I am sorry for their loss. I would paint the exterior white , replace the old windows , get a new door , and get a landscape

New Windows would boost the resale value for the listing,

It Is a cute little house.. I love the arched cottage-like shutter.

Mske the front door look bigger and paint it white to blend with the storm door or paint the storm door

Contrast the white door and trim with light gray -green body color.

green-cottage-chippendale-railing.jpg · More Info

window boxes full of colorful fall mums would emphasize the cuteness factor.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/355854808039224476/

Not a Pro.

I think the house is adorable. I would just put the money into landscaping.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your comments and understand some of your concern about price, etc. Exterior and appearance wise this house lacks all other homes in the neighborhood. However, the inside may surprise some only because it recently received all new plumbing, HVAC, flooring, kitchen, etc before he passed. I'm in the trades and run some other projects, so clearly I understand price and can handle that part. I also know what works but don't have that gift in seeing it before it happens. So hence I was seeing if anyone had a few suggestions up to a strong opinion on a bunch of changes (if money or labor was no object) to give this a complete overhaul. And as I mentioned, I want to help the family out in this way so that all other cost and things they are dealing with can feel a little easier.

I would remove the window grids if the windows are in good condition and don't need to be replaced. Lighten up the siding (I used a color that matched my mortar for the siding on my brick house), pop out the grids in the garage door and paint it the same color as the siding, paint the down spouts to match the brick, clean up the landscaping, power wash the sidewalk and stoop, and update the lighting to something a bit more transitional. What planting zone and city is the home in?

The home is located just outside St. Louis. So the midwest from a zoning perspective. we are a 6a/6b or dark green. any thoughts on where the front door is located and the window and shutters that sit in front of the exterior door and the small inside foyer? Why I wouldnt say the inside is modern by any means, its clean simple and follows neutral design elements. The outside windows and exterior to the foyer (if I'm calling it right) seems to really change the style for me and doesnt get me very excited to go inside.

and any suggestions on what to plant and a hardscape or landscape layout of plan...that would be easy for me to break everything up and follow someone's vision or directions. my Best friend would also help as she is trying to take some if the burden off her parents too. As this has been terribly hard on her mom.

Offer to fix up the friend's house if you have a burning desire to do something. This house doesn't particularly need it.

Well, since you're in the fall planting season, you could add some shrubs to the front. Maybe a few pots with mums for fall color.

The front door is fine-perhaps just a bit brighter color to make it more visually appealing. Cover the hose with a hose cover so it doesn't look so utilitarian.

I would consider eliminating the rounded shutters and possibly adding a simple louvered shutter that fits the window correctly. Each shutter should be half the window's width.

Clean the roof and gutters. Pop out the fans in the garage door windows, and do the same with the diamond grids in the windows if possible. Remove the hose reel from the house, and if the CLF in the backyard belongs to this home, take it out - #1 item that lowers property values. Pressure wash the drive, porch, steps, brick and paint the siding to match the mortar. Paint the light post black, as well as the storm and front door. Put the recycling bins in the garage, clean and manicure the front yard. Eliminate all landscaping but the shrub by the garage which looks like it may be an azalea. If so, feed it appropriately in the spring for pretty blooms, if it hasn't sold. Sow winter rye grass to get some green in the bare areas. Pick up a trio of potted mums and plant them in front of the stoop for some color. Price appropriately

Could be a cute cottage. I would do the following: 1. remove the ugly aluminum storm windows . 2.paint whole house siding and trim white. Then if money was no object then I would also do the following: 3. switch the front door from the side of the bump out to the front of the bump-out (where that funky fake half round window is). 4. at the new front door add a landing. no cover will be needed over door because the roof gable has a deep overhang 4. create a curving flagstone walkway from new front landing to the street . 4 Landscape new front path. 5. add lighting to new path 6. get a new garage door.

Thanks to everyone who has written. Again, for a ranch style home, it's on a peaceful cul de sac, so I know if some improvements are made...it can really be great. Currently, and maybe that was her uncles plan, it sort of hides in the back of the larger trees in front and becomes unassuming. keith, as you have said, I am going to look at how this foyer is currently built as I believe it would be nice to have a bolder front door that you can see from the street. But if that's not an opportunity, then something will still be done to the door on the other side of the wall. and this window and shutter absolutely needs to be changed. I will make sure we post any and all changes on this thread so I can show other way of thanks. if anymore ideas or thoughts come to mine, please do not hesitate. we get back to STL tomorrow and are going to zero in on a timeline next.

It may be a little too shaded. You might want to limb up the trees to brighten up the place. Otherwise just make sure it is pristine.

