I agree with removing all those hedges and the shrub on the left of the garage. Just add some colorful perennials and ornamental grasses under the picture window. Blue Fescue is always nice as it usually retains year round color. I'd paint the siding a color to match the brick then use a warm gray on the fascia, column and garage. Colorful front door, new modern lights, and new house numbers on the column or to the right of the door. I don't think you can paint your vinyl window frame without causing warping (not sure if I just made that up) so I left that and the door trim white. If you're able to put money into the walkway I'd widen it and maybe modernize it.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the help. I guess I was unclear about the what I wanted to paint. I love the bricks of the fireplace and wont touch them. What I would like to paint is the ledge or seat under the actual fireplace. It is made of cement with plaster finish (Only on top and sides) that has a marble look to it. It is cracked and worn in places. Plus the off white/maroon color scheme is very unattractive. My plan is to paint it a matte dark cement like color, close to the grout of the fireplace. I would love to enclose it in wood but I dont think that is unrealistic for our situation and the whole fire thing. I love the idea of plants that have been suggested. I will look into easy to care for plants that dont need alot of light. I do not have a green thumb and have difficulty keeping things alive that dont whine at me. As for the shelves, I really like them and do not want to be rid of them. I guess I was looking for suggestions of what shapes to put up there. Long and thin, short and round, oblong, several small items, etc? Also, brightly colored, neutral, metal, etc? That way I can go into my own collection and find something that fits the bill. Anyone know how the fireplace would be decorated when it was originally built? It also has a couple of nails in the grout (previous families stockings I assume) so hanging something is possible also. The windows seem to war with the shelves in my mind, the balance seems off. I have thought of painting them the same color as the brick, and also the color that I will paint the ledge. They are about 8-9" deep, so I worry painting them the same color as the brick will look odd. Currently they are painted the same color as the wall, a light gray. Would you put something on them, like a shelf? I am looking to make the whole thing seem cohesive. Luckily privacy is not an issue, it is on the second floor. And I want as much light as possible so not looking to add greenery out side. We do plan on replacing the plexiglass with clear window glass in the near future. In my mind it would look so much better as one long window but I dont think we will take on the project. Thanks again for your input. I look forward to hearing more ideas.

It looks like the landing area needs some work, but I will leave that for other better qualified people to comment on. My first impression was those awful white downspouts on the front of the house. You should consolidate those downspouts so that you end up with one long run of gutter across the front and one downspout the Left End where it is less noticeable. It's an inexpensive job and would make a big Improvement visually. I did this on the back side of my house where four small downspouts were consolidated into one larger one. (This not only looked much better but it made it easier for me to route the water away from the house, since my neighbor's driveway is only a few feet away on that side.) If it were my house I would paint the downspout to blend in better with the house color.

From your description, the architect's version sounds like it will work. The changes to that solution that should happen though is: - within the cavity: to protect the wood a self-adhered membrane instead of fluid applied (especially interior products) basically an ice & water shield - using Durock within the cavity: if chosen to do make sure it remains a cementious board, not something gypsum-based like Denshield that contractors like to use. Then the self-adhered membrane should go on top of this. This board is essentially just keeping the membrane off of the wood, but isn't really necessary unless you are considering future replacement of your joists and rim joist from the inside. And depending on the width of airspace (what would be the depth of the foundation ledge minus the layed brick depth) having a 1/2" Durock may interfere with the grouting solid. - grouted solid below grade: use CMUs, not bricks There are more details with this to keep track of during construction, like how the WRB overlaps, the flashing/weeps, etc but your architect seems competent enough to produce the drawing.