On the first floor, to the left of the two windows, some tall - and I think full - type of landscaping, probably involving a tree, would help to balance the window symmetry.

I think a shed roof porch extending toward the windows would solve the issue.

If you would like to see how different colors, etc. could look on your house, I recommend this company.

https://www.houzz.com/professionals/specialty-contractors/creative-visual-concepts-kevin-strader-pfvwus-pf~1325968788

A covered portico over the door with a roof that goes almost to the leftmost lower window might be nice if a larger porch can’t be done. So, a partial porch. that would draw your eye to the center more.

Your house could look very nice but the front door and the garage door are totally wrong with the rest of the house. I agree that good landscaping would do a lot to improve the look.

Paint out the trim extending from the windows to match the siding and help them disappear.

I agree with Anna. The long vertical trim on the windows calls attention to the windows (which are not that charming).

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) That weird trim is definitely going away! We're doing a full siding replacement. We will probably just have regular white trim around all the windows.

@amuzyczka What kind of door and garage door do you think would be right for the

house?

I'd like a plain garage door on your house and a front door with a mid century modern vibe. Either rectangular or square windows on your front door; perhaps a single row of square windows running vertically. The door you have now doesn't echo or compliment your existing design elements.

@freedomplace1 We are definitely planning to add some landscaping after we get the siding replaced.

Our neighbor with a mirror-image house has a large oak tree that perfectly curves to block both blank spaces. I'm more than a little jealous of his tree, but even if we planted one, it probably wouldn't grow to curve as perfectly as his has!

Actually, since you're making these changes, I would go full modern and play up the asymmetry with cedar siding and dark painted siding, a la:

Garage door and front doors are just ideas but so that you can see the potential and options available. This could be a very cool-looking house.

@misecretary Thanks! A porch definitely makes the windows looks less weird.

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) Those are really cool ideas, but I'm not sure they would fit with the rest of the neighborhood. We all have terra cotta color tile roofs and generally lighter warm-colored siding that's a mix of wood and stucco. A couple neighbors have gone with cooler colors. (We have one dark sage green house and one light blue-grey.) But most are beige, cream, sand, peachy, etc.

I also tend to prefer more traditional looking houses. I feel like my house isn't quite sure what style it is -- kind of an odd combination of hacienda and farmhouse? With some weird asymmetrical windows thrown in?

You may think you don't want to stand out but you'll be surprised. I was going to share my adventure last year but decided not to hijack the thread. In either case, anything you do will be an improvement. I WOULD choose a color that is NOT common in your neighborhood for the siding. Choose cool garage doors and an awesome front door and EVERYONE will notice and you will love your home. I cringed coming home for 13 years. Now I love pulling in and seeing what we did and that's the way you should feel, too.

Be bold. It always wins over timid design.

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) I'd love to hear your adventure! Feel free to hijack. :)

Agree with ( misecretary ). Do add a front porch across the left half of the two story part of the house.

and

Do yourself a huge favor and bury single rows of the pavers so the tops are level with the ground to make it easier to mow around the planting beds. You can use the extra row of pavers to create more planting area or a paver+grass path to the planting area.

You might consider a plain concrete bird bath in the center of your circle planting area, perhaps with a solar water pump.

A porch would be quite an expensive proposition. Something large enough to go all across the front would require footers for the columns. I would suggest instead that you stick with vertical siding and wide trim around the windows. A modern front door to replace the Victorian style you have now, as suggested, would definitely help. The inserts in your garage windows should pop right out. Then paint the garage door the same color as whatever you choose for siding. The house's lines are quite modern but the tile roof means you probably shouldn't go completely modern in the style.

I would get advice from a local well regarded nursery for an idea on what to plant in front of the blank space that would work to alleviate the asymmetry.

After you choose your siding color, don't forget to paint the downspouts the same color so they blend in. A sage green/gray would be a pretty choice to go with your tile roof.

Trellis with vines can help.

Landscaping can go a long way to help. Get rid of the brick edgers.

I would paint all the trim a light color. and paint the siding a gray blue or a sage green to go with the roof. Once the all trim is painted the window placement doesn't look off.

But the Victorian door should be replaced with a more contemporary one.

@houssaon Thanks! What do you mean by "brick edgers"? Are you talking about the grey concrete brick thingies that the raised planters are made of? Or the red brick arc near the brick post by the driveway?

I do like the red brick parts. I'm not a fan of the grey concrete circle in the middle of the lawn.

@partim I like those! Is that a stepping stone path in the first picture?

