Cute potential! I agree with you about removing the porch enclosure, it think a more open appearance is more in keeping with how the house was designed to look.

Re: the shrubs, my advice is to drive around and take pictures of what looks good to you in other people's yards--even if it's a different style of house or a totally different neigborhood. Then you can use those pics as a buying guide.

For color, I wouldn't pay any attention to the mortar color, so I'd just pick the trim colors you like.It can look nice to have two colors--one for the roof trim, another for the door and shutters, etc. Again, if there are similar houses or similar colors of brick in your neighborhood, look around and see what you think looks sharp. My neighborhood has lots and lots of brick houses, so a drive down any street gives a dozen or so examples of trim colors, door colors, etc. Pick what you like!

How about a green, like Sherwin Williams Artichoke?

I don't have any color suggestions yet but I think getting rid of the enclosure and replacing it with columns is an excellent idea. That will really improve the appearance. I'm sure you'll get some great ideas from folks here. It's really a nice looking house with great potential.

Will the downspouts remain red?

I like enclosed entry, especially if the front door opens directly into the living room. It provides a good weather block and a nice place to stomp your wet shoes. I would paint it the same color as the brick.

I would also ignore the mortar color.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I do like green- as it's my favorite color! I also saw some houses I liked with a navy blue theme going on. I will play with the color visualizer, including the artichoke. I wish the previous owners had a brown roof put on, IMO the gray doesn't go well with the brick, but I'm not about to change the 5 year old roof lol.

The shrubs are a pain in the butt, especially the ones near the door, I had to trim them back so far that you can see the bare insides of them. I plan to make the entrance and the stairs (and sidewalk) much wider- after I lose the tree right infront of the house and open the vestible. Then I may do something different then just siding up top.

The downspouts- well, they are a little bit too red lol... I just did that last week, it actually does not look that bright in person but I will have Sherwin-Williams darken it down as I need to put another coat on anyway. I was trying to blend them with the brick... then again, if I paint the trim & gutters green, leave those red for the Christmas theme :)

I'm going to disagree with leafy & say you should pay attention to the mortar color or your trim color will look off and you can't figure out just why. Mortar color is subtle, but it's there. You don't have to use yellow per se, but stick with colors with yellow undertones: greens, tans, beiges, creamy whites.

What a charming house! Nice property too. Landscaping the front will do wonders for your handsome little home.

What do the front steps look like? Down the road, a porch redesign would be a big improvement. But for now, maybe just a really nice carriage lamp over the front door to replace that utilitarian thing there now would be a relatively inexpensive fix.

I really like the tree. Are you certain about removing it?

If you're going to replace the sidewalk anyway, why not put in a nice curving walkway up to the house -- it can curve around the tree.

Your house would benefit from a few curves, and this would be an opportunity...

I agree with mclarke about the tree and the curving front walk--so much more pleasing to the eye. Unless, of course, the tree is in bad shape. Also agree about opening up the entry. You don't have a dead air space there right now without a door, and you'll still have the roof and little porch area for shelter from weather. I also like the brightness of the white, if was a little more creamy instead of white/white. You can add lots of color with your landscaping.

I agree with mclarke. A curving walkway--generously broad and a bit meandering--could add a lot of interest and you could avoid removing a beautiful tree. A curving walkway could add opportunities for landscaping and add some movement and grace.

I'm not a fan of that enclosed front porch. Opening it up would add charm, I think. Lots of potential for curb appeal with that cute house.

Great house! I love green and would go with that for your trim. Opening the porch is a marvelous idea. Also love those trees out front, but if you are sure you want to get rid of the one near the sidewalk, I would definitely widen the walkway. There are lots of landscaping options. Be sure to think about how much time you want to spend working on the garden from March-November. That will help determine your choices. Shrubs will be less maintenance generally than flower beds. A mix of shrubs and perennials would be a nice option. There are some wonderful hydrangea choices. Hosta, ferns, anemones, heuchera, etc. are good, easy choices for shade/part sun. Azaleas make for a splendid show in spring and a nice green the rest of the year. If you are near College Park or Potomac, Behnke's is a wonderful nursery and they can give you tons of advice if you need it. I agree that you could drive around to see what appeals to you, but walking around the nursery is good, too, since you'll know what you are looking at and that may not be the case when you look at others' houses-unless you are a gardener, in which case, accept my apology and ignore all the above! :)

If you are in Montgomery County, be sure to get your permit to change the porch. The powers that be there are notorious for turning down changes like that (while approving complete tear-downs and rebuilding huge houses that take up the entire lot). We have friends who wanted to enlarge their porch slightly on their Cape Cod and they were denied a permit.

Thanks for the input- it's great to see my house through the eyes of others. Admittedly I'm not very artsy or good with decorating & colors, so that's why I asked here :)

The coloring, I'll keep working on that- the all white is out.