I'm sorry for your friend's loss. I love the retro charm of this house and would buy it as is because of that. It's adorable!

thanks Bloomingbug - to your point and some others listed above, I will not do anything without the consent of Amy's parents or in this case, the realtor which I believe they have may have just found. but I appreciate everyone's prayers,n thoughts and ideas for their family...as I just wanted to offer some ideas that may in fact help the situation. no disrespect to realtors, but sometimes an easy sale with people that are as humbled as they are, won't offer these suggestions due to it taking a little time, etc. but at least now I have a great list to share and let them figure these things out. I just want to offer myself and any help that can be offered.

I think right now is not the time to ask about renovating maybe all they want is to take the money and run . You need to know exactly who even owns the house

If they need advice, then I’d paint the siding a cream color or a light sage green. New door, new door light, house numbers or plaque with numbers, landscaping. Power wash all of it, especially gutters. Easy to make appealing.

Work up three plans for strawman budgets for the executor. First would be zero dollars (family to clean and mow), second $500, third $1000, or whatever you think may be appropriate ranges. If you think they may be interested in a full exterior stain-and-paint job and professional pruning of the trees, make a budget for that, too. This is not the time to do a full remodel on the exterior because this isn't a spec house. Sparking clean, neat as a pin, and weather-tight. The buyers will decide what major changes they want to make, if any.

The dark brown wood areas look like they may be stained, not painted. It'd probably be best to recoat with another coat of brown stain, especially if they can find an old stain can in the garage so they can buy the same thing for compatibility. The siding on the garage could just need a good powerwash.

When the executor or family secure the house and change the locks, they can check to see if the exterior lights still work or need new bulbs. Bulb changing is one of those things that gets neglected when a house isn't occupied.

If the dark brown areas are painted, not stained, I agree that new light colored paint on the wood and siding would be a good change. Off white would be better than bright white. Maybe groveraxle or celerygirl will stop by with some Photoshop images.

some ideas:

If those are the original 1960's diamond pane windows, they're considered a good feature worth preserving in my area.

thanks everyone. I apologize for not leaving other details beforehand. my friends family has full access of the home. and has been maintaining the proper in the meantime as they have worked thru probate for other assets. the home was in trust, and thus will be sold that way and then distributed based on their uncles wishes in his LT. unfortunately, his health has been bad for over a decade and though everyone tried, the inside of his home is filled unfathomable amount of things, boxes, etc. The family is in the process of hiring a company that will take possession of any belongings they want to purchase otherwise the rest will go to a non-profit for veterans getting back on their feet. my friends father is a pastor and he and his wife are the simplest and most humble people I know. But like some of us, clearly if and when someone passes, its 2 full time jobs trying to figure things out and put all the pieces together. the home has power and full use. so all these suggestions are easily possible. as for me trying to do too much, I'm just circling the world of ideas from a great consulting community like all of you from HOUZZ, because there are some things that will be done to the inside and I just want to make sure that if needed, no ideas arent thrown on the table for the outside. I clearly will not do anything that isnt driven by the family or in the best interest of the home, family, etc. and I also understand that you can look at it in tiers of cost like was mentioned above with 3 different categories. my friend is going to sit with her folks tomorrow or Friday so I was just measily trying to other some thought when I know that they don't have the time to think thru all this. so I appreciate everyone's comments. I really do and all will shared.

Remove the garage window inserts, remove the window treatments, sweep, sweep, sweep, and do the landscaping as Dig Doug suggests. I would not paint because most likely a new owner will have their own ideas.

If everything else is as you say, and the price is reasonable, it will sell.

If it’s going on the market, I'd keep it simple.... thorough cleaning (windows, gutters, scrub the brick to get rid of green stains), yardwork (mow, rake), plop some mums/fall decor on the porch & put it on the market ASAP to (hopefully) take advantage of the fall market. Otherwise, someone/the trust be paying bills (taxes, water, heat, utilities) throughout the winter on an empty house. If the inside is in good shape, I don’t think there the exterior is that bad & a lot of buyers like to take on a few projects with a new home.

The thing most difficult (impossible) for me to show are things painted different colors. But here a pall of dark gloominess hangs over the scene. I'd change the house color to medium/light warm grey and paint all the trim white, for a clean crisp look. The soffit and fascia would be part of the trim and this would help bring out some of the charming rafter details ... which now cannot be seen at all. Also, would paint the siding surrounding the bank of windows, and the brackets that support it, entirely as trim. The brackets are not meant to be hidden so this area should not be smothered in plants -- as it looks like maybe I've done! :-). A simple, low groundcover would be enough planted in front of them.

The yard is shady, without good grass. It's probably a groundcover-only yard. We don't have a picture that shows the overall yard, but I would bed $ that some of the trees need to be cleaned of lower limbs, letting a little more light in and giving a cleaner, tended look.

What stands out to me as a big deficiency is the lack of a welcoming entrance. The stoop is small and oriented left, cramping the approach next to a wall. It would help to enlarge the stoop, orient it toward the front, and give it a spacious landing. I don't know what the post it, but it can move. Even if it's a light, it can find a better spot. (And paint it white, like trim.)