine to grow up it so soften the look and balance visual interest. Let the walkway

    be curvy and get going with planting some grasses that don't need a lot of water. I can imagine some flowering sage would add some great color.

  • Rymea Rymea on Jun 17, 2018

    I would like to see trellises with vines on a few of the posts. Also I would paint the house front that is under the porch roof a lighter shade of the same color as the rest of the house. You could paint the door, trim and posts a bright color like yellow, turquoise or red. The main problem i see with the bush is that is is trimmed into an unnatural ball shape. I don't know much about Camellias but most bushes can be drastically cut back right after blooming. So if that is possible with a Camellia, right after it blooms next year cut it down to about 2' and then let it regrow in a more natural shape.

  • Wandamurline Wandamurline on Jun 17, 2018

    Take down the huge bush in front first....maybe you can relocate it somewhere else where it does not block the front view. A walkway from the driveway in the front to the front door will give you a flower bed where you can put some color with some easy to care for flowers...like lantana...but be sure to get the dwarf ones. On the other side of the walkway, extend a concrete or some kind of matching wall and continue the flower bed all the way to the end. Then you can add some kind of tall, small tree at each end of the house....and some drought resistant grass would be great. Hope this helps, but this is just my thoughts...

  • Eroque022810 Eroque022810 on Jun 17, 2018

    Ok, so from the picture I saw you have a typical ranch with a tile roof. Can you paint the walls of home, are they actually stone finish? And if yes lighten them up to a color that screams adobe like a cream color. Then the door can be seen since it's so dark I had to search for it. If not then lighten color of door and leave house alone. I honestly don't know of a true adobe home with skinny pillers in the front like a 70's style home. Can you add stone to them to thicken them up? Also forget wreath cause that would not be found on an Adobe home. I can't see lights on either side of door or overhead. If you have them then keep lights on if you don't then add them. And as for lawn have it taken out and stones put in with greenery that fits the area where you live. As stated before we don't know where you live so can't help with plants but keep them close to the ground about 12-18" only. That way you can see the house. Normally I would not suggest killing a plant but at least prune that Bush if you can't relocate it, I would remove it, it doesn't fit into the look you want,as I understand it. Get a knock off of a native American rug and either hang it up on wal, as decor or use on porch. You have a great house and you appear to know the style you want to keep so it's not that bad but may take time due to budget restraint so take it slowly but follow it through or it will scream "I am not done". I would start with painting of house and/or front door. If you can't see it how do you get to it. Then I would attack posts. I would never mix styles so no lattice unless you make it from twigs and natural stuff and use a native plant. I would in the meantime start to remove grass. Oops no attack front bush and open up area. OK after grass you will need to order the stones and try to get a company that will place them on the soil not driveway. That way you can move it onto ground more easily. Also if you want as suggested by another person make a path. I would use a different stone for that but first add edging to keep stones apart. You can add bolder if you can afford them as focal points. Lastly pick native plants to your area that will withstand the conditions. Don't fight it go with it,maybe add a metal chiminea I think that's how you spell it, it's the firepit that's associated with the sothwest. I mean if you want that look. If you want a Spanish looking home and your area can withstand geraniums add lots of planters on your porch and home filled with them because when you look up homes in Spain that's what you see. In that case if you can only paint the door make it red and if you can paint the house make it white. Older homes in Spain don't have grass they are so close together but they do have courtyards which usually have small stones as ground cover and then some slate to place a table and chairs,so you could make your path out of slate. Check them out if that's the look you want. OK well those are my thoughts on your home. I love the fact that you know your style. Just take it one step at a time and you will succeed.

  • 27524803 27524803 on Jun 17, 2018

    Rymea has a good suggestion... painting the front of the house under the porch roof will draw attention to it... White, cream or light gray and a bright color of the door to call attention to it.... Create a curvy walkway up to the area right in front of the door with large bright colored planters at those 2 awning posts.

    and remove the 2 plants that are in that area.... create a topiary look to the camellia so it is less round and more sculptural or remove it all together... If you keep it balance it out with a similar size and look to the other side or put in a garden sculpture, fountain, etc.

    A Xero-scape that is water conservative would look good and you would not have to mow it...... if you choose mulch or gravel.... use a good quality of landscape fabric to prevent weeds... A large tree or bush on the left corner (as you face the house) would block the view of the other 2 doors and encourage visitors toward the real front door.

