Besides the new garage doors, finding the driveway again and cleaning it, the entry needs a grand front porch to draw the attention away from the garage doors.
Cut back the bushes and trees about 30%. Address the mud splashing, gutters and downspouts and make sure they drain way away from the house.
New Exterior lighting needs to add sparkle.
Power wash, prime and re-paint with less contrast between the garage doors and the house. The front door & new porch should have "punch".
The stair to the deck or whatever that stair is, needs a gate to match the new garage doors and needs a screening fence.
I would have this stair gate be under the roof of the new front porch, because the door is so off-balance from the mass of the house.
start with a power washer to the siding, get the green off and any dirt/grime. paint the garage doors. rake leaves. trim the bushes, tree branches. add pop of color.
Powerwash home. Paint the front entry door a bright inviting color. Seasonal planters with annuals perhaps a door wreath. New doormat and flowering shrubs like knockout roses.
Without knowing your budget or DIY skills, I’d start by washing the house and roof with an extension rod and siding brush. THD sells treatments for moss and mold that will attach to your hose. You can do a lot of damage with a power washer on siding. They are much better on decks and concrete.
If you replace the doors, consider adding windows. Keep the color very neutral and close to siding color. If you can replace the side garage door with a 6 panel door, great, otherwise paint this one the same neutral color.
Remove the bush on the side of the garage and raise the bed higher, almost to the height of the siding, bring it out to the stairs. Plant with a variety of shade loving Hostas for easy care and drama. If you like, you could add 3 narrow trellises and grow something like clematis on them. ( they love feet in shade and tops in sun)
if a new porch is not in the budget, I’d add pavers to extend the porch on the garage side. I’d add a rocker/chair and/or a tall planter to that side to match the front door. I’m a big fan of dramatic door colors and I’d consider a bright coral or even pink. That’s totally personal. I just would not go dark on this one.
the other side of the stairs could be landscaped very simply. A single Japanese maple surrounded by small hostas would work.
i just wish I could come over and help. So much potential!
I tried this out in photoshop. Here's what I would do for the least amount of money. I would paint the house and trim including the garage doors a soft light gray with blue undertones. I would remove the last bush and replace it with several smaller plants. Paint the steps the same color as your home to help them blend in. Paint the door your favorite shade. Just my thoughts.
The garage doors are around 40% of the face of your home. Aside from cleaning the paint and getting the moss off your roof, They and the front door should be your main focus. If you have it in your budget, I would suggest knocking the center post out of the front of the garage (they are almost never weight bearing) and get a full width carriage house garage door. They change a house's appearance SO MUCH. And I would not try to make it blend in with the rest of the house, if you have a beautiful garage door or doors, they can MAKE the appearance of the house. I've included a before and after of a house that I think was incredibly improved by doing just that. I do think the house would benefit from a small portico at the front door and a bold pop of color on the front door. Other than that, plantings and cleaning will make a huge difference in curb appeal. People want to know you take care of your house, and that will show you do.
I like Linda's picture. I would first, clean up the siding. You could paint the siding if you wish OR just the garage door's. Instead of replacing the garage doors you could go to Home Depot & buy a kit (or two in your case) to make your door's stand out. Each kit is $125.00 & includes a fake window plus 4 hinges & two pull handles. They will look more like carriage doors. I would also paint the front door more of a deep red or a Maroon color. In that rather large space on the wall between the window & door, I would hang something....a metal star (painted the same color as the door) OR go to Hobby Lobby & pick up some kind of metal ornament. In my case, I added a room onto the back of my house. There was too much wall over the patio door so I added a metal tree with leaves ( a decent size). I would probably paint the garage doors white & also the side door leading into the garage. To add color, I would go to Lowe's or Big Lots & buy 4 cheap urns (if lightweight you could put a brick in the bottom). I would put 3 in front of the garage & 1 by the front door with colorful flowers. If that bush isn't pretty or doesn't flower, I would probably remove it & replace it with something like a dwarf Japanese maple. It will stay a reddish color all season & has Delicate leaves. You could fill in that space either with Mulch, stones or Perennials.
you have 2 of the same problems we do with the front door - walkway not really wide enough for two people side by side or a person in a wheelchair - add bricks laid on each side of walkway perpendicular to the walkway to make approaching the front door 'grander looking. Consider making a brick patio at least as wide as the stairs to the right & as deep as the first platform or tier of the current walkway. Add a tall natural gas light fixture on that, to the far right & match it to a fixture wall mounted to left of front door - transplant the bush currently alongside garage to far right of new patio.
