Pretty house. I would add trees and your yard looks big enough to support one or two large shade trees and some understory trees like Appalachian Spring dogwoods (they are disease resistant and the dogwood IS our VA state tree!) or some other flowering trees-can you tell I love trees? I just planted a Vitex (Chaste tree) which flowers in the summer and is oh-so-pretty. I agree that the columns could use some beefing up. You can do this easily by nailing up boards around the existing posts to form a larger box and then paint. To soften that huge expanse of white, maybe leave the edges white (you may want to add a wide trim piece across the bottom) and paint the center of the triangle a softer hue such a taupe or sage that is not a sharp contrast. I would also paint the door. Pick your favorite color! Then, after you live with that for a bit, choose your shutter color. I agree that window boxes are pretty, but they are difficult to maintain and I'm not sure they would really add to your house. One of the best things you can do is take your time. A lot of creative staring can help you decide what you would really like. It can also help you avoid impulsive mistakes and, believe me, I've made my share of those!!! Always remember, it's an adventure and you can go back and change anything. Have fun and enjoy your new place.

Hi zig, great house. I would plant something tall in the corner of the front bed beside the stair. Because it is retaining wall made bed, I'm guessing you can't plant a real tree or the roots would probably destroy the wall. I'd suggest a shrub with arching branches. I think bridal wreath spirea would be lovely. In the spring its long branches are covered in white blooms and after that it is just nice green backdrop. Make sure you buy a variety that will grow tall (at least 7' for that corner I'd think). Another nice shrub for that spot might be a tall variety of hydrangea. I just bought one that is suppose to grow to 6' and has lime coloured leaves. Next to the taller shrub in the corner you could do two other smaller shrubs - maybe a purple leaf sand cherry or european cranberry (red leaves) and a goldmound spirea. In the front of the bed, depending on your level of gardening and how much work you want to do, you could either plant colourful annuals every year or do some low maintenance perenials that will come back every year. A row of yellow stella d'oro daylilies across the front of the bed would look lovely and be almost maintenance free. A few hosta stuck in among the daylilies would add interest. If it was me, I'd probably do 3 or 4 large clumps of plants in the front of the bed - one clump of the stella d'oro's another of hostas, etc. Then you could do a couple of trailing vines in between. Another option for the back of the bed would be to still do the tall spirea in the corner, but then do a row of controlled hedge all the same height along the rest the wall. Two or three alpine current could be trimmed to have a very clean profile. Or two or three hydrangeas for a more flowing free form hedge. Just some ideas. No matter what you do, it's already gorgeous. Enjoy. A series of books I've found really helpful are by Lois Hole. You could look for the one on trees and shrubs and another on perennials.

OP - You didn't indicate your budget but I can imagine it might feel overwhelming to find a house that's almost perfect for you except for curb appeal, and to hear that you should change all the windows and the posts and all that along with the paint or siding. In my opinion, all of that is completely unnecessary unless your aim is to restore the house to its original period style. If your priority is finding a house that meets all of your needs in the right area for the right price and this hits all of those items with the exception of the siding color or brick, then change those elements to your liking. If the siding can be painted (not vinyl) then choose a color and paint the brick a nice complementary contrasting color. What might help is to look around at all the other homes in the neighborhood. Does this one stand out like a sore thumb for not staying strict to the original period, or have they all been modified so this one doesn't look out of place other than your color preferences?

i agree with most comments especially on how to treat the doors. Imagine looking at the picture you showed us & the ski door is same color as house - it’s gone! I like your idea of adding lighting to entry especially around the front door not storage door. If you want to add interest to that side wall with no symmetry maybe think about adding a locally interesting wall ornament that’s weather proof. Iron art? Snowboarder? Per @Olychick comments,be sure to hang it above the snow line!