I would paint the door red add a new welcome mat and plant some liriope along the walkway. Some eucalyptus mulch would smell nice in that area.If you plan on selling in the spring they would be small enough not to interfere with walking up. I would also check the wood under the step looks like some wood rot and that would not pass inspection. Trim the large shrub.

This may sound totally stupid, but what about adding another wall between the two parts of the house and putting in another door. It looks like there is about 4-5 feet out there under the roof. I think it would help to bring the front door out a few feet.

I'd remove the sattelite dish.

How fresh is the paint on the house. New paint could be a selling point. I would choose a different color, but I dont know what color your roof is so I cant suggest a specific color. I would suggest painting the trim one shade and the house a different one. Paint the front door a third, but probably darker shade in the same color family for pop.

Do some landscaping. I would suggest making the flower bed bigger (2-3 times)and doing some sort of wavy shape. Outline it with big rocks. I'd start it where the driveway connects to the walkway and curving it out to just around the corner of the house. You might consider taking out the big bush because I don't think you'd have time for it to grow enough to look nice once you trim it back. I'd add a couple of shrubs and then some pretty flowers around that.

Do you have another photo that doesn't crop into your house?

I second the dish removal. Or at least staple the cord that runs down from it so that it's tidier.

I would remove the red-orange newspaper holder (it's the first thing I saw, good reason to paint the door that color) and mailbox.

If you keep your current house colors, I would make the door trim wider, and paint it to match the brown you have on the roof trim. Then paint the door a robin's egg/Tiffany's blue. You could bling up your door with more substantial hardware (nickel finish instead of brass) and install a mail slot. Maybe get the doorbell button on the right side. I'd try to play down the horizontal lines of your garage door by painting it the same color as the body of the house.

Can't tell if you have house numbers or a light by the door.

Good luck and post a photo of whatever you decide to do.

Anita

If it were my house, I would have fun with what's there (doesn't mean it would make the house more saleable though). I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it, but I would want things to have a clean line and fresh look.

I agree with Anita. You want a more substantial entrance. Wider trim and new hardware should help.

I would get rid of the greenery in the walkway and just have walkway from wall to wall.

I also would get rid of the dish.

Is there a reason why there is no gutter on the roof slanting toward the walkway? I would put one on so that water doesn't splash onto the walkway when it rains, if it's possible.

Move the mailbox to the garage wall, so nothing is sticking into the walkway.

Paint the house or if you can get away with it, power wash it so that it looks newly painted.

Good luck.

I would create an "entrance" at the front of the house by putting some sort of simple arbor where the walkway starts. This would also minimize the long look of that front walk. Check out the link to see what I'm talking about.

Here is a link that might be useful: arbors

Start with the satellite dish. Make it disappear to the bakyard on a pole not on the house and secure the coax so its not dangling in the breeze.

Next tear off that board & batton siding and replace with fibercement clapboard siding and/ or brick.
Then replace front door with one with a window on the top half. (Will be doing this myself soon).
You need door hardware/knobs that are decorative.
I cant tell from the pic if there's a walkway in front of the door, if not put one there made from pavers not stamped concrete. I cant stand imitation products.
Frame the windows with header trim.
Ornate lamp post next to driveway and one nice lamp on the wall by the door.
You need rain gutters something fierce. Or some other trim.
Put new shrubs in the front and plant a tree.

IMO, the rhododendron provides the only real curb appeal the house has right now. I'd definitely keep it. Especially since you're in a cold climate and nothing is going to be growing for a while (warm winter notwithstanding).

I like the idea of putting an arbor at the near end of the walk to the front door--thus making it look like a feature, not a weird design (sorry, but there it is).

I'd also put decorative gravel or something in place of those little strips of grass--they must be a pain to mow.

Some paint on the door, and a new, decorative mailbox, would also be good.

In addition to what others have said the garage door area needs some lighting on the outside. Some nice brass fixtures could dress it up, might even consider doing a fixture over the door to the house in the same style.

Your home to me would not feel like a safe place to walk after dark without some additonal lighing. If it were spring or summer I'd consider putting a few large pots of flowering plants near the garage to give it some warmth.

Wow, thanks for all of the ideas. I didn't even "see" some of that unsightly stuff anymore. We aren't even using the satellite dish anymore. Also, that is MOSS, not grass, on the sides of the walkway. Yes, the garage needs a new gutter. Hubby took it off and still has to replace it (lovely). We don't get the paper anymore so I guess we could get rid of the red box. The brown trim is just where we never got around to painting it, the house used to be brown.