Add an overhang that is wider than the front door and at least 2' deep, which protects folks trying to get inside during bad weather - some are clear acrylic to avoid darkening your door...
For the moss on the roof and siding, there's a product called Wet & Forget; you mix with water, spray on the house, and in a few weeks' time, the moss/algae is gone. You might need a second treatment, if the moss is really bad.
For the house appearance, I would really try to do something with the garage doors, since they are such a big part of the facade. Consider new doors that are maintenance free. Also, remove that big shrub, which hinders the path to the door, or, if it's something that blooms nicely, cut it way back and make the commitment to keeping it trimmed, but you'll be fighting that battle all the time while it wants to grow large. I would prefer to plant a pretty little garden of small shrubs and some flowers there. You could put a trellis in the middle of the side of the garage (attached to two fence posts anchored into the ground) and grow a pretty vine like jackmanii clematis, which flowers all summer.
I don't see a porch light next to the front door. Putting a fairly large light fixture there would help balance the space, and provide safe footing at night. Paint the front door a nice color, and maybe add a brass or metal kickplate at the bottom, or add a nice storm door? Do houses have numbers where you live?--a pretty plaque with your house address would look nice to the left of the door.
A simple gable with brackets or shed roof with posts for a bigger porch would be great but just a little color would be easy. Just change the battleship grey to a green, red, blue or what ever color you like. Trim the shrub or small tree and add flowering plants in a color that accents your paint choice. Burgundy paint with reddish flowers, Sage green paint and purple and pink flowers. Fuschia and pink flowers or orange and yellow ones will pop against the grey if paint is not an option. You could add a warm color to the doors like burgundy or a deep egg plant while leaving the grey trim. that side garage door could be camouflaged by painting it to match siding and adding a bright color to the front door.
I think that there are plenty of helpful ideas here. I would take parts of all the different ideas, depending on your budget and taste. After cleaning the siding up, my idea would be to paint the garage doors a lighter neutral color, and maybe match the fence and other dark wood to those. Then I would paint the trim around the garage and other door and windows a happy color. If you can afford it, maybe a new front door, perhaps with a more ornamental look to a glass inset, but keep it simple. The door should also be a happy color. And I would get rid of the shrub next to the front of the house. If you can extend a front patio all along the front, it would look more welcoming. It doesn't have to be that big; perhaps three or four feet wide.
The other thing which others have mentioned, is some kind of portico that shields you when you are entering the house. It can just be a small overhang with supports, but will give the entry a more sheltered and welcoming feeling. As for the area alongside of the garage toward the entry, find some easy-care shrubs that won't grow too high and don't need a lot of maintenance. When you have more in your budget, improve the walkway to the front of the garage area. Personally, I would want to add the walkway around at the front of the garage as well. If your existing walkway is cement, you could face it with the "wafer" (thin) bricks, as well as the doorstep. I always think that the gray cement looks so industrial and cold. (Same on houses, inside or out; gray is cold-looking, in my opinion, but many will disagree with me).
When I bought my fixer of a house, I had to deal with many of these things, as well as plumbing leaks, defective windows, etc. You just have to pace yourself (and your budget).
Your house has a lot of potential. Since the first thing you see is the garage, that should be project #2. #1 being the power wash of the house and sidewalk. The garage should be light and give a positive impression. Remove the bush and plant colorful flowers on each side of the walkway. If you want low maintenance at least add small bushes that don't grow over 12-18" tall.
I'd prefer to paint the whole house a light creamy tan with a contrast trim, deep red or deep forest green. The door could be the same or different.
