You could add "doghouse" dormers to the front of the house, which would give you more light and head room on the second story.

Your house could use some color. A grey blue with white trim would be nice. I would remove the shutters. Paint the door sidelights white. Paint the front door in high gloss or semi-gloss.

Maybe you can reduce the size the shrub that is hiding the window. I would not add raise beds by the foundation. It would increase chances of rot and flooding to the basement, if you have one.

I think the add ons look OK. You could pant the skirting a dark green.

It's a very cute house. I would spend your money on the landscaping and walkway from the door to the road. The walkway could be lined with flowers to make it more obvious that it is the front door, especially if you want people to use that as the main entrance to the house. Remove the two overgrown shrubs blocking the windows. I would keep the two lower flowering shrubs on the left. I wouldn't bother with changing the doorway or adding another window. The house isn't symmetrical, and you can get a balanced design from plants. I would paint the trim a different color. If you have to replace the roof anyway, could you add dormer windows to the front for additional light inside? One other thought, depending on the interior floor plan, would be to make the side entrance the main entrance by minimizing the front door, and curving a small walkway toward your driveway instead.

Try to match the impact of the front entrance with that of the side entrance. I don't mind the railing but remove the lattice underneath and do some planting under there. You could replicate that railing with a little bridge across the ditch at the front side, and then pull it to your front entry as well. Are there restrictions about making changes? A broad front porch could help fill in the blank forehead area and give you a more definitive "front" side to the home. It would be at the same spot on the facade as the attachment on the side of the home, but I wouldn't join them up. Leave that space to the left as a separating element between front and side roof lines. Maybe plant a tall skinny tree there.

Your house isn't boring. It's got a lot going on, which is the opposite of boring. As others have said, I think this is cute with potentially to be even better. Does a metal roof go with any of the styles of this house? They are pricey. Do you need a new roof this year? It's a big investment so if not, I'd hold if, if the pressing need is aesthetics. Since you have recently bought it and are renovating inside, I'd say focus on that, and for the outside start by developing a landscaping plan. Have a consultation from a landscape architect. Some of your issues related to the side steps and front porch will come up. I'm not sure how you feel about living on a corner lot. If it were me, I'd plant the side to create some privacy. Right now, it's possible that someone coming to your house for the first time might mistake the side entrance for the main entrance. (maybe that was the main entrance to the original house, and the two add-ons created a new entrance on the other side??? who knows with these older houses?) Good luck. Don't despair! ;)

Hello,

Here's an article on "20 Ways to Add Curb Appeal" that may give you some ideas:

https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/exteriors/curb-appeal/ways-to-add-curb-appeal/

These are the shed dormers, although ones for your house could be flush with the front side of the house or set back.

Herring Creek Farmhouse · More Info

Here is a picture of the doghouse dormer.

Cranberry Lane · More Info

Here is an idea. The closest I found of what a dormer would look like on your house.

Lowcountry Cottage · More Info

Story and a Half Greek Revival Vermont Home · More Info

Thanks for all the comments folks! There are some great suggestions! I greatly appreciate those who have added photos as I'm a very visual person and sometimes seeing it totally brings it together for me! Dormers are an excellent idea... as it is now, we'd have to do "through the cornice" dormers (which I do like) due to the height/position of the second floor, but I really like the idea of the "dog house" dormers if we were to extend the roof into a porch! A bigger job for sure, but it might just take care of most of the issues we have in one swoop.

I think your house is charming. But the big forehead is awkward. Adding real dormers will be über expensive and I'm not a fan of fake ones. What about adding a big covered porch across the whole front of your house? The roof of the porch could attach to the house in the big forehead space. A big porch would bring the focal point more to the front of your house and less on the side add ons (which I don't mind). Add new landscaping and a walkway to your driveway (not the street). Also, I like your idea of balancing the windows on your front facade by adding a window on the left. Good luck!

Colin M by "through the cornice," do you mean dormers like Low Country and Story and a Half Greek Revival? That is exactly my thought. They have to be at the same height as the windows on the side of the house. With or without a porch, these dormers will give you more light, a bit more head room, and something visual for the upper part of the house.

Yes houssaon, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Thanks!

Where do the doors go - into which rooms? Was perhaps the side facing the driveway meant to be the "front," entering into your front room/living room? Sometimes they placed houses in a way that might have made sense at the time, but don't anymore - or rural areas the house sometimes faces driveway instead since no one would be approaching from the front.

I would not be spending money on adding on dormers and other stuff not original to the era of the house. Sorry, like it or not, its not a colonial or cape house.... but it does in fact have a charm or character of its own.

Sometimes with an old house, less is more. Be careful you don't ADD to the visual clutter already there, and instead, you want to strip OFF the extraneous gack that is creating visual clutter - like the 2 extra porches on the driveway side! LOL - its like you have the orginal sunporch, then another porch was added on to that, then the third porch (with stairs) onto that!

Do any pics exist of your house in the past? I wonder if there wasn't a porch on the side facing the street, with the roof attaching to the wall in that blank space above the door/windows and below the eaves. Rather than dormers, spend your money an open porch - need not span the whole length of the house, in fact it might look best just putting it on the right side over door + 2 windows to the right. Duplicate exactly the pitch and style of the other porch roof. I would make it an open porch, then your landscaping- flowering shrubs and ornamentsals in front of porch with inviting walkway from the street.

Current Resident and others. To clarify, the original house and main entrance is on the front (red door). We will likely continue using the side entrance as the "main" one (ie. most used), however we want to emphasize the original front door. We like the idea of having the front entrance as our public one and the side as a private, friends and family one.

As for the style, I realize its not Colonial, Georgian or Cape Cod. It's really a very simple house that has either combinations of multiple styles... or none at all... I haven't decided. LOL. I simply meant that I wasn't looking for ideas/suggestions that take it too far from the themes already in the town (ie. Craftsman, Modern, etc.). I'm going to do some research on the history of the house, but have not found any old photos yet.

You can all see the first floor layout (at least once the renos are done) in this picture:

Seeing the floor plan, I think I'd reorganize the dining room windows so they match the living room ones and balance the facade. Grover's new roof/porch works, but I would not go to the expense of adding faux dormers. They always remind me of niches that need to be cleaned and made to look like they're part of the home when really they're just a pita to take care of.

New paint will help a lot!!! Try a classic combo in darker, richer tones. For the body, how about a rich green/gray like Slate Tile, make the front door pop with a nice red like Positive Red (not too dark, not too bright), the Snowbound a fresh white, but not too white for the trim. To see the colors just go to: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners, then type in the names I suggested in the search bar. Of course try real paint samples on your home and adjust as necessary. This is just a great classic look, you can't go wrong. Other upgrades landscaping, etc..will, of course, help. Paint is the biggest bang for your buck, sometimes best to start here...Good Luck!