As for the tree, I'm going back and forth- I think it's fully matured now and should not grow any more. It's at least as old as the house. It looks kind of strange- it doesn't have a main trunk, it goes up, then to the side then curves all over the place lol. It does sit in the south of the house so in the summer it does provide shade. It just seems so large and ugly for such a small house.

The sidewalk- well, I did consider doing a curve around the tree. I plan on doing 2 paths, one to the driveway and one to the street. I should mention I'm on the end of a dead end street so there's no thru traffic. If I do a curved sidewalk, this is what I had in mind..

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Here's an older shot of the sidewalk/tree, you can see how large it is.

For the front steps - they are sewer brick and could use some reworking. They don't exactly match the brick in the walls and are kind of narrow so I plan on getting rid of those too. I'll either do concrete or some kind of stone to make the stairs wider going into the entry.

The lighting, yes I plan on updating that, I plan on doing 2 lights flanking the front door. I'm not sure what is above the enclosed entryway's ceiling now, but if there's space I may even try to do some kind of hanging light, perhaps completely opening the vestible's front including its gable. We'll see!

I would relocate the sidewalk and look at bringing your beds out from the house and around the tree. You could also put a bench, a bird bath or a swing under that tree and make it something of interest and charm. Put something tall between the windows - a taller shrub, a trellised vine, espaliered fruit tree. White or cream with black too -- especially if you do black lanterns

I have a red brick house with white columns and trim and a deep navy blue (almost black) door, so I could easily see that coloring working.

Another idea -- what about a pergola extending across the front over the windows? You might want steps to come down on that side also -- or build a deck up to the same level, and create a welcoming spot, even a front patio?

I would never remove that tree, it's charming.

Yes, save the tree and relocate the sidewalk. The birds, the air you breathe will thank you!

You could talk to an arborist about ways to trim it (probably over several years) into a more sightly and still natural shape. I don't think a large tree overpowers a small house...it matches its age.

First you are absolutely RIGHT to pay attention to the brick mortar color! That is a huge source of "background" color on your huse already that cannot be changed, and color experts all advise painting your trim the color (or color family) of your mortar. It makes a noticeable difference in how your house appears as a whole. I bought a brick house about six years ago that had bright white trim everywhere and it just looked "off." after driving around and looking at scores of brick homes--- not pictures, the real thing--- it finally dawned on me that the best looking brick houses have the same, or very similarly colored, mortar and trim. Your mortar looks to be putty colored, and your trim would compliment it in that same family but perhaps a lighter hue. Stark white is going to fight with your mortar, so you�
really need to work with it. A beige or almond color with gold undertones would tone down the yellow ness of the mortar. At bottom is a link to a woman who will give you specific paint recommendations based on your photos.
The siding on your current entry is obviously too yellow/gold for the mortar, and am glad anyway you're contemplating getting rid of the entry. It may have been done to increase the energy efficiency of the home, so you may want to increase your insulation at the front in some way, particularly around light switches in the walls, and replace the threshold , weather stripping or under door sweep if necessary.

I would love to see simple square columns framing your entry. It could be a beautiful, welcoming portico instead of the afterthought it now appears. Removing the porch would also allow you to use a good width of shutter on your big window, if you like. Considering your location and the somewhat plain exterior of your home, I would put real shutters on hinges, held back by black shutter dogs, on all windows front and back, in a very dark color called Charleston Green. It comprises six or seven parts black to one part green, and is a good dark neutral for a brick house like yours. Your brick is a beautiful color, btw!

Your hedges can be replaced with something smaller and that will remain as discrete entities instead of growing together in one amorphous long unibush. Lower landscaping will make your house appear larger (its true size) than it does now.

The tree is a tough call. You are going to have to redo your sidewalk anyway, and most are no longer a straight shot from street to house. Moving it asymmetrically would preserve the tree and balance out its mass. However, yet looks as though you need to limb it up and raise the canopy so that your grass will grow better and it will shelter your house instead of obscure it. If you do decide to take it down I would plant another sizeable tree to replace it, further to the left. But I would personally keep (and limb up) the tree.

You have a lovely house in a good setting, and I am very interested in seeing pictures of how it turns out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Help with mortar/ trim combinations

Sorry Eric, right blog, but wrong post in the link above. I was trying to link to the one that discusses the mortar / trim combination. If you navigate around in the blog you should be able to find it

I love the enclosed porch. Not only is it extremely practical but it makes your house look bigger. Unless you have an entryway that can handle wet shoes, coats, etc., then keep the porch.

I also like the tree and agree about moving the sidewalk.

Yeah, those hedges need to go. I had some similar to yours and was so glad they were pulled out when we remodeled!