WOW you have a project.. First projects I'd do : remove the moss from the roof. clean the flowerbed, prune the shrub so it doesn't look overgrown. replace or repaint the garage doors, it looks like it has holes in it. Id prune the overgrown trees. Make a defined driveway and path to the steps. The major part of the house looks like it needs a good power washing or painting. Once its cleaned up and some repainting repaint the door in a contrast color. That's to tell people this is where you come in, it should stand out a bit from the rest, rather than blend in and seem lost.
Not knowing what you have to work with I m gonna do it on the cheep. First Remove that tree to the left of the garage and any other trees that are to close to the house. The house is receiving way to much shade, Remove moss from roof and I guessing you probably already has roof damage. repair any damage to structure. Pressure wash and paint and add gutters. Define your driveway. After that you can do as much or little as you like, but currently you have more going on there than lack of curb appeal.
Ann Faye Coulter, I agree with most folks on pressure washing house and, if in budget, painting. ( Not a fan of oranges or reds but to each his own.) If the bush by the garage isn't a special bush for you -lose it. From there I myself would place flagstone pavers to create a patio like area next to garage over to walkway. Then I would put a pergola over that and add potted plants to brighten the area and maybe passion flower vines going up posts. The pergola could be extended over your current front walk and porch with the porch roof pergola area being solid (but decorative with solid under pergola pattern or awning material woven in the pergola timbers) for weather protection. Add vining plants to the posts or hanging plants along the way for a more welcoming entry. Don't forget the chairs or a comfy bench on patio area!!! A nice place to have coffee with someone "special" or relax in the evening. In time you could remove current front steps and replace with more flagstone for a graded path to your door. Flagstone is just an idea but if you hit a home depot type store or a quarry/rock sales yard they can give you more ideas for beautiful style to upgrade the area. Wishing you and yours the best .
We have a 12x24 cabin that sits on pier and been. Wanting to put a skirting of a stone decorated look around it. Everything I have looked at is expensive, So looking ...
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Besides the new garage doors, finding the driveway again and cleaning it, the entry needs a grand front porch to draw the attention away from the garage doors.
Cut back the bushes and trees about 30%. Address the mud splashing, gutters and downspouts and make sure they drain way away from the house.
New Exterior lighting needs to add sparkle.
Power wash, prime and re-paint with less contrast between the garage doors and the house. The front door & new porch should have "punch".
The stair to the deck or whatever that stair is, needs a gate to match the new garage doors and needs a screening fence.
I would have this stair gate be under the roof of the new front porch, because the door is so off-balance from the mass of the house.
start with a power washer to the siding, get the green off and any dirt/grime. paint the garage doors. rake leaves. trim the bushes, tree branches. add pop of color.
Hello,
Powerwash home. Paint the front entry door a bright inviting color. Seasonal planters with annuals perhaps a door wreath. New doormat and flowering shrubs like knockout roses.
I agree, first power wash. That will make it look so much better.
I would paint the garage doors instead of replacing -
Without knowing your budget or DIY skills, I’d start by washing the house and roof with an extension rod and siding brush. THD sells treatments for moss and mold that will attach to your hose. You can do a lot of damage with a power washer on siding. They are much better on decks and concrete.
If you replace the doors, consider adding windows. Keep the color very neutral and close to siding color. If you can replace the side garage door with a 6 panel door, great, otherwise paint this one the same neutral color.
Remove the bush on the side of the garage and raise the bed higher, almost to the height of the siding, bring it out to the stairs. Plant with a variety of shade loving Hostas for easy care and drama. If you like, you could add 3 narrow trellises and grow something like clematis on them. ( they love feet in shade and tops in sun)
if a new porch is not in the budget, I’d add pavers to extend the porch on the garage side. I’d add a rocker/chair and/or a tall planter to that side to match the front door. I’m a big fan of dramatic door colors and I’d consider a bright coral or even pink. That’s totally personal. I just would not go dark on this one.
the other side of the stairs could be landscaped very simply. A single Japanese maple surrounded by small hostas would work.
i just wish I could come over and help. So much potential!
I tried this out in photoshop. Here's what I would do for the least amount of money. I would paint the house and trim including the garage doors a soft light gray with blue undertones. I would remove the last bush and replace it with several smaller plants. Paint the steps the same color as your home to help them blend in. Paint the door your favorite shade. Just my thoughts.
