Hi Ellendi, luckily it is quite a mix of houses around here and the ones I posted are not close :) Good point though, I do not want to copy the color or styles of the houses close to us. Thanks for the link AnnieD - lots of good ideas there. I think I am going to go with plain glass and then add an applique if it is annoying to have the plain glass. I now need to decide whether to do one door with a window on the left side only that opens as a casement or the top that opens like an awning or the single door in the middle with either two fixed windows or two sidelights. If I do the one fixed window on the left side, I was thinking of making the door mostly wood with a window on top. Any suggestions on door websites? I attached a better picture of our existing doors looking straight on. We are going to cover the walkway with a trellis and get rid of the windows on the right side (garage) and change out the windows to the left of the front door. I am thinking of trying to match or complement the windows to the left with the window(s) at the front door. Lots of details :)

I am not a designer but Iooking at the house the stairs bother me. Too tall and not in proportion with the house. Could you alter so that upon exiting house one would step out onto porch then instead of stairs going straight down have one or two steps left then the stairs begin again to go down. This will move the stairs to the right when facing the house and they won't appear to be such a formidable climb. A good designer could help you choose a nice width too, not as narrow as you have now. Of course your walkway will no longer line up with stairs so that will become another project, although most of it could still be used . Adding width with another material is a good suggestion as well I agree with prior recommendations to change the siding to horizontal at least on the lower part and lose the window boxes as they are not adding to the house. If the staircase is changed an opportunity opens for a good sized box to be incorporated at the top landing in front of the entrance door

Unless a person knows they will be in a house for a short time, I think it's better to plan for the long term, knowing that there may be a period of awkwardness until the final concept rings through loud and clear. In this case (if you're going to be in the house for a while) I would not let the stone and roof colors limit where I go with future house colors. Personally, I don't find the stone attractive enough to call it a "keeper." If budget allows, I'd consider replacing it. If budget doesn't allow, I'd paint it and that will be an improvement and open up color choices for other things. Roofs eventually wear out an need replacement. At that time, you could select a better roof color that goes with your improved house color. Eventually, you could transition to a whole new, improved color scheme. The new pictures help. To be perfectly frank, I don't think the stone columns and fencing help in the least to make the entrance more inviting and appealing. If a courtyard effect was still desired, I think it would be done completely differently than what is there now. So getting rid of those things would be an immediate improvement. The walk needs help, too. Ideally, it would be redone. But if that is not in the budget, then strategically adding to it would be a big help. It especially needs an area of expanded paving near the entrance door. The small "trees" inside and outside of the courtyard are not the right plants for those spots. Is the budget or DIY interest level sufficient to make some sizable changes to the entrance area?

I agree it looks better and a touch of shrubbery from the nursery would be great, and pay for full attractive plants. Don’t skimp. Personally I would remove the shutters, but ask your realtor. I’d also paint the front door, I think and get a lovely porch light— but none of it matters ss much as everything being spotlessly clean and minor repairs taken care of. It is an unusual house so your likely buyer will be more concerned about other things than cosmetics