apologize for the late response as i didnt realize this formum doesnt send out notifications for new replies,,,that or i just dont have the right settings for my account. i appreciate all the responses and like the corbell or trellis idea to add some dimension to a rather flat facade. also a round accent, which can be used as a roof vent would be a nice touch. to answer some of the questions: 1. yes the right side of the garage was raised to accommodate a van. i recently spoke to a garage installer and the plan was to raise the left to match the right. i do like the idea of widening the trim but this will require some modifications to the vinyl to bring in the lip. i have planned on going with a 2 panel door with square window accents on the top in white. i played around with door colors like going brown but it brought way too much attn to the garage doors. 2. i decided to hold off on the garage doors for a few months since the priority shifted towards fixing our leaking roof, which will be started in a couple weeks. the color of choice i have debating on for weeks to the point where i now drive around town looking at roofs and gutter colors/styles. we narrowed the choices down to going with a slate or charcoal since the ultimate goal is to do less w/ the red/tannish accents. i decided on a GAF timerbline charcoal color with matching 5-6" gutters or even a white gutter. still TBD on those choices. 3. windows: the brown is actually the metal frame for the window. the red is a metal trim that was part of the vinyl siding install. im considering painting the red to white...adding some interior white shutters. i just hope the brown doesnt clash too much w/ the white. wondering if painting the brown is a bad idea im terrible at photoshop(actually ms paint) but at least this gives a decent idea of how it might look. appreciate all the input... stage 1: replace roof shingles, add the circular vent trim accent stage 2: garage doors stage 3: shutters, lights, window trim, maybe the trellis or corbell stage 4(my dream) paver stones in the driveway and add brick/stone facade accents, redo the brick steps on the left and right side. this style home is typical to a certain area in the SF bay area. houses are packed together on small lots with very little to no side yard. rather ugly to say the least so im trying to do the best w/ the limitations we have.

Squirrelheaven, you do such an awesome job when you photoshop. That's just gorgeous!! Thanks. I was thinking more in line with Benjamin Moore Bottle of Bordeaux maybe??? Catnap that's a great price on those lanterns! I couldn't find anything close to periwinkle blue on the Benjamin Moore chips. I love hydrangeas!!! Will they grow on the north side of the house? I have terrible trouble with shrubs there. This photo is from the summer of '08. We cut down the large shrubs ourselves to clean up the entire area that is why the foundation is exposed. The rhododendrons have grown back and it looks a little bit better. I would definately put hydrangeas there if they would grow. Love the bench idea!! Thanks so much and keep the ideas coming. I really appreciate it!!!

Upgrades without context, which is often how they are applied. is not necessarily the right thing to do. And many buyers will respond to it because they are attracted to shiny new objects. A house I made an offer in in 2011 recently came on the market. One of the previous owners had owned it from 1810 until the 1920s. One from 1931 until 2011. Unchanged floorplan, many original details, changes that were made tread lightly on the original house. Yes, the bathroom and kitchen which had been added on to the original house at the back were awkward. But the most recent owners essentially gutted it, and aside from some original floors and a mantlepiece, it is chock full of 5 inch crown molding, chair rail, marble in the bathrooms, and all sorts of things it never ever had. Ruined, completely ruined. It could have been much worse, yes. Buyers will love it because it looks just like Houzz and Pinterest inside.

Usually, I don’t comment too much in regards to others posts but I have a couple of things that I disagree with from above posts. Your house is traditional not contemporary. Vines are a bad idea and messy for next to the garage area. Keep the entry clean and simple with as suggested earlier....seasonal wreaths and pots that match and attractive. As in the above photo you can see that if you plant shrubs next to the garage keep them small and simple not intruding on the walkway. Seriously check out the roots on the tree to make sure they will not damage plumbing. If not then consider planting things like caladiums or begonias underneath in a simple bed. Your lot is not giant so don’t overcrowd but do add some nice small shrubs and plantings. Look at Home Town redos to see how they complimented the houses or Joanna Gaines makeovers. i seriously planted my last house out front but we lived on a hill of 7 levels almost an acre difficult to mow so we removed grass and planted gardens with a walkway because the house was bland and the front porch was its charm Plus a brick wall 10 feet high And it had to be deerproof. I still love my last yard and what we created but our ages won out so we have a more simple yard now. I will always miss my past two yards which we’re completely different but kept me interested and challenged me. This may be your starter home or forever home but stay true to the character of the house and simply give it a nice dress to put on. Think four seasons so that 6 months out of the yard there won’t be an empty yard with no interest. I still like small compact nandinas for the pop of color in winter and they are noninvasive like the taller variety and are a lovely shade of rich green when fertilized in warm weather. your area is hot and humid. When you are able go to the botanical garden in Dallas and check out the gardens For ideas. Try to enjoy your effort and not an “it will do“ philosophy.....remember, this is your home. Create something to be proud of. Signing off.......