I think you like non-fussy, casual, kinda transitional(for whatever it means)..cozy and very livable..and you re not against some mixing and matching-you're not the style purist given all that-i think your chances on making your rental homey for you and your family are not only big-they're grand.. tie the colors together since it's a bit strange they have different color carpets in dining and living(do they? or is my monitor playing mind games with me?), with rugs, pillows since you seem to like them, change the chairs that irritate you to no end for something that you can live with(just store these ones safely), and then go slow, enjoy the process..travel..and bring things that you find while you travel..it'll be fun, and it will be meaningful

I think this house (already is really cute, and) would look great in a stark white/black combo or even off-black/black combo. I love shrubs but this one is big enough that the scale looks odd to me. You CAN rejuvenation prune it and see what happens. Or remove it go with the some spiky grasses, cast iron plants, a blue-green hosta, or if your climate allows, even snake plants. I think all of those would look great. I don't see colorful flowers in front of this one. And just for good measure, that house is so cute!

decoenthusiaste The door is steel by I want to replace it completely because it is very drafty and load of cold come in the house in the winter so we could go anything here. Do your top panels snap out for windows? You mean the garage? It will be nice, they dont right now but it is an idea I could keep for the future and replace the door. The fence is already there I'll add some pictures. It frames the back yard and its been weathered wood since 2005 :/ The tree is a crab apple, you are right that I need to change the landscaping, it is something I haven't thought about yet (so many things!) I loved those pictures with the day lilies the do very well in our climate, diverse the bed a little with different types of flowers. I will trim the tree and take it off the ground for sure. Thank you so much for all the ideas!! And these are the color I was considering to stain the fence: Which one do you like?

How much do you want to spend? or DIY? The carport is the overwhelming feature right now. Do you need it as a carport, or are you open to converting it to another use, like a sunroom or even just a covered porch? I think one thing that might work to reduce the impact of the carport but still keep it, is to remove the large filled in triangle below the carport roof, and replace it with a few horizontal wood beams, either stained or painted. Add some MCM looking wood trim around the doors and windows too, stained or painted to match. Add some stone looking cladding to match the house on the support columns. I think a color like the one on this house would look good -- with all the trim in either weathered wood, black, or cream as pictured