  • Lori Dumm Lori Dumm on Jun 17, 2018

    If you like your bush , How all about trimming it all so small,and if your not so good at it, how all about trim one branch and measure it with all another one and trim all around till you get all the desired amount you all like. Add some hanging baskets ! And concrete flower pots all so square would all look nice !


  • Lori Dumm Lori Dumm on Jun 17, 2018

    Also you could add some Scotts water purifer to help with your green grass ! Or just call Scotts Landscaping if you all have one n your area !

  • Millies_mom47 Millies_mom47 on Jun 18, 2018

    Hi, when I first looked at your photo, I saw so many things to brighten and make your home more attractive. To start lets paint the outside of the house in say a tan or terra cotta colour, and then add shutters on each side of the front windows (you can buy premade shutters or pick up some at a yard sale but be picky and get ones you can either fix or are not in bad shape), then paint the shutters a complimentary colour say an ivory if you go with terra cotta house paint, you could even paint the shutters red, then paint the front door the same colour as the shutters, you can leave the posts white to make them pop! I wouldn't put in climbing plants as they need to be watered everyday and especially if it gets really hot where you live. So I would hang a porch swing on the far left where there is no window and hang it so that it hangs in the centre of the two posts, and you can paint it white to go with the posts or with the same colour you paint the shutters and door. On the far right I would trim back the plant (shrub/tree) so that it can bloom again and be a little bit more attractive and not block the window behind it. Don't forget to put shutters on each window even the one the plant hides, because you're not going to have it so big once you trim it back. Cut it back about a third so it doesn't look like a hot mess, then when it blooms again it won't look weird. Something else you could do is to paint the front porch/patio with a grey porch or concrete paint, to freshen it. Then because you have painted the front door, you have made it more obvious to the people approaching the house you'll need to add in a walkway. You can do it the easy way with the patio cement blocks (they come in different sizes like squares or rectangles) you choose which shape to use, just make sure it's wide enough for someone to comfortably walk and not so far apart that they have to make large steps to land on the next one. You could take it from the front sidewalk to the front door or from the driveway to the front door. If it were me I'd add a arbor at the beginning of the walkway to make the walk a little more obvious and encourage people to use. If you paint it white like the posts it'll stand out even more. And by the way the arbor doesn't have to be a large wood one, they come in affordable metal wire type material as well. So last for me would be the yard. I know someone else mentioned, that since you seem to have a lot of heat and even drought conditions you might consider planting succulents, like cactus, there are so many and I'm afraid I don't know all the types. You could use some different coloured mulch to help them retain water and add interest. For the plants you can go to a garden center and they'll help you pick out plants and stick to any budget you may have. They could even help you decide how to plan the yard planting, if you take a drawing with you with the measurements of where the walkway is and where the arbor sits, etc. At first I believe you'll still have to water the plants while they get established but then they'll be fine on their own and less maintenance for you. I hope my ideas help you, I can see in my mind and at looking at your picture how beautiful your yard will look and what curb appeal it'll have. GOOD LUCK!!

    • Millies_mom47 Millies_mom47 on Jun 18, 2018

      One other thing I forgot to mention for another pop of colour you could put ceramic pots on your porch/patio and put in colourful hardy flowers or just annuals like petunias or pansies with a little tuft of a wild grass in the middle of the flowers. You could put them under each window and on each side of the patio swing, you'd need to look and see if it would work to have that many. Again GOOD LUCK!!

  • 17335038 17335038 on Jun 28, 2018

    How to improve the front of the house? When I saw the picture, I first thought it was the back of the house, until I re-read the question. Every house front needs the front door clearly identified. This instantly gives life to the facade, and makes the house appear more welcoming. Naomie's comment addresses this aspect.

    The front porch area is dark. I would paint the door and frame to lighten and brighten it. Yes, remove the bush. For only a couple of days of blossoms a year, it isn't worth the water and care it takes to keep it alive for the rest of the year. It does nothing to enhance the curb appeal.


  • Janice Janice on Jun 29, 2018

    I can picture your house after some of these suggestions.... gorgeous! There's one thing missing though, shade trees. Your home gets a lot of sun & if it faces south, east or west it needs three drought resistant shade trees. I would suggest one, out in the yard on the street side of the curvy sidewalk (if you build one) in front of the 2nd, 4th & 6th posts. Hope this helps.

    PS would love to see after pics.