I like the idea of an arbor. Lots of other good ideas. There is not enough light in between the two structures for plants to live, so plantings in the walkway would not work.

The door is new and I don't think there's much chance that I could talk hubby into replacing it again... but maybe a kickplate would spiff it up a little? The trim is too narrow on the right side of the door, narrower than on the left and can't do much about it. There isn't enough room for the door and trim! So beefing up the trim is only going to magnify the construction flaw there.

Thanks and if you have any more ideas I'd like to hear them. I know it's not the greatest house but it's what I've got to work with!

Is that garage part of the house, added, just in front of?

If it is part of the house, what room (s) are behind it? Does it share a common wall on the outside (left) as well?

Call me crazy, but my thoughts are if it is a standalone garage, make it into a carport to liven up and open up the house. Depending on what is behind the garage as far as living quarters, the new open exposure could add alot from both an exterior and interior perspective.

Some Hardi-plank and paint would also be a nice upgrade.

Sorry, but the picture make me think it is a garage with an apartment added to or converted.

From the snow I'm guessing you are in the Northern part of the USA. Carports aren't nearly as desireable as a garage in the north with buyers. Changing it could cost $$$.
You may not be able to grow anything in that narrow passage way but having a trelis-type structure there anyhow in a color to match your front door might give you some added design appeal.
I'd also do something about the windows on the garage. When the 'for sale sign' goes up it's often a tip off to those interested in crime that your house could be empty orthatthere might be some easy to grab goodies in the garage. I'd make it harder for someone to see whose home and what is in the garage.
You can do it very simply by tacking up bubblewrap over the windows. It allows the light in but keeps wandering eyes out.

The garage used to be a carport and we enclosed it. There are no adjoining walls to the house. We really like having a garage but it did create an awkward walkway, that's for sure. The current walkway was not there when we bought it, you had to wind your way around the cars to get to the front door. The garage door was probably from the same decade as the house, we bought it years ago, secondhand... we still haven't painted it, it just looks like it's been there all along.

You asked about curb appeal... To "you" the trade off's were tolerable for what you percieved to be a priority (enclosing the carport). Someone else, and in this case myself, may not feel that way. The question is "who do you want to target that will bring a greater return. Like you, many may say "I can enclose that and make a garage". I think "less people" could be slowed down to ponder the thought of reversing what has been done, unless it was a steal.

There are things you can do that don't require demolition or reconstruction!Of course it is hard to tell from the picture, with the snow, but first impression is not well maintained. I would repaint a different color if affordable, and do the garage door and foundation in the same overall color so it blends in --right now it stands out & makes the place look like all garage. You can do some "fool the eye" painting around the front door--I think if you paint the door and the spaces on either side & just above a solid color, rimmed just at the corners with a trim ribbon of color, the entrance will stand out more but not look so off center. Or maybe place some decorative tiles in that extra space by the door. Be sure to repair the frayed looking wood. Paint the walls leading to the door a slightly lighter shade of the overall color. Then you could place a pot with shade loving plants. Try to nail some simple wider trim around the windows. If you emphasize the windows people will see that and not so much the garage. I agree with filling in the whole walkway area with paver (is it already? if it is, it needs to be cleaned up!) or well-done stamped concrete, colored if possible. As much as I hate to chop a large rhodie, the shrubs are overwhelming--if you can prune it into a nice small tree form, keep it, if not, get rid of it or trasplant it(and the other shrubs too). Put an inexpensive small tree (serviceberry, crabapple, dwarf cherry) in front of the rhodie's spot; make the bed quite larger as suggested above & plant with some grasses, daylilies, liriope, a couple small evergreens at the foundation - lots of texture to draw the eye. Sorry for the long post, I curb appealed my house & and am still full of enthusiasm! Looking at other similar houses that looked good gave me lots of ideas for color and plants to do my own--any others like yours around?

you know, I would redo the steps to the front door, too--make a broad top step all the way across the space and more level with the door, and about twice as deep-like a little mini porch, a nice space for that pot of flowers and a comfortable spot for those coming to the door.

Yes the whole area is plain concrete paver.

I notice a couple of suggestions to paint the house a different color - is there something wrong with light blue (not in style?) or is it just a personal preference thing?

Yes blue is out. White is the new blue :-)
Just re-read my post from yesterday and it comes across a little harsh and I didn't mean for it to be. There's a new subdivision around here that instead of using those same 6 panel doors that everyone else has, they used some that had a window on the upper part and wow what a difference. If you don't want to change the door, that's not mandatory or anything, especially since some people would prefer a solid door for security reasons but I would definitely upgrade to nice brass door hardware. Instead of a knob, have a fancy lever. That really is the first thing people notice when they enter and I can't tell you what a difference it will make. I think knobs are for interior doors. Maybe you can add a skylight window above the door? Or join the two roofs together that way it seems like one cohesive unit instead of a modified carport.

