Here's a pic of the front of the house (this is an old photo--the tree is dead and gone): I don't have a pic of the back of the house but right now it's just a narrow deck with an awning that is about 1/2 the length of the house. After we get the kitchen remodeled this is our next project. We plan on ripping the deck down and replacing it with a screened porch (our house overlooks a swath of public forest, which is beautiful, but buggy). The patio doors will open onto this porch. I think a nice dark color would be nice, but should the color of the door match the rest of the windows? If you click the link you can get to a set of inside pics. It's completely open now. Thinking about painting it Elephant's Breath by Farrow and Ball. Jen

Very first impression is there are way too many narrow shutters and none fit the windows properly. What is not taken advantage off is the mill work over the windows. If painted the white of the windows, the windows would be lovely without the shutters. Shiny red front door…..

The only issue is my stairs are ehhh the color door I have now is fading.

Semi-transparent stain generally isn't very durable as deck stain. It's most often used for vertical surfaces. It also isn't very long lasting on sunny surfaces. If you are going to stain the deck, your best bet may be deck stain!