Is that "eagle" above the carport showing us what the original color of the logs was? If so, you may want to use cob blasting (or some other media blasting) to return to the original, lighter color. I like the dark brown myself and might try staining the eagle to match, unless it is just an applied dadoo. If you don't like the red trim, consider all BM Crisp Romaine. I wouldn't add any stone unless it is in the landscaping, which is where I would focus my energy.

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One of the first things I would do is to check out the trees, especially the ones overhanging the house. This would be for safety (several branches look akimbo, but that might be a photo artifact), but I also think a bit more light could be let in. The greenery looks a little heavy overhead, and I'm thinking it makes the house look dark, and maybe darker inside than necessary.

Some people like their homes dark, so I understand this is a taste thing. But the house is also looking a little squashed to me, kinda like needing a haircut to lighten up the face.

A change in the overhead canopy may change your ideas about what to do with the exterior.

I'd change all the trim to a grayed green, which would blend with the landscape and give the house and windows some definition. Don't add stone - it's completely unnecessary.

It looks to me like the portico is an ill-proportioned addition. Unless you enjoy the looks or utility, I'd consider removing it. I just can't figure out any way "stone around the windows to break up the roofline" makes sense as a concept or thing to do.

Roofs are a feature of house. They are, as a rule, big planes with little "interest". That's normal. That's fine. It's not a problem.

Is the front entrance behind that car port? If so the first thing I’d do is remove or minimize it to make the front entry more visible and welcoming.
For trim I think green is so apropo. Stone isn’t necessary. Very cool space. And as you said. Loads of potential

@apple_pie_order This house will be our weekend home. It’s only 90 minutes from where we currently live and super easy to get to. We had a home on the other side of this lake for 8 years, but it was a second tier home. This home is directly on the lake with its own dock etc. At this point, the roof doesn’t need replacing. There was a major addition added to the house in 1984. They added the second level and a large family room and master suite in the back. The roof desperately needs a cleaning along with the gutters. We are having about 20 trees removed, most of them are overgrown or dead. These trees have caused All the gutters to be clogged. I like the idea of a sage green accent color, but the large window on the left side of the house has a window with red crosses inside the glass. I don’t know how that will look.

@decoenthusiaste Lol - you noticed the eagle! I assume that was the original color of the house. The entire house needs to be painted. The paint on the back of the house is almost completely off. I do like the color brown and the green is really nice. Thanks for your suggestions!

@Sigrid. I agree, the portico seems very large and out of place. The house next to mine has almost the same one. We are planning on putting an addition to the front of the house to the left of the large red window. This will increase our kitchen area greatly.

@HU-@87528210. Thanks for your comments. There is a small red door under the carport. When we put the addition on the left side of the house, we intend to get a larger door. The current door measures 32”. Way too small for such a large frontage. I think the consensus of green trim is the way to go and stone is unnecessary. Thank you.

I like it!

I would see if I could incorporate stone matching the chimney into the addition. You can't easily retroactively put stone onto the log bits of the cabin, but the addition can have it. Is it a local stone? It's perfect for that setting.

Watch the ivy growing up the columns. Don't trust it. It's evil. :)

any changes planned for red framing, or for white above?

@everdebz. I’m leaning toward painting/staining the house a rich brown. I am open to changing the red framing - most if the comments on this post suggest a green/sage - which would be nice however the log house next door has green accents. The other thing is that red large window on the first floor has red crosses INSIDE the double pane. That window is definitely staying. We plan to put a kitchen addition directly to the left of that window. The white windows were part of an addition put in 1984. All my other windows are encased in that muted brown aluminum. I guess I could paint the white window frames to match the other brown window frames. My problem is the red window. Any suggestions?

@fori the ivy is a goner. We just haven’t gotten to that yet. I like a well manicured setting. All of that ivy, pachysandra is going to be cleaned up. We’re also taking down 20 trees in the front - most dead. You can barely see the house.

Interior window grids sometimes pop in and pop out, carefully. Take a close look next time you are up there.