The garage doors are around 40% of the face of your home. Aside from cleaning the paint and getting the moss off your roof, They and the front door should be your main focus. If you have it in your budget, I would suggest knocking the center post out of the front of the garage (they are almost never weight bearing) and get a full width carriage house garage door. They change a house's appearance SO MUCH. And I would not try to make it blend in with the rest of the house, if you have a beautiful garage door or doors, they can MAKE the appearance of the house. I've included a before and after of a house that I think was incredibly improved by doing just that. I do think the house would benefit from a small portico at the front door and a bold pop of color on the front door. Other than that, plantings and cleaning will make a huge difference in curb appeal. People want to know you take care of your house, and that will show you do.
Expand those Concrete steps and get rid of that Space Consuming Tree while it is not yet digging its roots in your foundation.
After you do that you start to see this as the Backyard rather than the front porch.
You turn your entire home around just by looking at it differently.
Once you do that you need a Patio and a Barbecue Grille or a Brick Oven.
I like Linda's picture. I would first, clean up the siding. You could paint the siding if you wish OR just the garage door's. Instead of replacing the garage doors you could go to Home Depot & buy a kit (or two in your case) to make your door's stand out. Each kit is $125.00 & includes a fake window plus 4 hinges & two pull handles. They will look more like carriage doors. I would also paint the front door more of a deep red or a Maroon color. In that rather large space on the wall between the window & door, I would hang something....a metal star (painted the same color as the door) OR go to Hobby Lobby & pick up some kind of metal ornament. In my case, I added a room onto the back of my house. There was too much wall over the patio door so I added a metal tree with leaves ( a decent size). I would probably paint the garage doors white & also the side door leading into the garage. To add color, I would go to Lowe's or Big Lots & buy 4 cheap urns (if lightweight you could put a brick in the bottom). I would put 3 in front of the garage & 1 by the front door with colorful flowers. If that bush isn't pretty or doesn't flower, I would probably remove it & replace it with something like a dwarf Japanese maple. It will stay a reddish color all season & has Delicate leaves. You could fill in that space either with Mulch, stones or Perennials.
you have 2 of the same problems we do with the front door - walkway not really wide enough for two people side by side or a person in a wheelchair - add bricks laid on each side of walkway perpendicular to the walkway to make approaching the front door 'grander looking. Consider making a brick patio at least as wide as the stairs to the right & as deep as the first platform or tier of the current walkway. Add a tall natural gas light fixture on that, to the far right & match it to a fixture wall mounted to left of front door - transplant the bush currently alongside garage to far right of new patio.
Add an overhang that is wider than the front door and at least 2' deep, which protects folks trying to get inside during bad weather - some are clear acrylic to avoid darkening your door...
For the moss on the roof and siding, there's a product called Wet & Forget; you mix with water, spray on the house, and in a few weeks' time, the moss/algae is gone. You might need a second treatment, if the moss is really bad.
For the house appearance, I would really try to do something with the garage doors, since they are such a big part of the facade. Consider new doors that are maintenance free. Also, remove that big shrub, which hinders the path to the door, or, if it's something that blooms nicely, cut it way back and make the commitment to keeping it trimmed, but you'll be fighting that battle all the time while it wants to grow large. I would prefer to plant a pretty little garden of small shrubs and some flowers there. You could put a trellis in the middle of the side of the garage (attached to two fence posts anchored into the ground) and grow a pretty vine like jackmanii clematis, which flowers all summer.
I don't see a porch light next to the front door. Putting a fairly large light fixture there would help balance the space, and provide safe footing at night. Paint the front door a nice color, and maybe add a brass or metal kickplate at the bottom, or add a nice storm door? Do houses have numbers where you live?--a pretty plaque with your house address would look nice to the left of the door.
Clean and paint. remove bush and landscape. A canopy over door and a light fixture on the side of door.
Thanks for all the great ideas. it's been empty for a long time, just a spruce up @ first and some dyi ideas are great!
Powerwash, paint, plants and Porch.
