I do not find it disconcerting in the least that the door is not centered. Having it off-center in the porch area is as common as air. It might seem more noticeable now because the house has an unfinished look and a certain "emptiness" about it, which will all change as you add landscaping and the finishing touches. The black shutters seem okay ... like black eyeliner making the window features look larger. But the black posts remind me of black lipstick or fingernail polish. They look ghoulish. So I'd paint those white and another thing that would make the porch seem stronger visually is the addition of filigree trim at the top (at both front and sides.) I've used this before and it makes a huges difference. The trim I'm speaking of is made to go at the top of cabinets so it's a ready-made, big-box item. Or you could make something if you're handy with simple carpentry. One more thing I'd do there is add full length shutters along each side of the door to expand its size and importance. (This, again, is along the lines of how eyeliner makes eyes look larger.) If the door seemed larger, the porch area it would seem less "empty" looking. If ready-made shutters won't clear the utilities, make a pair of simulated shutters that will. They don't have to match existing shutters. And I'd paint the door and door frame white, too. (The darker grey adds a gloomy, instead of cheery, touch, I think.) A bench or seat of some time below the porch window would be a nice touch, too. You stated that everything was now paved, so it's probably too late for my walk suggestion. However, if not, I'd create a walk that acts as a landing for the entire front of the porch so as to make entering it seem like a spacious, unconfined experience. It would also leave some space for planting at the left side of the garage. Since that's blank wall space, a pair of matching small trees could flank the garage. (Such trees would be made of shrubs that only get 9'-10' height so as to minimize maintenance. One would pick the shrub that adds the particular personality they are looking for.) The rest of the plant suggestions are more or less self explanatory as to heights you might consider and the placement of foliage masses. This post was edited by Yardvaark on Tue, May 28, 13 at 10:38

I agree about beefing up your column, but you could also plant a flowering vine to grow up it. What you choose for landscaping does depend on where you live and the daily sun exposure. Some of the forums on the garden side that might give you ideas are Shrubs, Perennials, Cottage Gardens, Trees. Check out the gallery on each of those for extra pics, but there are usually lots of posts with pictures on the discussion sides as well. Although you didn't ask, could you paint the garage doors to make them less in-your-face white? It could be my screen, but they look much whiter than your siding. Eventually (or immediately if you are full of energy), you could widen the walk and change it from a straight one to one with a curve or two that joins the sidewalk further away from the driveway. We did that and it wasn't all that awful-we did have someone jackhammer the old concrete walk before putting in a flagstone walk. For you, a brick walk would be lovely. That would give you room on both sides of the path to plant with more than just perennials. Having a curving walkway bordered with mix of shrubs, hostas, and flowers can make a very welcoming entrance. Oh, and check out the Hosta forum, too! Your home is pretty and I know you will have fun making it even more so with your landscaping. Oh, and I see a rock garden on the hill to the right of the driveway. Can you tell that gardening is my passion? :)

Beautiful home. I'm not sure if it would work for your style home, but I've always loved the look of a mirror styled like a faux window on front porches. I think one would fit well over your bench. I would also add a colorful (yellow?) bench cushion, maybe a chair in a matching color off to the right, and a colorful wreath on the door (forsythia?). I would also add two planters on the first step where it widens out toward the lights. And, maybe you want to consider adding a pendant light over the front door- you could just leave it on at all times and choose a daylight warmth bulb so it's not obvious the light isn't natural.

LOVE your house, it seems more of a cape cod to me from the pictures. Which direction is your charming house facing? Are there any houses on your block with a porch that is similar to what you're interested in? Absolutely would put handrails on the stairs. Are you leaning towards wood? Or concrete? Fun project.