remove those shutters.

remove those silly plants

paint the trim either a taupe color or if you want a more modern impact a dark brown.

paint the I would probably paint the front door red

please replace the chain link fence nothing appealing about that

you could use gravel or pea stone for the drive have them dump it you spread it. of core you need to level out the area first

This is not the same as your's, but it is close. It looks like you might need a new rood in the near future I think a brown tone one would work better. I like a light creamy trim or you could do one like this.

In-House Plan Design · More Info

Another good roof color:

Red Front Door and Pendant Light · More Info

Brick and Stone Exterior · More Info

Thank you. I have known for some time i need some type of paving where i park in front but wasnt sure whether to try a u shaped drive or just an extension of the driveway like youve shown, or even just some pavers of some type of shell... Do you suggest removing the shutters altogether? I would need to add some wood around the windows to paint as shown. I that brown for the trim? I really like the landscaping....you are so right . It really does make a difference..And the privacy fence is something ive been considering as well. Thanks so much for your suggestions and renderings..

And thank you, Houssaon for the ideas. I will be needing a roof..been puttin it off, but yes, brown would be better..I also like the red front door idea..Appreciate the input!

depends on the budget for the driveway. I would say no to a U since then the front of your house would become a parking lot.

yes, remove shutters add trim 100% improvement.

RL Relocation,LLC, I totally agree on all points made. I had considered the gravel but wondered if it would extend into the front yard ok and stay put...It would certainly be more cost effective than paving but I would have to level and remove the rest of the asphalt in the drive..I do like the idea, though..Would love some white shell but that seems harder to come by here.. Thanks so much!

And i am getting a new fence asap..seeing it here makes me realize how important it is..

It looks like you have plenty of parking room, why are you parking in the yard,and making the yard and front of your house look bad? If it were me, I would put a rail fence all along the yard side next to drive, so then no one could park there, and then level and reseed the area that looks bad where you have been parking. Since you have to remove the shutters for painting, leave them off for a while, and see how it looks to you without the shutters.

cat_ky, I have a 3 car family and we cant all park in the driveway. also I am older and it is a help to pull up to the door with groceries, etc....I have been ready to lose the shutters for a while now. I dont havTe any trim around the windows to paint the accents so will have to figure out how to do that as well. I know the whole thing is a hot mess..lol..just trying to find the energy and resources to make it all better..Thanks for your input!

Get your self a contractor, they can install the trim, and it will be not so expensive to have them do that one project.

Thanks again, RL Relocation LLC, for all your suggestions..really a huge help.

you are very welcome.

I understand finding the energy and resources to get things done. I am older too, and there is always something that needs to be done. My house has a similar roof line to yours. When we first moved here, we took the shutters off, because they were not in good shape and we were intending to replace them. The house looked so much better without them, that they were never replaced.

cat_ky...well as you can see mine are also falling apart and i am just tired of them in general. Hoping i can get some trim work done around the windows and doors to apply some paint. These old aluminum frame windows dont have any place to apply paint. When your older and a woman its hard to get things done with limited resources..But Im determined to make some improvements...It odd because i went to try and remove them today and I cant see where they are attached. I dont see any screws or those plastic screw things anywhere. Must be held up by pure stubborness..They know their days are numbered and are determined to hang on til the bitter end..

Thank you, Laura..I love these, especially the first one. I wish i could just show this picture to someone and have them do it for me. I wish I could do it myself but the prep work on my messed up drive would likely kill me lol.

Hi Cynthia. Kudos to you for wanting to tackle a few projects to improve the appearance of your lovely, classic brick home.

First off, I wouldn't paint the brick. It's truly a classic.

Do you have a budget to work with? I would make a list in order of priority so you can allocate your funds to the most important project first, and continue to work your way down the list as funds become available. Of course, there are many things you can do for free or very low cost as well.

