It is a normal house and does not need anything there in that void So you just need to nor it it is really good

Thank you both! I updated the photo so hopefully it’s better quality.

If you'd like help with the landscaping, take photos from further back, stand at the end of the walk and then remain there while shooting left, then center then right so we know what you have to work with and how the neighbor's properties relate to yours.

I would take the shutters off the door and the bay window. That will help to show more siding.

The evergreen shrubs in front of the bay need to be reduced in height by 10 to 12 inches. It might look bad for a year but by next year they will have filled in. Keep any bush below the lower edge of the window.

I think your house would look great painted a blue.

Keep bushes below the window level. Looks better (house looks taller), improves security (fewer places for the bad guys to hide), and keeps bugs et al. from the siding.

I also wanted to say the shutters are a bit undersized in width for the upper story windows. I would get larger ones. If you do, you can get another pair and have a faux window made with closed shutters. Here is a faux window next to a real one.

I'm not a pro, but I don't think that there is enough room between the upstairs windows to allow for properly sized shutters. For that reason, I would remove the shutters entirely.

No shutters. They are incorrectly sized and are adding visual weight to the right side which makes the vacant wall above the porch more evident.

I just spent forty minutes writing a reply about how I think you could raise the portico and make it taller, and maybe extend it over the bay windows as well, because I think it's too low and that's what makes the house look uneven...and pasting images...and I somehow managed to delete it before posting.

I only managed to keep the link for this photo (and a couple of tabs still open). The whole page has good images for what I mean, though.

Portico · More Info

As it is now, the top of the portico isa lower than the bottom of the windows. I agree with others re shades and such, but I really think adding some height and interest above the door will make a big difference without it being too pricey or extensive.

Here you see kind of what I mean about extending the portico sideways to cover the bay windows as well (the windows here aren't a bay window, but you get the gist, I think):

Charming Craftsman · More Info

And this one not only uses a taller portico, with a shape that works better with your bay windows, but they've painted the front door a bright pretty shade of green to add more visual interest:

Green Door Colonial Renovation · More Info

(The color of your current front door is very pretty, but it's not bright enough to attract the eye or really "pop" against the house.)

So my advice is make the porch roof higher and taller (as in, the actual roof is thicker), maybe change the shape so it's more of a feature of the front rather than just a little porch covering, and possibly extend it sideways to cover the bay windows and make them look more "built in," because as it is they look kind of aftermarket, if you know what I mean?

It's really a lovely house! But I agree it looks a little off-balance, and I think it could be easily fixed with a better porch covering.

JMO, of course!

I hope that helps!

Is that a vent?

If you could have a new portico built something like Sidgirl K suggested, it would look so good! I agree that the current one is skimpy and a larger one would draw the eye to the front door. I also agree, that you could get rid of all of the shutters. Still think your house would look wonderful in blue, especially with a new white portico.

Thanks you for all of your recommendations! We are having the house painted dark grey with white trim this week and have removed the shrubs in the front. We plan on updating

... the landscape in the spring. Does anyone know of any temporary landscape solutions that will make it look less unfinished until then? Also, do you suggest taking out the bush to the right of the house?

This is an updated picture

A nice start with your landscaping. Hopefully you can do something about the huge shrubs on the front near your walkway and the side of your home too.

I agree that the shutters on your home are entirely inappropriate. They don't belong on the bay window at all and you don't have enough room on the upper windows for properly sized shutters. Take a look at this very brief article about shutters so you can see why they don't work on your home. The shutters you have exacerbate your idea of the void above your front door. Your home will look much better without the shutters.

https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

Thank you! Yes we are planning on getting rid of the shutters and doing thicker white trim instead. The front shrubs are the next to go! :)

If you remove the bushes along the street, I would put in a fence.