Some schemes I like

Love the colors of the last one!

I'm just not sure if they would look the same on our little bungalow. And which color to use for garage door...

Match your garage door paint to your siding, so that it blends in, rather than becoming a focal point

Do you think it should match exactly or say a few shades lighter, so it blends but without looking like a solid block of color?

For that matter, what do we make a focal point. Since the front door isn't even visible from the approach? We may out a decorative iron gate across the entry (that small window is the kitchen window) to create an entry vestibule.

Here are some of the garage door options we are considering. Thoughts on style?

I definitely like #1 or #4 best.

I accidentally posted the same photo twice

I would advise that you don't paint your gutters and downspouts white, as that is not a feature that I'd want brought out like the other trim. I like the multi-paned garage windows, but don't see that you have any windows like that on your house. I'd stick with the pic 2 & 3 style, which I think are the same?

There are several sites where you can upload a picture of your home and try various paint combinations on it. See some HERE.

Yes 2 and 3 are the same style on different houses. We wouldn't paint the gutters white but we need new gutters and they come in standard colors. We don't want to paint them because it peels and looks bad. I think white gutters act as trim and look nice, personally. Downspouts we can paint to match the siding.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I had read this above and it made me think that the downspouts were also being painted - "So next steps are to replace the garage door and paint the exterior
(rain gutters and downspouts will be installed after painting, will be
factory painted white to match window trim)."

Yes we will go back and match downspouts to blend with siding but the gutters I don't want to have to paint every couple years - they peel fast with sun exposure.

So we decided on the simple windows (door 2&3 above) but I really need help with color!

Gray, but not too blah?

house to the left is white and on the flag lot behind them is lavender, to our right is cream (Spanish style) and on the far side of that is a 70s contemporary house painted a dark teal. So maybe we need to stay away from too blue - green gray perhaps? I don't know where to start other than I hate yellow!

I can't get these visializers to work on my browser - does anyone feel like throwing a few examples in for me? I'm starting with cool neutrals...

I like gutters and downspouts to be painted the color of the house trim. They don't come in a huge range of color, so they are limiting, and I'd rather get to choose my house color from a huge range. And no, you do NOT want to paint your gutters/downspouts - a never-ending chore.

The downspouts should be placed on side corners of the house anyway - out of view. Originally there was one on the corner between garage and entry but I hope to eliminate that, will be discussing with the installers. You are correct about he limited choices of factory colors and in this sunny coastal town, painted metal really doesn't even last a summer.

I'm still stumped for a paint color for the main color though.

Is this forum just dead now? It seems like whenever I've posted a question lately I get very little input on the question. Thank you to those who have posted here with suggestions, but it seems like in the past there was much more of a community response and lots of viewpoints and suggestions.

Is it possible to change the front door location to the area of the little window in front? That would make a nice inviting impression! Or, build out from the alcove and have a front facing door? One could still enter the home through the old opening but there would be a tiny foyer.

This is what I would do. An off white with a tiny tic of gray. Navy shutter. And, this might not be possible but I have seen this combo with a beautiful wood door and copper gutter/downspouts in front. Very amazing!

These colors below except a shade or two lighter on the gray chit for the house body.

THIS DOOR IN WOOD, NOT PAINTED!

Shutter in NAVY!

A TAKE On This Below But A Wood Door And Navy Instead Of The Baby Blue.

Justterrilyn, that little window is the kitchen window so enclosing the area completely would make it seem dark and odd in the kitchen... however we do want to create an entry area since the front door opens directly into the living room. There is no where to put coats or shoes and we have a toddler and indoor cats so having the door open directly to the front and the street with no "airlock" makes us nervous.

Our thought was to install an iron courtyard- style gate across that covered area to create an outdoor entryway, yet allow light through (and not require building permits etc). Maybe we should consider a full light door instead... do you think a gate/iron door would look odd? We live in a very temperate zone so cold is not a huge problem it does rain a lot in winter.

Not as ornate as the first but this is the idea, and potted plants and landscaping of course.

I'm getting excited about the idea of putting a new door facing the street. It would solve our entryway problem and increase curb appeal. Perhaps a door with a sidelight tontake up the space?

