Thank you all for your responses. We don't really have a neighborhood to drive around in. I live in the woods way off the main street. The closest neighbor has a gray house and I'm not so much into gray for the house. I would love to have functioning shutters on the largest of windows. I think I'll look into that seeing that we are now in hurricane season again. I really do want all the shutters to be functioning but I'll have to see what the cost is. I would love to find some really old shutters and have them refurbished. natel, your link sent me to an error page :-(. mimi, I do love your color combination. I think I'm going to the BM store tomorrow and check out different whites. I like the idea of 3 different white colors on the house. But then I think of the mildew and green mold I wash off twice a year...

Our quotes on hardware, paint, plasterboard and roofing & guttering for renovations are extremely competitive and we will even come to you to look at your plans. (http://www.thehardwarestore.com.au)

I'm far from a pro, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I think the black metal spindles with white horizontal pieces would look nice. By "turned" I mean like you currently have with curvy shapes on the upright (newel posts?). Turned seems to be a style that is not your house. If you were unsure about white vs. wood, maybe it could be installed as wood and then paint later? That said, as other folks have suggested -- a careful and accurate drawing of what you are considering may be very helpful to visualize the overall look. I don't know how to explain it, but maybe its like adding a scarf to an outfit. If you wear it as a belt, it always looks like you're wearing a scarf, as a belt, which is what folks were trying to say about "don't make it look like a backyard deck, stuck on the front of your house." There's lots of options where it can be a handsome deck/front porch, and enhance the appearance of your house as the main entry to your home (and also provide space for sitting out front). Good luck!

You can spray paint the white rocking chairs a fun color, or black to give them some oomph I did one in a purple color last year and it was pretty easy. Here are some door options, i happen to end up liking black the best I also added some flowers and colorful shrubs. And I increased the size of the garage wall light... it needs more one size up.