A simple gable with brackets or shed roof with posts for a bigger porch would be great but just a little color would be easy. Just change the battleship grey to a green, red, blue or what ever color you like. Trim the shrub or small tree and add flowering plants in a color that accents your paint choice. Burgundy paint with reddish flowers, Sage green paint and purple and pink flowers. Fuschia and pink flowers or orange and yellow ones will pop against the grey if paint is not an option. You could add a warm color to the doors like burgundy or a deep egg plant while leaving the grey trim. that side garage door could be camouflaged by painting it to match siding and adding a bright color to the front door.
I think that there are plenty of helpful ideas here. I would take parts of all the different ideas, depending on your budget and taste. After cleaning the siding up, my idea would be to paint the garage doors a lighter neutral color, and maybe match the fence and other dark wood to those. Then I would paint the trim around the garage and other door and windows a happy color. If you can afford it, maybe a new front door, perhaps with a more ornamental look to a glass inset, but keep it simple. The door should also be a happy color. And I would get rid of the shrub next to the front of the house. If you can extend a front patio all along the front, it would look more welcoming. It doesn't have to be that big; perhaps three or four feet wide.
The other thing which others have mentioned, is some kind of portico that shields you when you are entering the house. It can just be a small overhang with supports, but will give the entry a more sheltered and welcoming feeling. As for the area alongside of the garage toward the entry, find some easy-care shrubs that won't grow too high and don't need a lot of maintenance. When you have more in your budget, improve the walkway to the front of the garage area. Personally, I would want to add the walkway around at the front of the garage as well. If your existing walkway is cement, you could face it with the "wafer" (thin) bricks, as well as the doorstep. I always think that the gray cement looks so industrial and cold. (Same on houses, inside or out; gray is cold-looking, in my opinion, but many will disagree with me).
When I bought my fixer of a house, I had to deal with many of these things, as well as plumbing leaks, defective windows, etc. You just have to pace yourself (and your budget).
Good luck!
Your house has a lot of potential. Since the first thing you see is the garage, that should be project #2. #1 being the power wash of the house and sidewalk. The garage should be light and give a positive impression. Remove the bush and plant colorful flowers on each side of the walkway. If you want low maintenance at least add small bushes that don't grow over 12-18" tall.
I'd prefer to paint the whole house a light creamy tan with a contrast trim, deep red or deep forest green. The door could be the same or different.
Just lighten and brighten.
WOW you have a project.. First projects I'd do : remove the moss from the roof. clean the flowerbed, prune the shrub so it doesn't look overgrown. replace or repaint the garage doors, it looks like it has holes in it. Id prune the overgrown trees. Make a defined driveway and path to the steps. The major part of the house looks like it needs a good power washing or painting. Once its cleaned up and some repainting repaint the door in a contrast color. That's to tell people this is where you come in, it should stand out a bit from the rest, rather than blend in and seem lost.
Not knowing what you have to work with I m gonna do it on the cheep. First Remove that tree to the left of the garage and any other trees that are to close to the house. The house is receiving way to much shade, Remove moss from roof and I guessing you probably already has roof damage. repair any damage to structure. Pressure wash and paint and add gutters. Define your driveway. After that you can do as much or little as you like, but currently you have more going on there than lack of curb appeal.
Ann Faye Coulter, I agree with most folks on pressure washing house and, if in budget, painting. ( Not a fan of oranges or reds but to each his own.) If the bush by the garage isn't a special bush for you -lose it. From there I myself would place flagstone pavers to create a patio like area next to garage over to walkway. Then I would put a pergola over that and add potted plants to brighten the area and maybe passion flower vines going up posts. The pergola could be extended over your current front walk and porch with the porch roof pergola area being solid (but decorative with solid under pergola pattern or awning material woven in the pergola timbers) for weather protection. Add vining plants to the posts or hanging plants along the way for a more welcoming entry. Don't forget the chairs or a comfy bench on patio area!!! A nice place to have coffee with someone "special" or relax in the evening. In time you could remove current front steps and replace with more flagstone for a graded path to your door. Flagstone is just an idea but if you hit a home depot type store or a quarry/rock sales yard they can give you more ideas for beautiful style to upgrade the area. Wishing you and yours the best .