I love your Mondrian inspiration. First, figure out which software you have access to that you can use to experiment with exterior ideas. If you can use Photoshop, you are ahead of the game. I can’t justify the investment, so I limp along with Microsoft PowerPoint and the free Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap. Even if you do 20 or more experiments with color and color placement on the photographic images, it doesn’t cost much money and doesn’t take much time. Keep going until you come up with the right combination. Since the house has shingle siding, I am assuming that you cannot just paint it to get the Mondrian look. Are you going to change out the windows to get the heavy black frames? Are you going to reside the whole house, or just the front? To get the look of rectangular panels, you will need to find out what products are commonly available in your area. For instance, James Hardie panels are in common use. Example: Drive around to construction sites. Find out what products they are using. Get the names of the contractors. You are going to need to hire someone knowledgeable for the installation.

Thanks so much, everyone, for helping me out with your perspectives! As a next step I am going to get a landscape designer out here for a consultation. The previous homeowners were avid gardeners, and these plants are popular in the PNW (Japanese maples, rhodies & azaleas, wisteria, clematis, burning bushes, japanese umbrella pine, etc) so I hear you on your advice about being thoughtful about what to keep/get rid of. We've obviously let them overgrow to the point they are out of hand. However there is some benefit in the privacy they create - as we have one of the few acreage properties left in our (desirable) location so we want to consider how we maximize what is unique and special in our property. Appreciate your help!

You have a really nice home and yard; wouldn't change it too much. Like the color of your brick. Like the soffit and fascia color you have but if you want a change, you could go a shade darker. Yard looks pretty good as is. Be careful not to crowd it. If you're in Planting Zone7, you might consider adding a long row of liriope (or something similar) alongside your garage and have it continue alongside your driveway all the way to the road. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/778982066770260289/ Is that a birdbath? Cannot tell if there is any window from which it can be seen as is; if not, you might move it to where it can be seen thru the window from the living room of the house. Would change the white lamp post in the front yard. The house number plaque on your house looks fine -- leave it -- but do add another at the beginning of your driveway. Perhaps combine the new lamp post and the new house number. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/114349278024850285/ If your living room windows don't open at the bottom, you might consider replacing them with windows that do open.

@Indecisiveness there will be windows lower in the bedrooms on each wing . We have one side that will open to a courtyard. so this won’t be in any comparison to a basement- that’s for sure. im Sure that was a fun experience! Basement living And a father who did it all himself. That was my life too (minus the basement). My dad would buy and sale quite a lot and we lived in many unfinished homes . He loves those fixer uppers and living in them until they sold. 😂 @Mark Bischak i do understand the garage statement . But having it away from the home gave us more space inside and more light. Would be open to any suggestions for sure. @ourfarmhouse- yes this home has very tall ceilings . Always wanted a two story feel in a one story home. The living room will have metal beams and lined with a light colored wood. The fire place will have a whole wall of rough white brick . @ourfarmhouse at the front of your renderimags- to the left of the orange door. What would this be? Kind of curious. I have already printed them out and wasn’t sure. as for the garage. It just wouldn’t fit pulled into the house now that we’ve added a mud room . so you like that flat roof wirh breeze way. Or do you see a different design maybe with some pitch to it? thanks again for your time (and everyone else’s)