I'd paint the door and the porch. Change the shutters for something brighter. Change out flower box for a nice cedar one and plant with colorful plants. Work on landscape. It really is cute but desperatly needs some color!

This past week I painted my patio. It looks like you have a pretty small area of concrete, so it wouldn't take very long. Take a look at mine...

Here is a link that might be useful: Painted concrete floor

Move the door forward in the space all the way to the front. Build a gable porch overhang of about 4 feet mimicing the roofline. Frame out the wall between the current door and the window creating an entrance hall. Cathedral the ceiling and put in a skylight. Three sets of decorative posts on each side.
Post pictures when your done.
Ron

Wow! SO MANY GREAT IDEAS!!!!! :) Thank you so very very much.

I know this isn't related to the forum topic, but maybe you guys have ideas for this too! I'm also struggling with the kitchen. Here's a photo. I'm going with a retro pastel pallette in the house....so I thought a nice deep gray/green color on the cabinets would be nice...I won't be able to change out the tile backsplash. The current items in the photo are the current owner's stuff. Not mine. Consider it all white. Oh and that hideous wallpaper is coming down. :) Please see the link below.

Thanks again everyone!

Sharon

P.S. I will DEFINITLEY post pictures when all is said and done.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Hey Ron,
Great idea. I'm so green at this stuff, do you have any more tips to offer? Approximate cost for a remodel like this?

Sharon

Cost will depend on who's doing the work, you or a contractor.
If you an some knowledgeable friends do it, under $5000.00.
Contractor, maybe $10,000. Alot depends on what needs to get moved, restructured, cost of finishing materials, etc. Will you keep the front door you have or upgrade to a more formal one. The current door is a little less formal then I would expect in a front door location.
Ron

Hmm, great feedback. But I think it's way beyond what I can afford right now, but I think it's something I'll plan on. Yeah, the front door is pretty awful if you ask me. At the very least, I'll be changing the color of it. It's just such a drab entrance for a very open and grand space inside. If you have any other ideas, please send them my way. I was hoping to stay under $2000 and try to do what I can for now to spruce it up.

Here are a few things you can think about.
Maybe add some railing on the right side. It would break up the space and define the area. As a result, the post will be much less noticeable and in fact will be better integrated into the design. Then you could plant some attractive compact shrubs next to the railing rather than under the window.
The hanging plant is a good start but if it looks a little awkward to you, add an "S" hook to lower it, also add a companion plant. I like at least two plants in a space that size.
Think about a more substantial piece of outdoor furniture (larger bench?) next to the door. The items you have there are attractive in a whimsical way, and I love them. Can you arrange them in a more triangular pattern or move them to a different location?
If you donÂt want to replace the door yet, painting it in coordinating colors will help a lot. I wonder if you could find a carpenter who can replace the window inset with something else, like an oval window set in some wood. I have no clue whether this would be practical, and it may cost as much as a new door. If it were me, IÂd go with new colors.
An inexpensive way to de-emphasize the window on the left would be to place some climbing plants in containers and a trellis under the window. The climbing plants would fill the blank space and take the eye away from the window.
In general, donÂt be hasty. The longer you live with what you have, the more ideas will be generated. Above all, have fun! Please let me know what you think.