I would consider your parking situation to be the #1 priority. Consider getting an estimate to excavate an area about 6" deep and add a layer of 1" gravel, overlayed by some crusher run gravel. It's composed of aggregate and stone dust and as you add water, it becomes harder and harder. It's a perfect base for adding asphalt or concrete later but lasts quite some time on it's own and it will give you a nice hard surface. If you can, try to work within the outlines of a normal 12' or so wide driveway. You don't want the house to look like a parking lot, as suggested.

As far as trim color, I had a brick house as well and painted my trim in a color similar to the mortar. It helped tie the house together and looked really great.

I'm going to disagree with removing the shutters, except those around the door. Your brick doesn't really offer any options for expanding the trim. Nailing wood in an outline around the window won't give you the same effect. I would keep the shutters and give them a good sanding and painting. The black is classic with brick and I think it looks very nice.

As far as the front door, I painted mine on my brick house in a very deep blue green and got lots of compliments.

The cleaning up of the landscaping is something you can work on for free. I'd pull everything out and start from scratch. Which planting zone are you in?

As far as the lawn, it looks like it could use some aeration, some fertilizer, and some grass seed. Do you get enough rain and is it cool enough to plant seed this time of year where you are or is it better done in the spring and fall?

I think your home has the potential to be quite lovely with just a few small projects. Good luck!

I love circle gravel driveway!

Or just this way

Katinparadise, wow thanks so much for the info..I wondered about the feasibility of nailing trim into brick around the windows so you've made me rethink the shutters removal unless I can find someone to find a workable solution ... maybe Ill just remove them and see how it looks...I can always add them back or new ones..And I love the color suggestion for the front door... I love those little $3 samples myself.. I am in mobile , al on the gulf coast. we are averaging around 90+ degrees right now... And thank you for the encouragement! It is quite an undertaking and one step at a time beginning with the driveway is what i plan on... Everyone here has been so generous with their time and effort to help me figure this thing out....It's really greatly appreciated...Now I cant wait to get started on it!

Oh, Celerygirl, I love the pictures! And the landscaping! Thanks so much!

celerygirl, i really like that second color..can you tell me what its called? I would love to know what program you guys use to do these renderings..its really really helpful.

I can not tell about color, it was just an idea, to show how it can look. I use Photoshop.

It looks close to Country Square by Sherwin Williams

Thank you, celerygirl...I really like this color palette.

Thanks to all of you here for your excellent ideas and comments...I have now gone from overwhelmed and slightly depressed about the state of my home to excited about the possibilities. This forum rocks!

I hope you'll keep us in the loop on your progress. I worked so hard on my little 1949 brick cape but was really proud of it when it was finally finished.

i sure will, katinparadise..would love to see your finished project!

Restoration Sympatico, Sorry I didnt see your comment until just now. Not sure why it wasnt showing up but thanks for the suggestions...I am for sure leaning towards the darker blues..Im guessing for the shutters? and the trim should be white then?

My windows are very low so really no room for window boxes im afraid..I cant see the colors very well on my computer but i can kinda read the names so will look them up. Thanks so much!

Cynthia, unfortunately I don't have pictures of my cape. We moved out of state 5 years ago and I wasn't able to get pictures before we left.

I would love to play around with photoshop or some similar free program for a dumbie newbie like me. So if yall have any suggestions on something i could easily (and cheaply) try please let me know..Thanks!

I'm not sold on the shutters. if you do keep them please remove the ones around the door at least.

Love celerygirls driveways!

Im gonna remove them all and at least see how it looks.. and then probably at least remove the ones by the door....I love her driveways too, especially the one with the blue shutters in it. I would have to modify it somewhat to fit in my space/layout....and the landscaping it key to it as well..

ok, so bushes gone as well as the shutters by door. can someone kindly do their magic and render this as it would look without shutters, no paint added..just shutters off? I am seeing a possible imbalance with the door and window under porch since they are not centered..any suggestions on how to balance this?

im still looking online for a program to do this myself, preferable free or cheap.. Any suggestions there would be welcome as well..

Well you've been busy! It looks so much better with the bushes gone and the shutters off at the door. I think you can solve the imbalance with landscaping and making the front door more of a focal point with the right color and a tall pot between it and the window. You could also add some large address numbers in black to the left of the door.