Somewhere else in this site someone painted/sided the section of the house around the door a different color. Initially I thought it was odd but it really pulled the eye to the front door. For your home that appears to be the wall with the front window and the hidden door to the right that isn't visible right now. The house is cute and I love your big old tree.

This home is beautiful Don't do anything!!!!....but bump up your landscaping.

Landscaping is the solution to this dilemma!

I like it. I'd put a low, open fence around the patio to delineate it.

And (unless that siding is vinyl), I'd paint one of the surfaces a lighter shade. Not light, but lighter.

And growies.

Thanks everyone! tatts - I was actually thinking about removing the patio to make room for a larger garden/landscaping. It's not too likely we will sit out there. Do you think the patio adds a lot?

Dig Doug's Designs(8A) - this is awesome! We do have a dogwood where you put the new tree, but it's a bit hard to see... It's gotten a bit dried out and we're trying to keep it alive. Hopefully it will be as big and lush as the one you put in there.

colonel115 & tatts I think one of you (colonel) are suggesting a different color for the area around the door (not visible in this photo) and one of you (tatts) are suggesting a different color on the bump-out area. Do I have this right? I think either/or might work. tatts - are you thinking something like this, but maybe not as contrasting?

The post I referenced did the inside portion leaving the balance of the house as it was.

colonel115 thanks! I could see that looking really cute on our house.

Another question for everyone - the front porch is concrete and the steps are wood. The steps badly need to be replaced. Ideas on materials? Concrete or match the brick walkway? Something else altogether?

Personally I prefer the wood steps but it is a personal choice. From a maintenance POV, concrete would be easier long term but more expensive on the front end to install. See wood steps with white risers below for insp: Brick would work well too, but is $$$,

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Sorry, just came back. Erin: I think removing the patio would be the better idea. I'd feel weird sitting out in front of the house, so if removing it is an option, do it.

I think the home that Denita posted has a wonderful porch and steps--if you have staff! That is a totally impractical option for most people; it will never look like that in real life.

I think if the steps were white, or, maybe a white concrete, along with some white railing they'd draw the eye right to the front porch. If you look at the picture that Erin H posted, there are white stairs and a white railing, which contrasts with the blue of the house. That's what makes the entranceway better defined.

Same idea as the one Denita posted. The entranceway to the house would be fantastic with some more visual oomph.

Don't let the tree grow in an ugly, misshapen way. Trim off the limbs going wrong.

Simplify ... fewer individuals, enlarge groups of plants.

Install uniform low groundcover to fill in bare areas.

find a way to add some color near the entrance.

Thanks Yardvaark(9A), this is helpful, especially with respect to the dogwood - we may need to hire someone to take a look at it. Unfortunately that area by the porch is the shadiest part of the whole yard, so I'm not sure we're going to be able to plant much of anything with bright flowers, especially in Sacramento where it's shady and very hot. Any ideas?

Following

Really nice house. Yard already has the beginnings of curb appeal with the bricked path.

If you don't use a front yard patio, don't keep one.

Consider adding a row of plants on both sides of your bricked path to outline it -- perhaps liriope

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/88101736443381440/

-- or another plant to line your bricked path that is suitable to your planting zone.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Plants+to+Line+a+Walkway&FORM=RESTAB

and then focus on finding a good shade friendly grass or other ground cover easily maintained by mowing -- perhaps clover or something else that is suitable for your planting zone -- for the rest of the yard.

While having a door open toward the side of the house doesn't seem ideal, the reasons this was done are obvious:

-- the door is facing the driveway on that side of the house and, more importantly,

-- it enables the house to have (not just the one) two large forward facing window groupings.

Unless you're willing to give up all the natural light the second window grouping brings into the home, the door would need to stay where it is.

If you're considering changing the front windows on the left side of the house anyway, you could enclose what is now the porch to create a new, one with the door forward facing in the new front exterior wall. You could then add a new porch by extending the roof of the forward facing gable another 8' or so.

If it's annuals, Caladiums are about the easiest thing to grow. Liriope is tough and blooms, if that grows there. Look around the neighborhood. Surely someone is growing something successfully in a similar situation.

Rather than hiring someone to "look at" the dogwood, I'd cut off the two low, right-leaning limbs. Then give the top a light overall trim in order to help the general "balance." Are there some low, overhead limbs of a nearby tree that could be removed to help the overall light situation? Must investigate.

I like that the blue steps blend with the house. I didn't notice them until you asked tge question. The railing adds texture. Large pots with small trees on the patio And a Moravian star above.

suezbell thanks! this is along the same lines we were thinking with lining the brick with some vegetation. No, we love our big windows in front. In fact, I was thinking about maybe changing the main window to a bay window just to give it some more shape.

Yardvaark thanks - we are definitely planning to trim the dogwood anyway as it's reaching over to our neighbor's driveway. I'll do it how you recommend. Our neighbors do have some nice stuff but it's mostly ferns; not many flowers on the south side of the road. That said, I'm planning to head to our nursery and will talk to some folks there. Thanks again!

tdemonti thanks we'll consider blue steps. they need to be replaced from a safety perspective, unfortunately - they're falling apart.