For the door color, how about a nice dark hunter green, trimmed with white?

Brass accents on the door will help class it up a little.

You might consider putting wider trim on either side of the door to make it appear wider. On the left side of the door, the trim piece would have to go on the facing wall of the house, but it would still help to frame the door and make it seem more substantial.

A nicer (wooden) railing and handrail would help...

No ideas about the concrete, sorry. Call in a couple of contractors and pick their brains. Maybe you could face the steps with red brick and resurface the top?

I would paint the door black for the time being, not spend any money on fancy hardware for it, and save for a different door. Foundation plantings will hide the meter and generally improve the looks of the front of the house, and I would paint the porch (not stain it) with a grey or taupe paint.

Is the storm door metal? I agree with previous posters about painting doors dark green or black. I think a different railing, that would continue down the steps would help it look more complete. Changing out the light fixture, mailbox, and house number will help also.

But, I think you really have to do the front steps 1st, it might be messy. My neighbors had theirs capped with a stamped concrete and it looks great. Maybe a slate look, to contrast with house's brick and pavers. Or even stained a dark green color. Then can do a lot with stamped concrete. Then do the railing, etc.

I think the walkway pavers should go up against house foundation. Then you could use containers here and there for plants. It looks like there is about 1 foot of space there for the perennial that is coming up.

You could use a larger container to hide the meter, but still leave it accessible for the meter reader.

I love your screen door. I think a darker color like the green that mclarke would be great. Also, have you considered beefing up the light fixture?

As far as the steps, I think there is a concrete paint you can use. Add a bunch of colorful plants and shrubs (and dark mulch) and the steps won't be such a focal point.

I like Wrought Iron Gate better than black, I just posted a picture of it in another front door question. I agree with the others about new hardware and shrubery.

ARe you looking at small fixes or major work? It would be easier and more productive to give advice if you could give us a long shot of the whole house.

If you paint the concrete steps, then you'll have big trouble tiling them, should you choose to do so later on. Frankly, bluestone treads would look a lot better than paint and would wear better too. Concrete paint always gets flaky after awhile. Paint prevents tile from bonding well with the concrete. It has to be ground off: messy, not cheap.

Masonite doors has a door designer tool that lets you upload a photo of your house. You can "try on" various door designs. You don't get to change the door color, unfortunately, but at least you can see what styles look good on your house.

Just some ideas: new door with mail slot in it. Oversized door light. Large house numbers underneath the light. Get rid of current mail box. Paint railing black. Tile the steps.

Is there a closet to the right of the door (facing the house) or anything? If not, then a door with a single sidelight would be nice.

For the present time: Instant changes -- paint the front steps in dark gray or dark green and add a trio of three bushes to hide the meter.

Paint the metal storm door AND the front door in satin black to blend the two doors together and create a larger and far more cohesive look.

Paint the railings and mailbox in satin black too. Change to a much larger outdoor lantern or light.

Switch the numbers to the area under the light -- and switch them to gold ones on a black-painted board.

Add compost and fresh soil to the gardens -- add some basic bushes or plants and mulch around them for a quick and easy garden change!

Thanks for all your ideas

Any chance we can see a bit more of the front of the house to get a better feel for the house's architecture/style? It's awfully hard to give ideas without knowing what we're looking at.

Here is a broader view of the front entrance. I am surprised a lot of you suggest to paint the door green, I would have thought a lighter color like white would look better. In my mind red brick and a green door does not match. Hard to know what to do.

{{!gwi}}

Enjoy, I have a similar entrance to yours. My steps are reversed though (walking towards the window) and a garage was added years ago to the side of the house. The railing was removed long ago. Since moving in a couple of years back the hidden door from the front has always bothered me. Is your door not facing the street?

Am currently having a wall pergola put up across the front entrance which extends from wall to wall, is 4' deep. There are 3 posts, one on the landing. The cost of wood was less than $100. There still remains a wonderful old climbing rose which will now have a place to grow well. I also curved the brick walkway out along the driveway with plantings between. It has made a complete difference in the look and brings visitors to the door.

I would like to tile the steps and landing, but will most likely stain the concrete for now as it is still in excellant condition. Concrete patch works wonders and you can do this yourself. It would look like new stairs for you. I used it on my back patio and was an easy job.

You have a great area by the landing to create a garden, plant lots of flowers and a couple of bushes to hide the side of the stairs. Even a small bench in the corner would help soften the entry.

A more expensive option, but one that would change the entire look of your front entrance would be a full porch. Had the budget been there I would have done this for mine.

The suggestion of green for the door is a great one. Red and a deep green are wonderful together. New numbers, larger lamp and mailbox too.

How involved do you want to get with the renovation? Do you just want paint color suggestions and suggestions for the steps or a bigger project? My initial suggestion just looking at it is that the windows would look great with some grids, tear out the steps and install a large white deck extending to both walls of the entrance with room for a couple chairs and flower filled containers and lots of plantings around the foundation. I think I'd keep the door color light and if you want a storm or screen door I'd get a white one. Also accent lighting for the deck and a new light fixture on the wall.. ditto the new numbers and mailbox. Good Luck!

I am trying to keep the expense down, so want to just paint and maybe do some window shutters. Some people tell me to pain the door black, others say white. So hard to know what would look good.

Enjoying, someone suggested printing a picture of your house and door. Then using an exacto knife, cut out your door and put paint chips behind the opening. I haven't tried it but it sounds like a good idea. This may help you decide on a color.

I'm with teacats. I would paint railing,mailbox, house numbers(board)all a satin black. I would change out light to a larger fixture. Put on black shutters. Paint the window base white. Get a nice big mat or outside rug for top landing. I would get all that done then decide on the door color. I like your screen door just a different color.
See if anyone can photoshop your entry. I don't know how to change linek name maybe repost asking for a photoshopper! This way you can get ideas without spending the money.