Perhaps the problem is that everything about the house looks a little insubstantial, suggesting rickety. It just doesn't look like it was built to stay there. Other posters have suggested bigger trim, bigger step, bigger hardware, etc. I think a warmer color would also make it seem more solid. On my monitor the current color looks gray and cold (like the weather).

I think taking up the narrow walkway and doing that whole width in stamped concrete would be lovely. Add the arbor and you have an entry courtyard. Look into plants that thrive in shade to use in pots when the weather warms up.

Your house is a mid-century modern, and depending on the part of the country you are in, can be very desirable. I would strongly suggest avoiding the temptation to "confuse" the style of the house by installing horizontal siding...using stamped concrete...changing the roofline, etc. In my opinion, you just need to work with what you already have. By all means, remove the dish...the newspaper holder...the giant shrub and the brass door hardware. If you want to spend the money, go with a single window glass door (that looks like a single leaf french door without the mullions). This would serve as a beacon to attract guests (or people who arent familiar with your home)down that long dark entryway at night.The gutter definately needs to be replaced to keep water out of the entry.I would remove the ashalt sidewalk and replace with large scale gravel and plain square 24"x24" stepping stones placed no more than 6" apart. (this would help with drainage too) I would paint the garage door one single color and not highlight the panels on it. The house needs a fairly heavy coat of paint to hide the plywood wood grain especially at the garage addition to make it blend in better with the original house. I think a light color body with an additional light color on the trim would be best. (stay away from strong contrasting colors) The last thing I might do to bring some color to the house and hide the entry "courtyard" from the street, is erect a low (no higher than the sill of the front window) brick wall from the edge of the driveway (about 5' out from the face of the garage)parallel to the front of the house, stopping it at the right end. This would create a larger entry courtyard..it would help take emphasis off the garage side and put it back over to the right side, and give you a great place to put some really nice modern house numbers. I an am architect and I really appreciate late 60's...early 70's houses like yours. Thanks for the opportunity to comment on it.

You'll get various opinions on here about everything. I think for a small older house, you can get away with color combinations that you can't get away with on a newer house. At some point people either accept a house for what is or you get into demolition and reconstruction. Often the older houses that are 'cute' have colors like purple that we'd never consider otherwise. I personally like 'happy' blue houses. Your house doesn't look blue on my computer. It looks more like a tired gray. The paint on the garage has a worn look. I keep looking at the picture of your house because I think if you could get it to look more like a quaint, cozy cottage, it would attract more people. Your house is small so you'll need to stick with a light color for the main color.

I like the idea of the arbor, that would pull that middle section further out. I think you need to get the focus of your house off of the house and more out in front of the house. If you did that some sort of trellis in the big spot to the right of the window would look good if you could find a fast growing plant to grow there or maybe even plant a rose bush so people could see the potential. I'd also plant a very fragrent continually blooming rose bush as near to the walkway/drive so people get a good feel as they walk into the house.

Everyone keeps suggesting trim around the windows, I wonder if some type of awning over the window might help too. It'd pull a little focus away from the window and it's placement.

I don't know how expensive trim is, but I suspect it is a relatively inexpensive fix compared to some things. I'm wondering if a wavy type trim painted an accent color would help at the roof line of the house. I think it help would soften the look of the house.

Yes, on the computer the color looks gray, dingy, worn, not finished. It may be quite different in real life! The house across the street is light blue with crisp white trim and green shutters--it is a cape cod style & looks adorable. The key is it is the right blue for that house--there is another blue house that the shade just doesn't work--too gray. Your modern house would not look quite right with that blue/white scheme, either, I think, but could take a sagey-blue, warm gray, sage green, or sage tan (yes there is such a color) --more muted, soft but warm colors, I guess they are. Not too light nor very dark. There is a guy who works with Lowes who, if you send a photo of your house, will suggest colors (FREE): if you go to the Lowes website, click on the interactive planner for American Tradition,then on color design center, then on tips & tools--you will find his contact info. And all the home improvement stores and paint brands have good websites to help narrow down the color choices.
dtinbna is right about sticking to the midcentury style. Clean & simple. I'm just not sure the gravel/stepping stones will work in a snowy area, but they would open up the area visually and match the style. You definitely don't want to do anything to block or close off the entryway since it is so small and narrow. A small wall as she described (or larger garden bed) would seem to add more space to the entry.
Please be sure to let us know what you do!

