I wouldn't remove the railing either, although I do think boxing the posts to make them a bit more substantial is a good move. Your porch won't have enough presence without the rail. Maybe you can find one you like better?

I don't mind the color of your brick either. If you really want to paint, your roof seems a fairly neutral wood tone that will go with lots of blues, greens, greys. You have to be careful picking the shade of grey, so many are just dull and wipe out any charm.

I would add some wood trim around the door to give it more presence and anchor it visually to the porch. Then paint door, storm door frame, and trim a more visible color like blueberry or plum (pick a shade that goes well with the brick, though!)

I tend to like looser, less formal and more variety in plantings, so I would probably remove most of the bushes (maybe leave the small ones at the end of the driveway) and replace with another small tree, a flowering shrub, some gold thread cypress or maybe a euonymus for winter color. Maybe build a raised planting bed with stone or brick at the right side to level the slope.

I also wouldn't remove the railing! If it were mine...

- I'd think about ways to improve the wide plain/void opening between the two widely-spaced posts opposite the door. I'd be trying to make it more inviting, yet with an element of privacy. I'm a gardener, so my first idea would be to put in a trellis for climbing plants (something narrow next to the left post as facing the house). And/or I'd add some bench/chair seating near the door & window, and find some large planters for the porch edge near each post. Thoughts like that.....

- I'd evaluate the gardens around the porch and the foundation evergreens and decide what should stay/go/whatever.

- I'm most bothered by the windows with the odd shutter sizes and white thing below them. I'd put window boxes on those two windows, for sure!!! :)

I wouldn't paint the brick -- that would just add maintenance issues for me. lol!

ETA: sorry, I didn't see the photo that shows the pathway leading to where I thought a trellis might go. Don't do that. lol! Is the existing path used? is it at a spot and in a configuration that's natural? if not, I'd change it to whatever works best!

Remove the tall pine tree on the right of the door, blocks the window.

Odd how to save a bit of labour and materials building a walkway, someone cut the railing short. Otherwise the post would be equidistant from the one on the left and the entryway would be properly centred and the focus of the front facade.

The fake shutters are ridiculous. But they're such a ubiquitous "improvement" everywhere one looks, who can say they're not inappropriate anymore?

I would ditch the shutters. Beef up the columns. Remove the plantings like you wanted to and paint all the woodwork and the railing a grayed green color to make it sit back. The white is too stark.

Please do not paint the brick! You will have to maintain it, as someone else mentioned. But, also, it can create moisture problems in your home. It's just a facade, so if you really don't like it and you're ready for a big project you could take it off and put on siding.

I have another vote for getting rid of the shutters and the bushes. The bushes obscure some of the nicer features of your home - the windows and porch rail.

I would not beef up the columns. Really good architecture is all about proportion -- getting the ratios right. Right now, the columns are the right scale for the rest of the house.

Do you see how the door looks like it's floating in the pictures? I'm sure there's a step, but we can't see it from the curb. Doing something to make the step more visible will help the door to be more grounded.

Your flowering tree is pretty, but most of the growth is very high and asymmetrical. If you could prune it to balance it out, it would really add a lot. But, this would not be a quick fix. You'd have to wait a few years after pruning for it to grow in nicely.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do!

Please don't paint the brick! It's a nice color. If it were beige from the 60's or the pink/blush brick from the 90's, I could see painting it, but that light red reminds me of a colonial = classic.

Also, the front door looks "lost". Is there any way you can make it more of a feature? The windows on the right seem to be swallowed by that thick bottom trim and the long shutters - not sure if you can alter that because there may not be brick under that trim.

I like your house, I don't think you need any dramatic changes.

You should post this on the Landscape Forum on the Garden side of Houzz. Amazing experts over there.

The sidewalk is too narrow and weak. It looks odd because it doesn't line up with the front door. And the stoop is too small. All the arborvitae are overgrown and need to be trimmed back or replaced. The tree is too large for its spot, too. It was probably fine 20 years ago, but now it's too big.

Doesnt the driveway going right up to the house/porch bother anyone else? Did that used to be an attached garage right there? I would have that part of the driveway removed, widening it to the left instead if you need the extra room. And then continue the existing planting bed across in front of the porch railing where the driveway used to be.

You have a pretty brick house. Don't paint it.