There is a good deal of foundation showing under the porch area. It is possible that this is a basement and there are windows which you don't want covered - I am not sure what is under the porch. I would consider flattening out the hill in front of the house with an attractive retaining wall / terrace - not the whole front yard but that area of lawn that is falling away from the house on the right, and putting evergreen type foundation plants in front of the porch. If you like to garden, create an area of garden in front of the foundation plants for a mix of perennials and annuals. During the summer put planter boxes on the porch railing and consider some hostas under the fir tree to the left of the house.

If you have the budget to beef up the post on the porch and redo the railing - that would be pretty, but it is not necessary. My house is simple and of the same vintage about as yours. I like to garden and have found that landscaping keeps the focus on what is pretty and the parts of the house that are less than stellar are less noticeable.

Put some curvy planting beds on either side of the driveway to soften up the hard lines. Then plant a mixture of flowering shrubs and other perennials. I think this is less a paint/house issue than it is a landscaping one.

Maybe a dark teal door for something fresh and a cool garage door.

I like the color of your house as is. I would add a flowering bush in that corner where the steps meet the driveway. It looks like bare ground in the photo. The bushes on the right side look like they could use a trim and some contrasting bushes. I'm not familiar with what does well in your snowy zone.

some ideas:

Thank you everyone! I love that second photo Dig Doug's Designs. What is that plant you placed in front of the stairs? I really like it!

Yeah, that raised planter in front of the steps has been pretty empty, we tried some spring perennials but it still looked a little lackluster, so probably a big bushy, flowering shrub would be best. I had been contemplating changing the location of the steps to face the street directly in front of the door with a path from the driveway to the steps so hadn't even started considering plants to put there.

Yes, that is a basement peeking out from under the porch. I like the idea of hiding it with shrubs and a retaining wall.

I should also mention that the front yard faces north so it doesn't get much sun, except in the morning, and gets lots of snow.

Looks like Doug put a Japanese maple in front of the stairs...nice! Lots of varieties and a JM should do well in your planting zone. They tend to be more cold hardy than heat tolerant.

landscaping Aplus but your garage door is front and center and your paint color is pretty neutral so i think adding a garage door would be totally worth the price and make your home stand out among the others on your street.

Chloebud and Dig Doug's Design, isn't a Japanese Maple a tree? We have a lovely one in the backyard and its huge, but I don't think I'd want a tree there, even one that lovely.

Check this link: https://growbeautifully.monrovia.com/how-to-select-the-right-japanese-maple/

Airillusion, you can grow various varieties like the one in Doug's example keeping it trimmed low like a hedge. So pretty when they kind of 'cascade' down like in Doug's photo. Whenever we're visiting family in Seattle I'm in awe over all the JM trees and hedges. We have JM trees in our lawn here in Southern CA. They do very well but are in filtered light and protected from sun.

^^^Yes...good link from Doug. I'm such a JM fan. :-)

Please don’t plant a J maple if you will keep it “trimmed low like a hedge”. They require some skill and a light touch with the pruners to continue looking graceful. Instead choose a variety that will grow to the size you want. They come in an enormous range of sizes, foliage and young branch color, leaf shape, and overall form of growth. Choose one that will suit your space, not a large one like Bloodgood, and place it farther to the right so that it isn’t competing with the steps if you decide you want a front yard J maple.

I would plant shrubs across the base of the porch and be sure to add hardware cloth or other wire mesh sized to keep out critters and with a buried lower edge behind the shrubs, fastened to the front support under the deck. There is nothing welcoming about having a family of raccoons or (worse) skunks living under the front deck.

I like the grade change in your yard. It is far more visually interesting than a flat yard as long as you don’t want to use it to play soccer and it isn’t too steep to mow safely.

I would turn your steps 90 degrees so that they face outwards toward the street, and have a large landing at the base with a somewhat more finished looking small retaining wall rather than the current somewhat amateur installation of retaining blocks. Right now the house looks sort of barricaded by the railing extending all the way across the front. Widen the steps at the same time so they are 6’ wide so a couple folks can walk up side by side, perhaps tying in the porch post, depending on spacing. You can eliminate the bump out and place the steps so that the top step leads you onto the main porch. This will also add more focus on the front entry and pull some attention away from the garage door.

"Choose one that will suit your space..."

Exactly my point. I just meant there are varieties of JM's that can be grown to accommodate a smaller space and be beautiful. We have 7 varieties of JM's in our yard. Our newest are Coral Bark and Red Flame. Love them all.

Many JMs are not hardy in zone 5, so that reduces the choices by a fair amount.

Good point, MG. I somehow missed that it was zone 5. At least zone 5b is better than my really cold edge of zone 5.

The front steps are not attractive. That makes me wonder if there was some reason that they could not be built to come forward. Do some research on making the stairs go straight and also widen the steps. If it is feasible that would be an improvement.

The other thing that will change the appearance is to have an arborist take care of the tree in the foreground. If you raise the canopy the whole area will look more spacious.

I made an image showing what I describe. I am a poor artist so use your imagination please. I am not recommending the tree be shaped like the image or that you have stairs without hand rails. I am trying to give an overall idea.

I am not a fan of landscaping that hides the entrance. It seems unfriendly to me. When I say entrance I include porches and paths and steps.

Dropping that mish-mash of railing that is blocking the view to the door is primo on the "to-do" list. In fact, I would re-do all the railing and posts in a more contemporary look. They are pencil tiny and the balusters are very close and are a busy look. Or here's a less busy look. It makes for a more substantial entry and the broad stairs on the right side would look nice on your home.

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Thank you emmarene and decoenthusiaste! Those are both great ideas. I do dislike the pencil thin posts and the fact you can't see onto the porch. Granted, I guess the only positive thing with not being able to see onto the porch is that we haven't had any packages stolen while some neighbors have.

Emmarene, I hadn't thought about the tree covering too much but it certainly does cover a lot.

Color Color Color! IMO color can be the difference between night/day in terms of curb appeal, although this is a very subjective thing. I personally like the white window trim and porch railings, but think blues and grays are much nicer looking than greens and tans.

While there have been a lot of good suggestions, the first thing I would work on is the right side of the house (Picture right). The way your bushes are currently cut, they emphasizes the slope. I would replace or significantly cut back the bush to the right of the steps (middle of the porch) I would let the one on the end grow to a greater height or replace it with something that grows taller ie Lilac, Rose of Sharon, or Spirea

While some have mentioned limb up the tree, The tree as is, blanks out the slab wall of the house next door so I would keep it so I could mow under it. (to me that wall visually detracts from your house. ) It looks like it is close enough to the, that as you drive past your house you would never see the slab wall.

The above could be done for less than $50. When you decide to spend more I would work on the front steps. However instead of making them square, I may consider making it half round out of bricks. In this way you would have the functionally egress you currently have, but the open welcoming presentation of the suggested square steps.

Eventually I may add a landscape wall out toward the right (picture) ending in a large flowering bush like Lilac, rose of Sharon, or Spirea. I would plant flowers in the planter that was created such as roses or perennial.

Ooooo! I love what you did with my house Yardvaark! I also really like your suggestions krnuttle, especially with regards to the steps! Yes, the house would look much better if the shrub closest to the steps was shorter while the one furthest from the steps was taller, reducing the emphasis of the slope. We have never trimmed these but I think that shrub closest to the stairs is getting add to my to do list this weekend.