What state do you live in? It might help tailor the answers. Everyone keeps remarking that your house is in the north. I have about five inches of ice in my yard right now and I live in Oklahoma which is NOT a northern state. My house and yard are looking very white right now.

I live in Oregon and it usually doesn't snow here although we get a lot of rain at times. I thought I'd be able to get another picture without so much snow but it snowed again yesterday!

Where do you live in Oregon? I'm in Southern Oregon and the snow really caught everyone by suprprise here. I went out for lunch, then couldn't get back home for several hours as both the roads that go up the hill to my house were closed.
The next time you take a picture please get a wider shot so that we can get a better idea of the yard.

I live in Southern OR too.

Great post dtinbna! Personally I think the house is pretty cool as it is with the exception of the drab color. I'm not sure where in Southern Oregon you live, toonces, but you may be able to get a good deal of money if you highlight the period that the house was built. There are a lot of people who will pay extra for a house that is somewhat unusually striking.

One thought I had was painting it using colors from Sherwin Williams suburban modern exterior colors themes.

Don't get rid of the rhododendron. With any luck it will be blooming when you sell and will be considered a feature.

Here is a link that might be useful: Suburban modern paint schemes

raee, how fun! I just looked up your Lowes suggestion and am going to send a picture of my house to the Color Doctor. I can't wait to see what I get back. So thanks for the suggestion.

I think that you need to embrace the mid-century modern styling of your home.

I don't know what you budget is, but i suggest that you:

1. Remove the dish, cable, any boxes not being used.

2. Paint the house. Paint everything, including trim and the garage doors in the same color, preferable an earthy tone like a beige or light brown or pale sage. The facia at the roof and the gutters could be a different color like a creamy white. The front door needs to have the punch of color, such as red, orange, green, or turquiose.

3. Widen the walkway.

4. Extend the walkway to the sidewalk so that you don't have to walk on the driveway to get to the front door. As a suggestion, see the picture below. The house has staggered steps which fit in well with a modern home.

{{!gwi}}

5. Prune the big bush a bit, and add in some decorative plants. Make sure none of the plants block the front window.

Good luck, and whatever you decide to do, please let us see some after pictures!

Xantippe, I did this when updating my house. Although I didn't use his exact suggestions, it put me on the track & you wouldn't believe the difference it made! I still have total strangers (from the neighborhood) stop to tell me how great the house looks now (transformed, one person said!)

If you have an idea and you'd like some help visualizing it, try taking this question to the home decorating forum. There are some folks over there with great photoshop skills and great decorating ideas too.

All right guys, now that we've made some progress, take a look at the house now... we painted it green! We removed the unused red newspaper box and the satellite dish. Cleaned the moss off the walkway. Made a new concrete step by the front door. Trimmed the Rhododendron back a little.

I know it could still use some more work (especially that flower bed) but we're tired and we have accepted an offer on our house, so we're not doing anything more unless the sale falls through.

We've done a ton of work on this place. Hopefully it shows.

Follow the link, and you can snoop around inside this 1971 modular home.

Here is a link that might be useful: Same house, only cooler

Here I am reading the post, not realizing it's old (only on my 2nd coffee) lol

I was going to suggest painting it green, but a different shade, or darker grays / more of I guess an earthy neutral. I would take it one step farther and paint or change out the door, but the house looks great!

The satellite dish was actually a plus, hope you kept it? I can't tell you how many my son installs especially with football season coming. If people have cable there, they may be looking to move away from it like we most likely will do.

Glad you decided not to take the Rhodie out. Depending on where you live, it may not be as hardy in a new plant version if the owners want one or hacking it back very well could have killed it.

FWIW, I liked the idea to add decorative lighting to the garage, and would have gone one step farther with a lighted walkway.

I went to realtor.com, ask your agent to change out the main picture or if you like the one they have, ask her to retake the photo without the minivan if something happens with the offer.

Good luck.

I like what you've done with it. It looks really nice! Good Luck! I hope your sale goes through.

I really like your house, probably because it reminds me of mine! We painted ours a very similar green. Quite a remarkable transformation since your first pic. If it were me, I'd probably remove the overgrown shrub and replace it with something tall and narrow, maybe an arborvitae (sp?) to the right of the front window. I think that would frame the window nicely, and certainly look neater. Perhaps a smaller rhodo under the window would bring it all together. I know it's difficult to take out an older shrub, but I really believe you need something tall and narrow in that space.