The covered area is recessed as you can see so the support beam carries across the front and could be used to secure a door frame to. The dimensions of the entry area are:

Wide 76"

Deep 53"

Tall at support beam 93"

Sidewalk 46"

Can anyone photoshop inspiration for me, and or help me find doors that might fit in style and size?

The house will be painted soon as well. The garage door is being replaced tomorrow with this style (it will be painted as well):

Any help on the front door?

And the paint color? I'm lost in the fan deck!

here are some doors that might work (facing curb)

I like the doors you posted above, except the last one is an early 1900s craftsman style, its chunky and out of scale with your house. I see some people above are trying to steer you into a craftsman direction which I think is exactly the wrong way to go - nothing about your house - roofline, garage, overall visual "weight" etc. suggests craftsman. Instead, why not embrace the mid-century cottagey kind of house that it wants to be?

The other 3 doors you posted are lighter, more casual and in tune with a 1950s house. Ive been liking these doors and keep thinking I should get a 1950s house just so I can use one LOL

For above reasons I would not consider all the above posted craftsman-inspired garage doors either..... couldnt you just paint the current door a shade or two darker than your wall color? The concentric rectangle shapes would be deemphasized by being all painted same color, but still be visible as shadow lines which could be a nice touch. Otherwise, do find garage door that is same style as the front door - sometimes they are made by same co. to coordinate.

Funny how we all have different priorities - me being a serious gardener, Im just itchin to get into that yard with a roto-tiller and have at it!

Current resident - believe me I am itching to get to that, but I have to apply for the CA lawn removal rebate and get approved before starting... and new plants will do much better planted after rains start and ground softens. Paint needs to be done before rains start ideally, so here we are

I agree on door style the existing original door is very very traditional and the house lacks a "style" so it's been difficult for me to see what is appropriate. We plan to change the light fixtures too when painting.

It does have a style but one which has been somewhat obscured by the more recent additions. Its a very nice, simple (in the best sense of the word) house.... a good specimen of its time!

https://retrorenovation.com/mid-century-modest-manifesto/

I wouldn't overthink it. Find a color you like and go for it. The two "curb appeal" things that bugged me the most were the weird garage door, which you are changing, and how the entrance walk narrows oddly by the entrance. I'd pick a dramatic color for the house and spruce up the entrance walkway by making it something other than concrete or lining it with pavers or something. That odd little "L" part would bug me.

This is he new garage door - those shrubs are being removed Monday, and once our water wise rebate is approved we can start new landscaping in place of the "lawn".

Pinkmountain the walkway doesn't actually narrow but I agree the fact that it is narrower than and not aligned with the entryway "porch" is annoying. If we create a new front door though, we'd likely put a sidelight there or siding, so it would notnlook so strange. We are getting quotes for this now. If anyone has photoshop and could take a stab at a mockup I'd love it - I am only using my phone while nursing baby right now :)

current resident, the previous owner was the son of the guy who built the house and there were some DIY changes done but most of this stuff was actually original including the garage door made of plywood over a metal frame. We are not sure when they decided to set the tub in 100 gallons of dirt/backfill (not mortar or sand). The original kitchen and layout are far from MCM it's more of a ranch than modern - no open floor plan or modern original features.but we are trying to move toward a bit more simple/contemporary look.

We've had to put a lot of cash into the the house on vital things like completely new roof (tore off 3 layers of shingles and replaced all the sheathing) re-piping (corroded galvanized steel pipes) and so on... not a lot left over for aesthetics now. Some updates will have to be done over time.

Where should I mount new house numbers? We currently have 2 locations one by the window and one beside the garage, we will remove those before painting and get new numbers.

Would this style light be appropriate for the house? I like the idea of black door hardware and lighting too.

As for keeping the garage door it was not an option - it was dangerous (scissor levers that could lop an arm off and giant old rusty springs) the wood was all rotten and the metal frame the plywood attached to was rusted and warped. It was hideous as well. We are much happier with the new door functionally as well as aesthetically and the windows break up the expanse of door on the facade. I don't think the new door is craftsman it's pretty plain, and should go with any style and match the window style of the home.

