Your house is pretty cute and symmetrical. I think the bushes do a good job of cutting the brick down and keep it from feeling to heavy. Even if you painted it or did a German schemer, it would still be a giant chunk of white that would need something to help break it up.

I suggest you remove the shutters, which are too small for the windows. (properly sized ones would need to be able to fully cover the window as if they were real). Extend some sort of bush all the way along the brick and toss some flowers in for color.

You need more large shrubs, like the ones you already have, to cover the brick. Then some lower landscaping in front of it all the way across, such as a hedge of hydrangea. .

To some extent, your home seems to be patterned after a traditional Louisiana low country house. They were built up on piers so flood waters could pass under the main living area. The houses you're dreaming of are cottages that have nothing in common with the style of your home. Do a bit of exploring online and see if you can devise landscaping to give the impression that the brick is not solid but is piers. You might have a trompe l'oeil artist paint faux openings on it as in the 3rd house, or put shutters or vintage doors there to break up the brick. Then layer the landscaping over the "openings" you've created between the "piers" you imagine.

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This big brick foundation is broken up by shrubbery, but the type of shrubs are not attractive. I think you should get a landscape architect involved to make the change.

Yes, that is a stacked stone raised planter bed.

Thanks for the comments! So, upgraded landscaping seems to be the theme. I like the stone in front of the shrubs that Dig Doug illustrated. However, since my front yard goes straight down, I can't do much off the stair landing. You can't really tell in the picture but that's a regular sized sidewalk in front of the stairs...goes straight down from there.

Anything regarding new railing or cedar accents? Thanks again!

Different approach..

The stone wall looks great, but if it is outside your budget, just use tall shrubs at the back, lower shrubs in front, low plants in front. That will give you a similar tiered effect without the expense of the wall.

This is purely personal bias but I think the Hollies would work much better if selectively pruned as opposed to sheared in to rectangle shapes. The brick itself is a big hard rectangle and you don't want to emphasize it you want to diminish it. Something with a loose shape like a Hydrangea would work well if it fits your area and you are willing to dead head as needed. More plants are needed with no reason to paint the brick.

I think everything is fine about the house, except for the massive amount of foundation that's exposed. (Some of the changes you consider sound potentially downgrading to me.) Covering some of the foundation with plantings will eradicate the problem.

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with the species of the shrubs you have, but with their maintenance. They would be more attractive if they were pruned and grown in round shapes, and their proportions could be better attuned to the architecture. More plants -- perennials, shrubs, groundcover, tree(s) -- should be added so as to round out the picture.

Get a landscape architect out there to help with the brick. I don't think painting it would help. I love the curved stairs shown in some of the homes above. I would remove your shutters and match the pillars to your door color. Replace the top of your railing with wood matching the door as well.

The hollies were pruned that way when I bought the house 4 years ago. I want them gone because I'm tired of pulling the leaves out of my foot when I walk on the sidewalk. The sketches above with more round shrubs looks better anyway.

So, new stairs and a complete overhaul on the landscaping sounds like the direction I'm headed. I never thought about removing the shutters entirely but I'm definitely going to consider that.

Thanks for all the input...I sincerely appreciate it!

bellburgmaggie...that sketch looks great! Thanks! However, I don't have 25 feet to pull the beds. I guess you can't really tell from the picture, but at the bottom of the stairs is a sidewalk. Beyond the sidewalk (the grass), my yard takes a hard slope downhill. So all I have to work with is where the beds are outlined by monkey grass.

tc_kellygirl...that's exactly what I was wondering if I could do. I just don't know if cedar "goes" with my house. I was thinking about replacing the shutters with some wooden ones but I see now that there's no need for shutters. But good question...could I wrap those posts in cedar? Would that "work", design wise...

I would remove the bushes, and German smear the brick. You can easily create a trellis system with retail components. Use the foundation to secure the trellis in the metal stock tanks. You can grow veggies or flowers on the front of your house. I would create two patios at the base of the foundation. Sunflowers would look great.

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