Practigal - We are in San Diego. Water is at a premium and I have a ton of grass. I'm ok with the water bill but it is tough to keep green watering 2 days a week. BTW - I really like the covered entry also. Most examples in the neighborhood no longer exist because they either removed it to pop out the corner or they hit the brace with their car and had to remove it. Justerrilynn - I did mean the front door. Our neighborhood has quite a few examples of our similar home. One neighbor has the door right where you have it. Here are a few examples. Hope they don't mind me posting streetview photos. These are all homes built by the same designer in the 50's. The above home was the same as ours, flipped. I love the huge porch but, in person, the thing that really makes it look nice is the roof - heavy tile. Above are my across the street neighbors. House on the left is exactly like ours, just flipped. Both houses had the inset door and popped them out many years ago.

Cute house. What's your style? What are your inspirations? I like this. Natural, serene. Not a real stark contrast in the colors except for the roof. More of a traditional colonial look. Not a huge change from where you are now.

Beautiful home. What color is the mortar between the stone? I think I would paint the gable the same color as the stone.

I'm usually not one to criticize here on Houzz so let me get this over with now...your house is both a color and architectural disaster. I'm not a fan of the current color...it is not a very pleasant color and is dated, as well. As it is the primary color, I'd start with changing it, then selecting a color for the brick. I'm wondering if you might be OK with the brick in its current state if the other siding is a different color. I am with your husband when it comes to whitewashing brick...it has its place - usually on much older structures - but I don't see it working well with your house. Would the same paint color on the brick and garage door work? The white garage door claims too much attention and shouldn't (it is nearly the home's focal point)...it is just another garage door and nothing special to look at. The white windows are doing a bit of the same thing...calling attention to themselves even though the bay window is a totally different style than the upper-floor windows. You have endless new subdivisions being constructed in Southern California...pay a visit to some of those to check out the current trends in color.