Suezbell Thank you. very good suggestions. I will definitely add another walkway -that makes sense and I never thought of that. It could easily be done with flagstone or something. Another struggle is between the house and the existing sidewalk it is such a small area. It may be too small for anything other than flowers so having a multilayer of landscaping would allow me to still put in some boxwoods or something still. I'm trying to picture the porch in front as you mentioned. It's not a bad idea. We actually have a large shared pond in back with most of our acreage being in front and side (like a piece of pie shape). We have 5 little children so we keep the play set and trampoline in front of the house, volleyball net on the side... Not ideal but keeps them safe away from the water. We have a beautiful view in the back yard with large windows and a nice screened in back porch. Just need to bring some beauty to the front of the house. Great ideas. Thank you heres is a pic of the house from the end of our driveway.

Unless a person knows they will be in a house for a short time, I think it's better to plan for the long term, knowing that there may be a period of awkwardness until the final concept rings through loud and clear. In this case (if you're going to be in the house for a while) I would not let the stone and roof colors limit where I go with future house colors. Personally, I don't find the stone attractive enough to call it a "keeper." If budget allows, I'd consider replacing it. If budget doesn't allow, I'd paint it and that will be an improvement and open up color choices for other things. Roofs eventually wear out an need replacement. At that time, you could select a better roof color that goes with your improved house color. Eventually, you could transition to a whole new, improved color scheme. The new pictures help. To be perfectly frank, I don't think the stone columns and fencing help in the least to make the entrance more inviting and appealing. If a courtyard effect was still desired, I think it would be done completely differently than what is there now. So getting rid of those things would be an immediate improvement. The walk needs help, too. Ideally, it would be redone. But if that is not in the budget, then strategically adding to it would be a big help. It especially needs an area of expanded paving near the entrance door. The small "trees" inside and outside of the courtyard are not the right plants for those spots. Is the budget or DIY interest level sufficient to make some sizable changes to the entrance area?

When it comes to something like first impressions I think opinions vary due to geography and age of the viewer. I don't know where you are so my old lady from California ideas may not appeal to you. I think the path is quite charming and would not want it partially hidden by the front bed bordering it. I would plant grass there. I think the railing looks like a jail on such a small house. I would remove it. The shrubs in the stone planter look to me like what I consider foundation plants. I suspect they will grow too large there. I would remove them. Perhaps they can go on the side of the house that is not visible. I would plant low perennials and leave room for annuals in the planters. I like the suggestion of green trim above except it looks like you may have a blue roof. If that is so I would stay with white trim. I threw in some little plants with red foliage in front of the porch. I like them with the brick. Lighting around the path would be nice since one of you is handy.

A definite YES to the new porch column and railing. If your porch is less than 30" from the ground you shouldn't even need a railing although it may be your preference to have one anyway. Do like the idea of a garage door with a glazing (glass) in it somewhere. Perhaps the whole door could be glass? Good Luck!