I'm not really into MCM so I don't want to push too far in that direction, it was clearly never built in that style, so as long as things don't look jarringly out of place.

We got some quotes in and it looks like it will be quite expensive to frame in the opening and have a front door face the street. We are still considering it, but the budget is becoming a concern and I'm not sure if it's the best use of our cash now. If we have a fence and landscaping installed, I don't think the front door area will be as visible anyway.

here are some ideas for making the entry more appealing (on a budget), what do you think?

- widen the sidewalk by having extra concrete poured or if it can't be easily matched, use white gravel to visually expand it.

- install a new light fixture of course

- add a simple porch bench and potted plants

- picket fence (literally every house in our neighborhood has one regardless of house style - it will fit in!) set back from sidewalk a bit to avoid blocking sight lines backing out of driveway onto through street... simple gate at sidewalk off driveway.

- landscape with lavenders etc in front of pocket fence and taller sages and a small ornamental tree or 2 behind. We have to include a tree for the water rebate, and would like a bit of privacy and sound screening too.



here are a couple crude mockups in photoshop - he house color "paint" is just a transparent layer so it always looks yellowish matter what color I "paint" but it gives some idea. The first photo is as is, the second mockup with bench and landscaping example (very crude) and third is attempt at new door mockup (doing glass never looks right to me).

What is the white around the garage - will it, or can it be exact same color as the garage door? It looks better w/o such a noticeable border around it. Which then could be same color as your window trim,

I like your third pic - that door really ties everything together nicely. Looking good! If you are crafty and ambitious you could make pickets more geometric or have boards running horizontally as befitting a more midcentury or modern style .... but minor quibble, you could save it for when you've been there a while and youre bored and need a project LOL. Definitely you have a good placement of fence/shrubberies. Re: tree , one substantial one (25-30-40 ft) placed to the left, inside the fence in that left corner.

EDTA - if you cant afford door now defintely save up for getting it in in the near future- so worth it I think. I imagine it would look really nice from inside too, letting in a lot more light.

The white garage trim just stands out because it's bad photoshop (the house front is in shadow in the photo)- the window trim is also white so it would match.

i think our plan for now is to replace door hardware only and paint the house, do landscapinga d fence, and then move/replace the door in the future. We've had to choose the final aesthetic expenditures carefully.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but your roof color looks like it would work well with a green-gray or blue-gray. If you put something yellowish next to a sample of the roofing, see if it looks pinkish in comparison.

A couple of containers of flowering or architectural/texture-y plants will make your entry stand out even though you can't see the door from the street. I like the house numbers on the garage where they are easy to see from the street.

This is my house just before installation of garage door barn lights and permanent house number. The colors are fairly accurate.

I had originally thought I'd paint the garage door the same as the siding, which is the popular opinion around GW. However, I'd lived with the stock white door for 9 months and it had grown on me. There's just no way you can make a prominent, forward-placed garage door recede into the background, so I embraced it. I definitely checked out other homes with a white garage door in my greater neighborhood and decided it can look just fine, with a couple of exceptions. I think you need white elsewhere on your house, e.g., trim. If the garage door is the only white thing, it can seem disjointed. With very dark siding it can stand out too much.

I was kinda thinking along same lines as linell - make trim color same as garage door, whether thats the existing white of the garage door, or painting trim/door some other color. Keep it simple! 4 colors: roof, trim, siding (body of house), door (when it is installed). Get the exact white of garage door, sometimes SW or BM has the manufacturers info, or if not then get it matched . Definitely consider roof color as suggested above - the gray-green would be nicely of the era I think. Looking good!

My door was originally a polar white with a cool tinge. Although relatively new, I had it painted my trim color when my entire house was painted this past July.

The white garage door is growing on me too. The gutters will come in a factory finish so I'm not sure if I can get an exact match, but I can hold up samples of gutter material and pick the closest. Same with the windows they are vinyl replacement windows already white - no painted trim, so the only trim to paint is around the doors and the garage door (currently those are a butterscotch brown color). If I leave the garage door white, should I paint the trim around the garage door white too? It looks really nice on your house Linelle. In fact I love your siding color too, what is it?