Agree the siding needs cleaning.

Normally I like black around windows, but I don't think it works on this house. I'd paint the windows a bronze and the trim around them white or off white.

Front door needs more of an oomph color because of the farmer's porch ceiling.

I'd take the two shrubs out, add some nice porch columns and a rail, then have a garden in front of the porch.

The step up through the front door seems awkward.

Ugh...I was told to replace my shutters to larger ones too (when I was just sharing a new paint color) and I have to say that like ours, your shutters are the "standard" builder shutters put on houses ALL over this country. They are expensive to replace and unless your in a region where there are hurricanes, replacing them to large sized ones will probably make them look strange and out of place (in your neighborhood). To offer a more cohesive look, I would consider removing them entirely and add some matching trim around the bottom windows. Or, if you like the shutters, you can try painting the trim and shutters a different color to see if they work better together.

I see the cedar in the front, but is that vinyl on the side of the upper level? This is a bigger project and just a suggestion, but if so, you may want to consider changing out the cedar to vinyl. I'm not a fan of your cedar, I think it ages the house and is not adding to the curb appeal. Also, it seems like the 3 different siding types, vinyl, brick and cedar are just too much together. Also, if you did siding, it would offer the opportunity to add some color.

We too have a colonial and a similar type porch, smaller though but also without any visual interest. Last year, we added new posts and railings and I couldn't believe how much that small project changed the entire look of the house. This summer, I was able to hang flower baskets and it looks so nice. I can visualise something similar with your house. If you aren't interested in railings I would at least add some posts for interest.

As a start for the garden, I would remove all those hedges and add plantings in the bed that can provide punches of color. And depending on your zone, I think a nice mid sized Japanese Maple or a mid sized leaved tree would look lovely in the center section of the lawn.

I might also look at either repainting or replacing the front doors. I think the style adds to the ageing of the house a bit and could use some sprucing up. While teal is my favorite color for doors these days, I don't think it works well with the brick. Because the porch has limited light, a dark color just makes it look like a dark hole from the street so I would go with something lighter that works better with the brick and coordinates with the vinyl (if that's the direction you go in).

Seems like Bev agrees with my suggestion regarding the siding as she updated her post to reflect that.

Congrats on your new home, though! Please don't forget to share pic as you progress on your project, we love to see the final results!

1 - Get rid of the "moustache" hedge along the foundation. It's outdated, a maintenance hassle, and makes the left side of the house way heavier then the right side.

2 - Widen the walk to be at least as wide as the doorway it leads to. 2 adults should be able to comfortably walk side by side on it.

Your front porch looks like a good size for casual sitting and chatting, but consider making it a bit wider with privacy planting for enhanced outdoor living.

Add lighting to the walkway.

3 - Bring your "foundation plantings" out into a bed 1/2 or more the height of the house ... a mix of flowering perennials, low evergreens, grasses, and the like. A couple of small trees with pretty flowers, berries or foliage on the street side of the

Plan it so it's as pretty from the front porch as it is from the street. If you have some tall plants in the middle of the foundation plantings like this ____//\\\__ it will be a privacy screen for you and block the street view a bit.

It may be fairly easy to carry out Beverly's suggestion if you fill in between the two dormers. It could done on top of the existing roof.

Definitely remove the "moustache" hedge; it will allow the full height of the brick work to show; right now you have just a compressed brick stripe on that side. Would someone photo shop out the shrubbery so the op could see? I like also the idea of a smaller door with side lites, but think if there is a way to beef-up the trim around the door substantially it may make a huge improvement, as the door seems less substantial than the window above. White or ?black? door w/white trim? Right now there are two many disparate elements, and although pretty, I agree in this case the teal is fighting.... Big white window box under the window w/chairs. I like your idea to extend out a patio. Is that a column on right side of the porch? I wonder if two flanking the door are might define the entry.

I would not build a path from the driveway in favor replacing the current path to front door. It is unusually narrow. The curving for no purpose just makes it awkward. I would say you can take your time on landscaping, except for the two round shrubs which are not part of the hedge.They look very extemporaneous. I would dig them out promptly. It is a nice house. Hope you love it for years.

Remove the shutters and all foundation plantings. Make some curvy beds with softer plants ( do not " shape" them). Replace the door with a single door/sidelights

Any chance that roof shingle on the front can be replaced with blue clapboard siding like you have on the rest of the house?

I'd like to say that I like the trees behind your home and you have a nice large area to make a garden in. If it were mine I would expand the seating area in front and surround it with a garden extending out into the lawn. Tall enough to give some seperation from the street but not blocking the view from the window.

We really appreciate you all taking the time to send your suggestions our way!! Many ideas we haven't thought of but are definitely considering. I love the idea of replacing the cedar planks with siding and eliminating the side slope of the roof by adding siding! We agreed that many parts of this house are dated and were unsure as to how to update this 1970's gem!! Removing the hedges is a definite and happening today! Yay! Repainting the front door for the time being is on th list as well!!

We want to tackle the pavers first and are having a difficult time choosing the paver color. Beverly... Chicago brick pavers were on the list and we also considered charcoal or trimming the chicago brick with charcoal.

Would love suggestions on color !?!?!?

Also, we live in Florida... Not sure if that makes a difference.

We also considered painting the brick? Thoughts?

Painting the bricks crossed my mind, but replacing the cedar planks with siding may make a greater impact. And painting the brick without removing the cedar might not be enough of a change to modernize the house.

In lieu of pavers, you might consider stained and stamped concrete for the driveway. I think it is less expensive.

Painting the bricks sure would free up your color choices. Right now you're limited to colors that work with red orange (not many, iow). I've lived on the Gulf Coast, and there were painted brick homes in my former neighborhood. They didn't have the "maintenance nightmares" that many people warn about when painting brick. The homes didn't have flaking paint, and the homes didn't need constant repainting either. Don't paint your house in the dead of humid summer, no matter where you live.

I'm surprised that so many people are suggesting replacing the cedar siding with vinyl. Here in northeast Indiana cedar siding, either real or fake vinyl is a big trend. Not so elsewhere?

Darcy, I'm in Michigan so not too far from you and I can't say it's overly popular here or a trend, but when used in the right situation it's great. However, the reason I suggested the siding instead is to offer a more cohesive look. On this particular house, it just looks out of place. If their house was a Dutch Colonial which is a more common use for the cedar (in our neck of the woods) I would probably not have suggested replacing it.

If the OP removed the cedar siding on the front facing, would it remain on the porch roof area?

That isn't cedar siding, those are roofing shingles.

I like the single door with sidelights, but would do a door with glass on the top half.