Does anyone have thoughts on whether the house would look better painted a darker color or a lighter color? I definitely want the trim to be white.

Also, if we go with fiber cement siding, any thoughts on whether the house would look better with horizontal or vertical boards?

I like the brick of the front stoop and the column.

I am talking about the brick (concrete blocks) in the center of the yard, along the foundation and by the pillar. It isn't necessary. It would be a different story, if there was a need to retain a higher level in a sloping yard, for example.

It can be detrimental along the foundation, if it leads to raising the soil at the or above the sill. If you have a basement, it can cause even more problems. I personally don't like the look of it. It constrains you too much, because you don't have enough room to develop a foundation scheme over time.

I think foundation planting look best there there is a variety of heights, texture and color. I like to start with basic evergreen plants, add a couple of flowering bushes, have some lower growing perennials and evergreens in the front. In effect, there are three rows.

Those closest to the house should be planted so that there is at least a foot and a foot and a half between the back of the plant at maturity and the side of the house. No plant should obscure a window.

That's just an edging to the bed to make it visible in my rendition. In real life I prefer a spaded edge. https://www.finegardening.com/article/perfect-edges-for-your-beds-and-borders

I would use a mid tone color-not too dark but dark enough for the trim to show up well. The contemporary look of the house calls for vertical siding, IMO.

Love misecretary idea

What makes people say the house is a contemporary style? I definitely don't get a contemporary vibe from our house and neighborhood. The houses all have concrete terracotta-look tile, which feels kind of hacienda-ish. (A couple of the one-story houses went with stucco, which looks really good on them!) But most of the houses in our neighborhood have wood siding, and the stark rectangular wall of our house combined with the vertical siding feels kind of farmhouse-ish to me. So I'm getting this vibe of "I'm a confused California home that doesn't know whether I'm a farmhouse or a hacienda."

I think you should find a creative person to help you find something more interesting to do with your windows. The house is just too plain. I tried a few things but they don't look right. Someone left Kevin Strader's info earlier in the thread. He does that kind of thing for a reasonable fee. I wonder is Celery Girl would be interested as well.

I like the color @houssaon gave you but I also think a darker color could be nice.

Your door does not suit the house as has been mentioned.

I would use the vertical siding that has wood texture look or board and batten.

Landscaping would help a lot and you do need a tree as Partim suggests. If it gets hot where you live I would want a shade tree. Finish the house before landscaping changes.

Warning this image is very sloppy.

There really is nothing farmhouse about your home's style. The roof is Spanish. From the front, the board and batten and casement windows are contemporary. From the side, the house looks like it was a Garrison Colonial with the overhang filled in at one point. The solid wall makes it feel more contemporary. The extra trim around the windows look like they were added on at some point. This is a good example of an authentic, typical farmhouse. If you were to remove the front porch, it would be a typical Colonial with an addition on the back.

This shows the overhang of a Garrison Colonial. Here, the entrance is in the middle rather than on the side.

If you're curious as to what your house was look like when it was originally built, perhaps you can get a copy of the plans from the office that issues building permits in your county. You would more than likely be able to find elevation drawings that shows how the house was meant to look.

@katinparadise The house has pretty much always looked like this. (It was built in 1980.)

I think the elements that channel "farmhouse" to me are the stark rectangular sides, the door on the non-gabled side of the house, and the wood siding.

It's definitely not a vintage farmhouse. (If we added a porch and changed out the roof we might be able to make it look more like one, though those might not be in the current budget given how much work we need to do on the interior as well.)

So it's currently just a slightly-confused California 80s house that seems to vaguely incorporate some hacienda and farmhouse elements.

An old farmhouse (see similar stark sides and entrance on the rectangular, non-gabled side).

In this case, instead of trying to decide what it is, your best bet is to work with it the way it looks and make it it's very best self.

OK so you've decided against enlarging the porch.

I would go with a dark colour for the body of the house, like these two. It will de-emphasize the lack of balance. Omit the shutters. Use horizontal boards.

Or, if your siding is not in that bad shape, maybe just repaint and use the money you save to add a bit of trim e.g. a wide belly band and house edge trim, in contrasting white.

@partim The siding is in really poor shape, which is the main reason we're replacing it. I'd absolutely love to have a front porch -- but since we are doing siding, kitchen, and two bathrooms right now, I'm not sure if we'll have any funds left over. I should get a couple quotes just to see if it's feasible, though.

What dark colors do you think would work with the terracotta-colored tile roof?

Window boxes will help add dimension and color