I like the tree, and I wouldn't remove it unless it is diseased. It adds visual interest to the front of the house and you can easily landscape around it. Adding a curved front walk adds more visual interest too.

I'm not sure what I would do about the enclosed porch. I could see it being very pretty as an open porch with beefy columns - but if you get nasty weather at all, I'll bet that little enclosed porch keeps more crud out of your house than you might realize, plus it makes a nice wind/weather break too.

Here's a link to a slideshow of glassed-in vestibules and a picture sample (which is too Victorian for your home, but the slideshow might give you some ideas):
Scroll down to vestibules

Or you might want to consider framing the porch better & making it your true front entrance. Put in a nice door and build closet space inside for coats, shoes, umbrellas, etc. Instead of the gaping window holes you could have a nice door with sidelights or a door and a small oval window or some other attractive window design. It would create a nice display space for house numbers too.

Let's see:

-a vote to leave the tree in place! After removing the main overgrown bushes -- create a wide curved path (as large as the edge of the current path and then over to the area of your line drawing) from the road.
-Add a path from the current pathway around the side of the house -- to the driveway. Helps create a more defined "front entrance" for guests.

-Once the bushes are removed -- you will notice that the front windows will appear to "float" -- so add taller bushes at the far ends of the house -- and a taller tree or bush in the open space between the two front windows. When you create the new garden beds -- make them much larger and curvy.

-as for ideas for the front door enclosure -- I do think that for your style of house -- the front columns (but make them square) might look better. ((although the inspiration photo is quite lovely for that wonderful Victorian/Italiante-style of home))

-as for colors for trim -- I vote for satin black. With a moss green front door.

-for the back area -- create a wide wood deck that comes up to the step of the back door. Add stairs (one or two) down to a brick patio for more entertaining space.

-Also -- check out window well covers for the basement windows -- which may add some protection for your basement windows.

-Also consider adding gutters to the ends of the house -- and if you re-do the front entrance -- perhaps add them to the front facade of the entrance too.

Just some thoughts .....

Thanks for all the replies, they're really helpful. I'm also kind of shocked to hear the house looks charming- and the brick was good looking, I thought it was ugly lol. This is my first house and it was all I could afford in this area short of a condo or townhouse lol.

I am leaning heavily towards keeping the tree now- it is not diseased, survived a hurricane last year (Irene) and provides much shade in the summer.

lascatx- Yes I've thought about a front porch, my neighbors actually did that (identical houses) and extended their roof. But that's way in the future, it has potential though. Yes, thought about a pergola too.

kwsl- All great tips. The front door I plan on replacing anyway, it's warped lol. And I am leaning towards a dark green for the trim. I'll have plenty of time to thnk about it as I don't plan on doing this until March/April ish.

I also never thought about limbing up the tree but that's a great suggestion. The canopy droops low!

I never thought about shutters either, that could "frame" that picture window well. I like that Charleston Green though! Perhaps I'll consider that for the trim.

oaklyok, patriceny and awm3- enclosed porch... well, i'm in Maryland so we can get some nasty weather, but I don't really stand out there anyway, if it's storming (like it was last night) I go to the porch, open the door and step inside, takes less than 10 seconds. Although I'm thinking about keeping the sides enclosed and doing something like this (obviously not as high)

Teacats- great suggestions as well.

Black trim- I've thought about it. Hope it doesn't look too sinister but that could look wonderful.

Back window wells- that was my project last year, the entire area sloped towards the house so when it rained heavily there would be a *little* bit of leakage in that corner's basement. So I dug some window wells, did some filling with fill dirt and now, it's all good :)

Rear deck- yes I've had this planned too. I'd put a deck from the edge of the house to the first basement window, it's about 20 ft for that.

Ahhh soooo many projects!
But to recap:
Bushes, seems like that's an overwhelming consensus- GET RID OF. Put something skinny and tall between the front windows.

Tree- learning towards keeping and redirecting sidewalk.

Sidewalk- curve around the tree

Trim- something with a yellow undertone, perhaps dark green or even black.

Entry way- still leaning towards opening up, possibly keeping some "sides" to it. But with square, beefy columns.

Great stuff! I'm new and love this forum already.

Eric, around here, "project" is synonymous with "house." !!

I didn't word my post very well, I was on my way out to a meeting this am and in a rush. I think the Charleston green would be brilliant for shutters and doors, but the actual trim color on your fascia boards, cornices, and other molding should be a beige with a gold undertone. If the trim color closely echoes your mortar, the house is happy :) seriously, it is like magic!

Your house is charming and ihas a lovely setting. People in newer neighborhoods would kill for those trees. Cannot wait to see what you do with it! (and as far as waiting for two years to do anything to it, well --- we've been here six years and just started the exterior renovation this year.)

it's late and i'm headed to bed but i had to just write in and say, PLEASE do not get rid of that tree! it adds character warmth to the home. i'm afraid your house would feel naked without it.

