As Kat suggested, sort of :)

That's a great idea, I will give it a try! In the meantime I tracked down a new front door, it was nearly impossible to find the right size since I didn't want to change the frame and it was an odd width. It's another project but it will be worth it! Here's old door and new door.

That door is going to be adorable once its cleaned up and painted! Are you still planning on it being pink? With your new color choices in the blues if you were to go pink I think you will need to go with a lighter Truer pink that the Rose Embroidery.

When does your painter come?

Of what your shown the Palace Pearl is lovely and I think the Woodlawn blue as well. Of the grays I think the Coventry is better. In all honesty I was surprised that that was Chantilly Lace. It usually a pretty bright white and it looks gray there.

What a great find on the door. The veneer on the other door would have been impossible to repair correctly. Will you be keeping the storm door? It looks like the new door is fiberglass or steel so it should be insulated and you may not need the storm door.

Painting a house exterior is a big scary decision. We finally painted our house last year. It was a nearly two-year process, which included living with patches for a year and a half. But the first time I pulled up to our newly painted house, I knew I made the right decision!

The door is wood but I ordered some marine varnish so I'm planning on going without a storm door. I spent half of today stripping it and it's still not done but getting better. The other half was spent digging up a fieldstone path that I never knew existed, so that's a new project. I was also able to do what you all suggested with the paint samples, see picture. These are my final two but I forgot to note which one is which so one is palladian blue and the other is Woodlawn blue, once I decide which I like better I'll figure out which one's which. The Chantilly lace is actually very bright, it could be a combination of my camera phone and the screen distorting it. Painter will start in two weeks as long as the weather cooperates. I really hope I have the same feeling when I pull in my driveway!

The one on the left.

Do you have enough paint left to do a larger area? I like the one on the left, I just have a hard time picturing it over the whole house.

This house is Wythe Blue:

They contemplated using Woodlawn Blue

I like the left as well. I think it will work better over a large expanse.

I've stripped a door or two myself. You'll be so happy with it when it's finished.

I like Wythe blue, but think it's a little too (bright/dark?) for what I'm looking for, I think I want something that is just a little more muted. I also like the left, but when I search other houses I tend to gravitate towards the greener shades, so I'm wondering if I would be happier with the color on the right over the entire house...

Following with excitement to see what house color you choose

Following

following too. I can't wait to see it finished

Following.

Now that I have properly read all the comments, I feel I can contribute:

-I like the one on the left in the last sample you posted.

-Make sure the light you choose is appropriately sized: 1/4 to 1/3 the height of the door, yes, that large.

-I would paint the front railing and steps for now. Save up for a redo. If you eventually plan to have a wooden entrance, it simply cannot look like it belongs to a deck.

-Beachy colors in non-beach locations look odd to me. Try to keep it colorful but sophisticated. I love the idea of a pink or coral door but there's a fine line when pairing blue and pink.

-Landscaping!!

Try to make a cohesive plan that can be implemented over time and as budget allows. You don't want the updates to look "piecemeal."

Congratulations on your new home, it has such wonderful potential. I'm glad you're thinking so carefully about this as what we do to our homes not only affects us but those that live nearby. I'm sure they're going to love and appreciate the care you are putting into this home.

That's why I prefer yellow to coral/pink with the blue. Bright but non-beachy.

In the last pic SashaDog posted, the Stratton Blue is pretty. What do you think of that color?

I'm not feeling the Stratton Blue, definitely to dark for me. I feel comfortable painting the door a pretty shade of pink because I know if I don't like it that's an easy fix for me.

Anna you're ideas are exactly what I'm trying to do. I know right now everything isn't gonna be perfect. Once the house is painted there will be landscaping that I need to do myself even though I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm gonna focus on bringing the grass to a healthier state, put in some landscaping right in front of the house with some stone pavers and a few shrubs, like you said paint the steps and the railing (I did a powerwash but it really didn't do much). I also dug up a path of fieldstone pavers that we're t long buried so now I have a path. Everything is gonna look a little cottage-y but I'm happy with that. I also started working on some shutters I found similar to a Home Depot diy I found. Everything other than paint right now is diy, when I can afford it I'll do the new front steps, new garage door, redo the driveway, good quality shutters, landscaping. Overall I'm very happy with my progress and looking forward to it all coming together :)

Also need to add that I really can't thank you all enough for your advice and opinions! I was getting really overwhelmed there for a while, but now that I've been able to narrow down what needs to be improved and work on making everything cohesive I am really excited!

Once you feel you can tackle landscaping, you can post in the landscaping design forum. You may also go to a local nursery or find a local designer from whom you can purchase a design and then implement yourself over stages as budget and time allow.

Can't wait to see the paint job! That path must have been a nice discovery.

Lucky you to have found a path. Thats the good news. Bad news is pink is going to clash with the stone color.

OP, I don't think you need to worry about the door color clashing with the stone color. Thankfully, that is easily changed, if needed.

