Cute house! What is the exterior? Looks like vinyl siding from the photo.

First tell us what it is you don't like about the house. Also very helpful is to find pics of home exterior's you love and see what you can do to 'get the look'.

Adorable house! Love the color. Two things that I noted: 1) the horizontal line in the storm door seems to distract from the unique design of the main door, and 2) I'd rather see a pediment above the door and a light fixture on each side instead of the one lone fixture above the door.

Hi!
The siding is vinyl coated aluminum. It is 20 years old but in good shape. The roof is gray shingle and new. The house was is in a neighborhood that I always really liked. It is a neighborhood of cape style homes built in 1945 for soldiers coming home from WW2. The interior was done in English country and I really liked it. I just thought the outside was lacking curb appeal and thought maybe a different color on the front door and lighting fixtures? I know the front needs to be landscaped but don't know where to start. I like English country or country cottage. I guess what I don't like is the front door, lights, and some plants that would provide seasonal interest. I live in Zone 5 and there is not much to look at in the winter.

Really beautiful home!

I would adjust the placement of the porch light to the side of the door (left or right).

I find that the top floor window size is off a bit with it being small in a larger space it is really eye catching.

You have a great layout for landscaping that is flush with the front of your home. It would be nice also to see a taller shrub or bush on the right hand corner of the home.

The front of your house is perfect also for a full length porch perhaps as a future project but for now if you are keeping the porch I would paint it out another color maybe something taupe...not sure on color but the brown really pops and doesn't jell with the rest of the exterior colors.

Also maybe a paint on the front door?

You know what I did when I bought my home last year I had a designer come and give me opinion on colors and layouts - it was really helpful.

Just my thoughts - please show us 'after photos' - it really is a nice home. Congrats!

ok, got it now! An easy thing to do to dress it up a bit is to add some lanterns on either side of door as already suggested. I can also see removing the redwood deck and creating a large concrete/ stone/paver platform as big as the deck with steps leading down to a beautiful curved front walk in a cobblestone look. It can be achieved with pavers! There are all sorts of colors and textures available. That alone will go a long way in giving you a nice staement to which beautiful plantings and flowers will highlight. Something like this:
{{!gwi}}

You're lucky your new house has good proportions. It won't take much to make it sparkle. I'd change the windows so they're all the same style:

Instead of going through the expense to change the porch light positions and having to repair the hole where the light used to be, I'd just get a prettier light. Maybe something larger, or something like this: wharf light

For the front door, if you got a retractable screen door, your pretty front door would be visible.

Finally, maybe some hanging flower baskets over the railings of the porch would be pretty and easy to maintain
flower baskets

Maybe the door would be good in red? But I always think that. Still....
Or how about a teal or soldier blue door? It's a cute, cute house. Maybe that horizontal rod going across the storm door is removable. I've had storms like that. If you could take the cross piece off, it would let the nice wood door show better. And the light that awmo3 posted would look great on your house.

A variegated red-twig dogwood would be good, maybe on the left hand corner. They have nice bright red stems in the winter. (Oh-oh....there I go again with the red.) I'm in zone 4. My dogwoods are the nicest color I can have in the winter. Otherwise it's pretty blah in the middle of winter. You might also consider some Annabelle hydrangeas. They are so pretty in the summer and have a nice old-fashioned look. If you want to, you can leave the big pom-pom flowers on all winter and cut them back in the early spring. The blooms turn rusty brown color and it gives you something out there in the winter. And also one or two small evergreen shrubs would be nice out there so you have some dark green color during the winter. Then plant some daylillies and some asiatic lillies for summer color. If you expand those planting beds out a ways so they are deeper, and make them a curvy shape, that will add to the look too. If you leave the stained porch as it is, you could get some golden or medium brown cedar mulch for the garden and that will tie the porch color into the landscaping.

I always need to see a picture (even if it's just in my mind), and you've received some wonderful ideas here. So I'll add a few pictures that might have something you like. I like the way a couple of these have a bump-out off the front that helps to include the porch area, and the arched door is so interesting.

Your house is really very pretty already.

{{!gwi}}

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I see a bigger front porch,take it right to the end of the house so you can sit and relax. Replace the screen door with a retractable screen something like a phantom screen ,so you can see your front door, I'd change the light at the top of the door to the side of the door.

What kind of budget do you have? Knowing that would help us.

For winter interest, consider rhododendrons. They keep their leaves all winter, and provide lovely flowers in the spring. Do a search for "rhododendrons" and "zone 5"...

If you keep the platform at the front door, consider painting it white to match your trim.

If and when you could afford it, an extended roof pediment over the front door, with a roof extension like in the 2nd photo that sugafr provided would look lovely, and provide much needed element protection for the front door. I would paint all trim on decking white to match the rest of your window and door trim.

Window boxes under both windows would also add color and interest and aren't too costly.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful ideas. I looked up variegated red-twig dogwoods,rhododendrons and annabelle hydrangeas. Those would be beautiful! I also really like the pediment idea. We have a budget of 12,000 right now. I was also considering painting the door a wine or berrie color. Would that look alright with green?
I loved the pictures that you did sugafr!!! Thank you !!!
Larissawbb