I'd have a window person look to see if it can be taken apart to remove the red grids. If not, I'd get new windows without any grids so they match your others, and they don't dictate the color of your home. Use cream for the trim if you don't want green.

@calidesign You are so right about the grids. I’m a practice person and normally would let that window dictate the color. I’m not going to do that this time! Thank you.

Do you need to keep that as a carport? Its in an odd place for a carport. I would put a low deck there, and some nice colorful outdoor furniture, and have a nice sitting area on the new front deck.

Cat_ky My husband and I were just discussing that tonight. It’s way too large and kind of useless. I think we’re going to get rid of it. It’s really not necessary.

The portico really brings down the look of the cabin. I'm glad to read you are considering removing it.

I wouldn't remove the portico. Depending on your climate, it gives you the space to unload your car when it's raining, or has been snowing. At least live with it for awhile to see.

@calidesign I just think the size of the portico is huge. I agree that it’s nice when it rains to have done protection. I may decide to have it redesigned do that it doesn’t stick out so much. It’s so big, you can barely see my front door.

Not exactly a "lean to"- but an expert might be able to cut the thing in half, leaving the half at right that doesn't obstruct your entry.

Is there a view that's enjoyed just outside portico, at the right? ... the smaller structure still sticking out, could try buying a large structure like wood swing... and being tall as they are, has a 'visual' fill in effect... also hide the meters somewhat, not big deal though.

Landscaping helps too, and you already have ground cover at our left. But if there's room in front of a big swing, what about widening the front view of the house with a fire pit...just an idea.

In other words and it takes me a while - I'd widen the items across width of the house, to change the angle-proportion of sticking out structure. I know, cause I've had houses with sticking out garage...

Idk how much you want to do, but if portico is smaller, you could place stone pavers, etc... at left, all the way to corner edge of house. Even add another bench.

I played around with this yesterday afternoon. I do think making the portico smaller would make the home more inviting and let more light enter in on the face of the house. In this case, I brought it back so that the face of the portico aligns with the columns that are currently closer to the house. Keeping some kind of covering over the door would give you protection from weather when you're loading and unloading the car, and from having to shovel snow off the front steps to exit your house after a storm (not sure where you are, but that's a definite consideration here). I put some paving stones down between the door and the driveway. Adding lighting beside the front door or under the portico would look welcoming and make evening entries easier.

Perhaps some of the logs in the gable portion of the structure could be taken out and more of the timber frame of the gable could be revealed. Or it could be reconstructed to show the structure of the gable. And then...a light could be hung within the gable to illuminate the space, making it more welcome in appearance. I really like the red trim on your windows!

Or fix your landscaping and driveway so the portico is part of the driveway, with your landscaping in the middle. That would be beautiful, functional, and a lot less expensive.

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Donna, my husband and I live in a log home in the N.C. woods. We use and recommend a product called New Again for cleaning your log siding. It is biodegradable, only requires low pressure rinsing, non-bleach and leaves no streakes between cleaning sections. Regardless of the stain/preservative you choose, you will need to clean the log siding of the pollen, sap and dirt before you restain. The company's website is www.newagain-roofndeck.com. I personally like the red on the windows and would apply it to the windows on the upper section of the house. Especially if someone near you already has green. My opinion on the portico is live with it for a bit before doing anything; it does serve a purpose which you might find over time is practical and protective. However, I would consider removing the three bottom rows of log siding in the front to open up your line of sight. It could possibly bring in more light under the portico and the front elevation of the portico would not look so low. Good luck with your new place and enjoy the experience of a log home. We are still in love with ours after 16 years.

pds290 Thanks for your suggestions. That huge carport or portico, or whatever that thing is, looks ridiculous. There are about 20 other homes on my block and many of them must have had the same builders! We are definitely changing the look of the house.

Ptreckel. I like the light hanging idea, and I am partial to the red window frame.

sonny62. Thank you for your advice. Our home is in such disrepair that it’s going to take a long time to really make it shine. I will check out the w website you provided. The logs are filthy and I cannot wait till they are cleaned.