That path is great. And look at you making shutters! If you keep the railing black, it will tie in with the roof. And you can paint the steps a color from the stone. This is a good time of year to plant grass. I think you should throw down some Weed and Feed, let it do it's thing, then aerate and scatter grass seed. You want to plant it before it gets too hot. Watering is important until it gets established. It's going to look so wonderful!

I’ll second the weed and feed, we used it and I couldn’t believe the change by the end of the summer!

Katinparadise you had mentioned the weed and feed much earlier in the thread so I went ahead and ordered it and spread it just over a week ago, so in less than three weeks I'll be able to seed. I'm glad to hear it worked for others too! I'm planning on digging up the really big patches of weeds beforehand as well, which I think you also told me.

I ordered gallons of bloomstruck hydrangeas for the front of the house, they are supposed to be hardy and somewhat easy to maintain, and even if they don't flower all least they'll be green. I'll figure out a more comprehensive landscaping plan another year. I do plan on putting a stone border along the front and adding soil and mulch as well. My Dad is going to help me cut down some of the old stumps too so we can cover them over.

It's all slowly coming together, and other than the exterior paint job everything can be updated as I go. I will work on the steps and railing as well, there will be small pieces of black accents in a few different places along with the roof so I think it should come out all right for now anyways. Also can't remember if it was here or somewhere else I read not to get Behr and to go with Benjamin Moore and I've been using it on my interior and can't believe the difference!

It is going to be wonderful! You might want to wait until after the painter is finished to do your foundation planting. It would be easier for him and protect the plants, too.

You're right Julia, that was the original plan, but I'll admit I was getting antsy! I will wait!

Hydrangeas like acidic soil so you might want to work on amending your soil. That will ensure plenty of blue blooms.

Following. Can’t wait to see it when it’s done.

If you add coffee grounds to your soil it will produce blue hydrangea. If you want pink hydrangea add garden lime.

Thanks I did order soil when I ordered new downspouts. When I go pick it up I was hoping to grab some mulch and will see if they have lime. I think the flowers will arrive blue, but I will see if I can get pink. Honestly I'll like them either way if they flower!

Following this wonderful adventure

Still waiting for painting to get started, but I've been working hard on all the other little projects. I made stone borders for front of the house gardens and will be planting my hydrangeas once the painting is done. The new front door is almost complete, I made four trellis for every corner of the breezeway. I sanded and painted the railing and the bulkhead in the back. Shutters are made and just waiting for paint. I also tried staining the concrete on the breezeway, but it didn't cover much so I'm going to try to paint the front steps and breezeway steps instead. We have been doing a ton of work on the grass (watering is such a chore). I waited for the weed & feed to be down for four weeks, then last weekend I cut the grass short, dethatched and aerated. We did new grass fertilizer and grass seed on Tuesday and have been watering twice a day ever since (it's almost two hours each time just moving the sprinkler around). I really hope the seeds take because it has been a lot of work! I also got a reasonable quote to have my driveway fixed, so that will also be a big improvement! This list actually doesn't seem to be that long, but it's been exhausting! Hopefully it will all pay off in the next few weeks! Hope you are all well, and hope to have some finished project photos soon!

Goodness! You‘ve been busy! Hope the end result is what you’re looking for and if it is, then it was all worth it and will make you happy for years.

Everything you're doing now is one less thing to do once the painting is complete. Repairing the driveway will be a huge improvement! You're going to be so happy every time you pull into your driveway!

Linnea It takes a lot of patience but next spring you are going to reap the rewards!

I'm really excited! Things are definitely starting to come together. I've even started really enjoying taking care of all the plants, I can finally see the lure of gardening! I will never like yard work however!

Ok, are you ready for the before and after? I'm on the waiting list to have the driveway resurfaced, the grass and I are in a constant battle, and I need to replace a couple windows on the garage door, but I can't even believe this is the same house! The painters said they used 23 gallons of paint! In know it's not everyone's style but it is the look I was going for! Thank you again to everyone for all the advice and support, I was definitely very stressed for a very long time!!!

linnea Bravo! Your diligence and work has paid off in spades. It doesn't even look like the same house! What colors did you finally end up with? You must love pulling into your driveway every day!

Design Interior South, thank you! I ended up with Benjamin Moore colors thanks to the advice on this thread. Body is Palladian Blue, trim is Chantilly Lace, and garage door and shutters is Coventry Gray.

Wow, all your hard work has really paid off; it's a terrific makeover! The house, yard and garden all look great, and I particularly like the grid details on your porch area. I hope you are spending time out there, enjoying what you have accomplished.

Beautiful transformation. You must be pleased. :)

Thank you Julia and Anna, we just finished but I plan on spending a lot more time outside!

Oh my goodness! It's absolutely lovely! I know it was a lot of stress and worry but what an amazing transformation! It looks like a new house. You and your neighbors must be thrilled. Congratulations on a job well done!

Thanks katinparadise, your feedback really helped! I am totally thrilled with it, as are the neighbors!

Wow! Beautifully transformed! Congrats!

So glad you're happy with it. The color is perfect.

It looks so good. Love the soft color of the shutters and the front door!