The center window and its adornments (shutters and half moon top) seem out of scale with the less-adorned front door. Maybe remove something up top or add something below to draw more attention the door? New light fixtures by the front door and above the garage could add more character. Wider front steps and a larger landing might help, too. Agree with everything in @jck910's post, especially the landscaping. It's not doing the house any favors.

I'm afraid you are going to tell me that the master bedroom is over the garage and you love the vault, but removing the gable and half moon windows would keep the garage from trying to be a feature. I would add paired windows centered over the garage doors if the interior allows. I would also stone the garage up to the level of the foundation of the main house (and stone the exposed foundation on the house) just to reduce the amount of vinyl, then you could add a pergola over the garage doors. I hope there are street trees that just aren't shown in the picture...

I agree with @jck910 re: no half circle windows, real wood front door and garage door. Maybe some larger entry sconces. A tall, skinny pot between your two garage doors? Can you grow some ivy on the concrete foundation beside your stairs?

Your house reminds me of this designer's house. Hers is legitimately old but I think you might like some ideas. She has an architectural feature above the front door. Classic color palette with a pop on the door. Flower boxes in lower windows. Shutters only on windows in the center. She has the boxwood balls but in a more traditional layout. She's also near Boston. I think you have a pretty house with so much potential!

I so agree with what o have heard so far. jck910 I HATE the half circle windows! I so agree. petula67 - right?! Could it be more out of balance? Would LOVE to destroy the "grand" center window. HALLET & CO, I despise the gable over the garage with every fiber of my being. You should see the nauseating effect on the inside of the room. It's a living room, not the master at least. Stiley, I adore you for showing me a pretty house with somewhat similar bones to mine.

The previous owner and we have added a lot to the landscaping - magnolias, roses, hydrangeas, spirea. it's filled in and softened up greatly. I am dreaming of a rock element added to the foundation and bringing the foundation up to the houses foundation to make the garage less ugly. What about the huge space between the garage doors and the windows above them? It looks so weird to me?

OH! Now I get what HALLET & CO means about the pergola - like an arbor - I'm a pretty avid gardener and could get something growing over it in no time. Brilliant. why aren't you near me?!

I think you are kind of hard on your house! To me it doesn't scream any of those things.
Why didn't you buy an "old" house? I'd go with getting rid of the half round windows and the conical bushes in the front. Put some pretty planters either side of the doorway to make it look cheerful.

It's a long story! We put an offer on our (much cheaper) historical gorgeous dream house in a neighboring town and then learned our kids would lose their school choice if we moved there. There are very few old houses in this town, but good schools.

This house looks like someone painted it as art. It's so clean ... so perfect ... the colours, the sky. It's really quite pretty. How much time do you spend out front? Isn't there somewhere else you could put your time and money? Backyard? How is the inside of the house? Landscaping would be my choice if anything. I've just seen a number of people put so much effort into the outside while the inside is 30 years dated. This is just so inoffensive.

Thank you so much! The previous owners put a lot of money into the landscaping, and I probably worked on the backyard garden and grass about 15 hours a week during quarantine! The front has lots of magnolias and roses and other flowering shrubs now. I think I am just such a lover of old houses and natural materials

Stop beating your head against the wall trying to turn your classic colonial home into a historical home. It's not going to happen without more money than it makes sense to invest. Are you planning to remove the vinyl siding and change it to wood so you can get peeling paint and see how old it can look? Enjoy your perfectly nice new home and put your time and effort into finding some great antiques to use inside. Plant some trees so you get the setting of an older home.

I was thinking the same thing as TMac. I half-expect Pee-Wee Herman to come bicycling down the driveway. It’s a candy dream. Some part of me wants to paint the shutters a pale mint.

I would take the shutters off the garage. Paint the interior trim of the fanlight window on the garage the chiffon lemon cake yellow it longs to be.

Put a window box under the window above the door. A wrought iron one might be nice. Even in white.

Make some changes if you wish, after all you deserve to like your house, but it's not an eyesore by any means.

I wouldn’t go this far, but something substantial in white wrought iron for the upstairs central window might be fab

Outdoor Balcony Railing · More Info

Outdoor Balcony Railing · More Info

As someone mentioned, a few larger trees (I love weeping cypress/nootka) and you're done. Look at this beauty with fresh eyes.

I would remove the half circle windows and replace the siding on both stories in the middle (between the columns) with stone that complements the siding and roof colors. I might even use the same stone on the foundation and the lower half of the garage wall.

There are magnolias and an umbrella pine and a weeping cherry off to the side that should help with the tree issue several people mention. The umbrella pine is growing like mad. I think switching out the garage and front doors and removing some of the shutters and adding some stone to the foundation wouldn't break me and would add a ton of charm. I would also love to get rid of the demilune windows.

I would pain front door brighter or darker.

Definitely!