I would also STRONGLY suggest that you post your questions on the Landscape Design forum here - although they're touchy about the phrase "curb appeal" so I'd rephrase the question. You might get some really brilliant ideas about reworking the landscaping (and keeping that tree) to maximize the appearance of the house. I think a consult with a good landscape architect would also be money well spent. You can certainly pay them for just their ideas and plans, and then do the hardscaping and installation yourself to save some money.

I think that you have a diamond in the rough there, and with some thoughtful re-landscaping and different paint, that house is really going to shine. I agree with you that the enclosed porch isn't really doing the house any favors, but what to replace it with...I'm not sure.

Good stuff. I think I found a trim color that may work well- it's even in the "yellow" family of colors and the darker shades are called tan lol. Sherwin Williams SW6113 Interactive Cream. I'll have to get some samples to see how well it actually works.

Projects- yup, I used to be into working on cars but this house I've been slowly working on. It was in decent shape when I got it but I've done stuff like tear down some walls, replace plumbing fixtures, lighting, built in home theater system etc. Sometimes it gets frustrating & expensive but it's fun!

Eric, I've enjoyed seeing your house and all the helpful posts.

I do have one cautionary note about the SW paint you mention: We recently bought 8 samples of SW interior flat tan/beige/cream colors. We finally decided on Cherish Cream (6651) and bought five gallons. It is very different from the sample. I called SW and told them about this, and the guy told us the samples don't really look like the real color, they don't have all of the ingredients. Maybe this was just an uninformed clerk, but you might want to ask about that at SW before you rely on samples. Luckily, we love the color as it turned out, we like it better than the sample, but there really is quite a difference (and it's not just a matter of light, time of day, etc.; sample and IRL are just not the same no matter what.)

Anyway, I hope you'll continue to show us your progress. Sounds like you've done a lot of interior work already; how about posting some photos of that? Good luck!

Alright! Made some progress today, taking a break as I'm not in as good shape as I used to be haha. It's a nice cool and sunny day, so no insects, heat or humdity to deal with :) Took out the bushes. House looks MUCH different! I now need to wash the brick and dig out the stumps. Also need a better spot to hide my trash & recycling bins and the air conditioning unit. The enclosed porch now looks even more out of place with the bushes gone lol.

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I also started busting up the concrete steps. WOW, that's more work then I thought. I could only do 1 slab before getting winded haha. Here's the rubble piles so far! Fortunately the town will pick them up at no extra charge (rolled into the taxes).

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Wow. You have accomplished a lot! Looking better already. It is going to be fun for us to watch your progress!

"Fortunately the town will pick them up at no extra charge (rolled into the taxes)."
Soooo funny !!
Removing the bushes really makes a BIG difference.
Glad to see you've come back to show progress..
I hope to be able to follow your progress(transformation)in future post...THX~
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Just opening up the front will make the house more welcoming. I also changed the path, steps and railing, added some landscaping (including something to hide the A/C and utility boxes on the side of the house, and painted the downspout on the left to blend better with the brick.

I think it is a great idea to open up the front. I would add a gable vent, (around $50.00 at Home Depot) or better still, a gable window which would let some light shine through and add some interest to the the front of the porch. Like this............{{gwi:1902653}}

Oh man that's great! Thanks so much for the photoshop that really gives me some ideas. The colors are wonderful. I like that curved path, the one I drew for some reason just didn't have the flow but this one makes much more sense. Not only that, the house is at the end of a dead end street. To the left, there is nothing. I'll take more shots tomorrow when it's sunny out. When the mail man comes to deliver mail, he usually cuts through the grass anyway haha.

For some reason the downspouts always show up much redder in the pictures than in person. I brought a brick sample to sherwin-williams and had them match the brick. I still need to throw another coat on so I'll go back and have them tone down the color some so it doesn't stick out as much.

The photoshop definitely makes me want to open at the very least the front of the porch adding wider steps. The sides I may or may not open. Also even if I do need to get rid of the tree, I think the landscape would still work.

Unfortunately most of this is a few months away as it's no fun working outside when it's 20 degrees out but I can't wait. Now, on to decide to use pavers or concrete, and what color...

Consider doing some type of lattice screening for the trash and AC. Match it to the trim color you pick.

A pergola would also look really good on the right hand side of the house, and you could do a paver patio under it. Most people would prefer a patio to a deck, so think about stairs down the back to a network of patios linked with paths and a path to your shed.

I agree with mclarke. The trees are really giving good look to your entrance. I would suggest keeping them the bushes need some work but they are also OK for me. Anyways a nice house, I liked it.