I really like the looks of your home as it is now. Do you have another photo of it taken from the street so we can see the whole thing? That might help give a better perspective on it. What I can see looks beautiful.

I agree. It looks really nice and inviting as is.

Hi folks,
adding two more pics at a different angle....wish i could get a broader view but there is a huge Linden tree on the front lawn and it's huge right now. Hope this helps :)
Grass isn't looking that great yet, need the weather to change a bit!

It looks wonderful to me and once the grass greens up the only thing I can think of would be to add more color in your planting areas. Maybe even just bordering the areas you already have like this....
{{!gwi}}
Click photos to see larger.

Your home is quite charming. I love the look you've achieved.

As an outdoor, porch-loving gal, I see where you'd enjoy a bigger veranda for evening sitting. I know I would love to have a bigger, deeper porch on the front of my house.

This might be a time to invest in a photoshop type program to let you doodle some ideas. Or, a cheaper way, would be to run a few copies of a b/w photo of your house through the printer. Then with colored markers, you could draw the addition and see what you think.

I'd love to see what you've done on the inside...the outside says lots of good things about your style.

It is already a very pretty house. You could beef up the walkway by lining both sides with bricks in a color that works with your siding. Bring the landscape bed on the left out further, in a nice curve and add some flowers or plants in something other than the green that is there now. Like a gray-green, or lime green, or yellow flowers to bring out your door color.
Diane

Your home's curb view feels "unbalanced" to you and you're thinking of adding more weight to the left with a veranda as a focal point. I don't think you want to put private "living space" on the public side of your house. If you want to increase your planting beds, that would work, or create a focal point with a small water fountain or decorative light post with plantings, that would work. Even a small decorative tree on the left side like Forest Pansy redbud with some plantings below could work to add weight to the left side of your house.

The one big "balancing equation" suggestion that I would make is to paint the garage doors the same body color (or a shade darker) as the house. Narrow lots have forced home design into using front load garages, and BIG WHITE DOORS can make a home seem like a GARAGE(with house attached). Reclaim the prominence of the home over the garage by minimizing those garage doors!

BTW, I LOVE your yellow door! Not the usual choice, but works very well and is very individual. Maybe consider playing that up with some yellow flowers like lantana and cannas for your beds. You also might consider an evergreen like golden euonymous for year round yellow accent. It grows rather slowly, so buy the biggest plant you can afford and keep it watered until it establishes.

Depending on the flavor of the neighborhood and front yard veranda is not a private area in the front yard but an invitation for social time with the neighbors. Front porches or front veranda's can be very welcoming.

There's something about your house that reminds me of another poster who isn't around much anymore. She used to live in California in a cottage-style home. Even though your house is a ranch and probably much bigger, there's just something about it that says cottage and makes me think of Cattknap's former home.

I found these Christmas photos on another forum here. She created a sitting area in her front yard.