I know- the orange wood looks very bad- that mixed with the dark grey, almost black makes it look very much like Halloween to me. I definitely agree some landscaping is needed! Thank you so much!

I'd prob paint the brick, remove the shutters and think about doing cedar or cedar color siding

look at these color combos to see what I mean

or do a charcoal gray brick and lighter gray siding,,,bright door.

then tackle that landscaping.

Paint the brick! We renovated a raised ranch (but orientated differently than yours) and painted the brick and replaced the siding with painted cedar (and moved the front door). You can see the before and after here. Loved this cute little house.

I wasn't going to say anything until I saw Kristen Petro's remod. O...M...G...! Congratulations on that one.

But anyway, the OP house...everything about that house says horizontal. I would not change the siding, but you can explore verticality with the landscaping. If you don't repaint the stone work, you should see if you can pressure wash the stain off the bottom of it. Build a 1-step down deck that wraps around the bay window with steps going up sideways. If you cover the deck, do something to bring attention to the vertical columns supporting the roof.

Ok I'm going to just say it. Charcoal gray paint, white trim and garage door, and a bright orange front door. If you leave the shutters, paint them white.

This is more transitional which I think your style is.. Cant go wrong with grey and white with brick!

First of all this is not a raised ranch (aka split entry) it is a split level (aka tri level). I would not paint the brick. Painted brick means on going maintenance. Beside if you do you have to use special paint because brick needs to breath. If you really want to change the color of the brick I would go with a stain. Just to start I would paint the garage door the same color as your window trim. You want a garage to recede and let the house be the star. Yep remove the shutters. Are the window muntins removable? If so remove them. Split levels are about clean horizontal lines. You have a lot of concrete in front of the house. I would have it stained a dark color from your brick. Next I would address the landscaping. There is good examples on how to landscape a split level on the internet. After that is done only then would I look at other changes. Sometimes these houses if the color doesn't balance across the whole house can look like two different homes put together. It's all about balance.

Thank you all for your idea :) functionthenlook- you are correct it is a split level home and not a raised ranch. I am definitely more drawn to the look of traditional homes and usually do not like tri-level homes, however, this house has a huge addition on the back which provides a lot more living space than a normal tri-level home. The window muntins are not removable. Thank you guys for all of the advice, I truly appreciate it and will have to look into all of these ideas. I was initially thinking of just painting it a cream color and landscaping and calling it a day. haha

Kristen- What an amazing difference!

Removing the shutters and landscaping will go a long way toward balancing your home if you can't do all of the above (paint etc). Have a local nursery or landscape designer put together a plan so you can see what a difference the right landscaping can make to your home's exterior.

As to the shutters, please take a minute to read this article as to why your shutters don't work: Shutters vs Shudders

Denita- Interesting read and totally agree- these shudders are not to my liking the house was a first-time flipper job and he did a phenomenal job on the interior but the exterior is a bit lacking. I will definitely have to look into a good landscaper :)

Marladubs, the shutter debate rages on here from house to house because so many builders and homeowners put up undersized shutters for the last 60 years not knowing the difference. Once you know, you can't un-see it IMO.

It is the same thing with landscaping. Good landscaping hides a lot of 'sins' and really can make or break your exterior. Problem is, not enough people know what to look for in good landscaping.

Denita- haha totally, now I can't unsee it haha you ruined me! haha Yes I am horrible outside and have no green thumb whatsoever and now that we moved to Georgia from the northeast we will be spending a lot more time outside so I want it to look good. This orange brick and orange shudders have me stumped- I truly hate the exterior of this house but love the inside and layout. In this market I do not have the option to be super picky so I will have to figure something out to do with the outside to meet my taste.

I love the white washed brick look, however, I am not sure that would look good on this orangey brick and then full white siding. I LOVE the look of window boxes to break it up but I don't do good gardening so not sure how that would work :/

It won't take much to make this place look like a million. As everyone else has said, lose the ugly shutters. Plant some bushes. Paint the siding, the bay window and the garage door a soft brown or gray.

I think the driveway really needs to be stained. All that concrete looks like a sterile moonscape.

Agree with Skil367. You made a great choice! Changing the exterior will bring it all in line for you. Just take your time and have a plan first.

Don't dismiss painting brick. My house was painted when we bough it nearly 34 years ago; it was a heinous color. We kept waiting for it to need painting. After waiting 18 years with no peeling etc, we gave up and painted it a lovely color. It still looks great.

My neighborhood (midwest) is filled with painted brick houses, and in my 34 years here, the only time I've seen one painted is one that was not painted in the first place! No one has had to repaint their brick!

Is the bay window original to the house? If not, would your budget allow you to remove it and replace it with a regular window? I think that might improve the curb appeal. I have a split level and we have a long, narrow porch on the side where your bay window is. We added a porch with white railings when we moved in and it improved the look of the house 1000%.