OK. Let's talk about the arborvitae. It is too big and it hides your front door. You think privacy, I think it could also pose a safety issue.

I had an arborvitae that size in my back yard. I loved it. After several years of pruning it to keep it somewhat in bounds, it had to go even though it was healthy. I'm glad I did. In its place, I planted a beautiful Sargent Crab Apple which has beautiful flowers in spring and red fruit for the animals in winter.

I think you house is fine. They might have wanted to do something different (as in a little pizzazz) with the roof line on the garage. You could replace the iron post with a square column, but I think the post first the house. I like the color and I like the white brick. You could remove the shutters. They don't belong.

Thanks. We've left the arborviate alone the whole time we've lived here, mostly because of not wanting to take down a healthy tree, and it hides our well head.
But what I'm hearing is to leave the house alone, do basic maintenance and landscaping update and lose the arborvitae and shutters.

Questions:

1) the garage door is getting rusty. Would you replace with the same style?
2) if we do new siding eventually would you make any style changes/updates?
3) what would you recommend regarding replacing the scrollwork column and fixing the chipping concrete step? We repaired it once and it's chipping up again. Functional but ugly.

I like the blue/white too. The house was a lighter shade of blue when we bought it and then we went a bit darker when we painted it years ago. Now it's time to work on the paint and definitely the soffits again to keep things together.

I have seen very nice navy blue houses with brown garage doors, and I also have seen very pretty gray houses. I wonder about using shingles or a different style of siding as well.

I like the color, so I would not change it. I also like the scroll post. I think it goes with the house. If you do want to change it, do a basic square post in white.

If the concrete has been repaired once and the cracks are coming back, you might need to replace the entire pad.

You could do a wood looking garage door or another in white. You might want one with windows.

No expert by any means, but looks like a ranch house to me. And a very cute one, at that. I agree with removing the scroll post. If replacing the garage door, I'd put on in with windows of some type. That tree, while healthy, is doing the house no favors.

Landscaping is key here. What you have is aging and overgrown. I would take it all out and plan to have the #1 landscaping in the neighborhood. You could square up the garage door corners, remove the shutters, improve the scale of the lighting, and upgrade the iron porch support. But if you want to keep it more or less authentic, most of that can be left alone. Landscape is primo!!!

Yup. Agree with other posters. Your house looks like a garage and a tree. Everything is hidden by that big green monster. If you don't want to take it down, can you give it legs? Don't know if that is even possible with that variety. Also agree with other posters that the shutters should go. Also consider replacing metal roof support on your porch with a chunky wood one painted same colour as your trim. If you are going to replace your garage door, get new one with Windows. And go with square windows.

Thanks for all the comments, this is great.

It looks like the garage door is still solid and can be scraped and painted, so I will likely look at doing that instead of replacement and try to save it from the landfill, it's just starting to get rough cosmetically.

I agree, the next garage door would likely be better with windows.

I will post some photos of the porch concrete issue and the well pump head for suggestions. I wonder about tiling the concrete step or doing some sort of stamped concrete. I also wonder how that would stage -- do it before or after the post work?? -- Thanks again!

I wonder what the arborvitae might look like trimmed up from the bottom. Would I have to go up about 6 - 8 ft? I'll have to see if I can find photos to get an idea. I wonder if it would end up looking like a big lollipop.

In honor of earth day, and loving trees in general, don't kill a healthy tree. Read The Nature Fix first and then decide what to do about the landscape.

You can't limb up an arborvitae.

If you replace your garage door and want windows in the door, I would choose a style like this: something with 3 window panes in each "panel" to echo the 3 windows of your front facade and door. This is an Amarr Carriage Door. I wouldn't do the faux hinges with a double width door.

I would remove the large tree and replace with something smaller scale.