It’s a nice looking home and I like the brick/stone. There’s nothing wrong with it looking like an L.

I might move those black pots cause they make the entry feel squeezed. And get wider shutters. (That’s a clever holiday decorating idea on the shutters.)

I think you can jazz up the landscaping in front of the garage. I would add taller plants on either end of the area by the main window. All in all, looks good!

Sorry there is no way to avoid that without a rebuild I never like side entry garages but unless you want to rebuild this is it. I would however remove the shutters or they need to be a lot wider so that visually they could cover the whole window. I think the hedge needs to go for sure and some nice foundation plantings added there and a some interesting landscaping will draw the eye away from all the driveway Paint the sidng a color from the stone I like the black as an accent .I agree the walkway to the house needs to be unvluttered but nothing stopping you from a row of black planters across the front instead of plantings\That would for sure draw the eye ,

Thank you all for the suggestions!

We LOVE our home! just wish the outside looked as amazing as the inside.

We will be removing the bushes in front of the window. Would love to add faux dormers to give the house a little pizazz but as the above poster commented it wouldn’t be functional. it would look nice though 😬

I don't see how a dormer would look nice. I think you should paint the garage door the color of the siding - right now it's a black hole in a lovely stone. Agree the shutters are too small - try it without them. Paint just the door not the sidelight a chocolate brown - not so stark as the black - paint the sidelight part the trim color. Then a great landscape plan will make the outside look as amazing as the inside. Check out Dig Doug's designs on here. He does amazing landscaping

It’s a cute house - just overwhelmed by the massive tree. Take down the tree. Need to get rid of the black - it’s too strong of a color for the house. I would do a quieter gray or taupe for the shutters. A new, attractive garage door the same color as the shutters. A pretty, soft bright blue/green for the front door. New landscaping with a nice, open inviting space to the front door.

I’d invest in a really nice driveway rather than any major architectural changes on the home. I also agree the black is a bit harsh for the homes stone and roof.

Oh no 😬. All of the new comments say to repaint garage doors and shutters. Those were literally just painted black. It looks so good in person. Here’s what it looked like before.

I like your white door so much better - the black looks like a hole and emphasizes the "L" shape of the house, which you don't like. And yes, a new driveway would add curb appeal. The next thing I would do is some fabulous landscaping - large beds with curved borders, and lots of colors/textures.

For those who made driveway suggestions, what kind of driveway would compliment the stone? We are one of a few homes in the whole neighborhood who has blacktop so it sticks out.

Please just trim up the tree to see your home. Do not remove it. Plant colorful perennials and add some curves to round it out.

I agree that the black trim is too harsh, particularly on the garage door, where it is drawing attention to the very feature you don't care for. It looked better in white, or try to match it to the stone, and soften the front door color. I'd consider removing the shutters and using landscaping to add interest instead. If the tree can be saved by trimming the bottom, so that the house is visible, rather than removing it, that would be great, but I'm not familiar with care of that tree.

Front door is hiding and not actually visible. I would enhance your entrance by bright front door and some kind of pergola or overhanging and porch. Some options here

It's definitely a landscaping issue (and removing the shutters which do not fit the windows).

IMO, your stone house had a lot going for it before. Once you painted the rock white, it lost a big chunk of its personality and you attempted to compensate for the bland look by painting the garage door black, which was another bad idea. At this point, brightening the front door and new landscaping are your best options.

Angie, I was thinking of gray for larger shutters and above garage door. Bright yellow front door. Just throwing it out there.

@decoenthusiaste Nothing has been done to the brick. It’s the same since home was built.

Sorry, it certainly looks white in your first pix and a more natural gray in the ones you said were the originals with the white garage door. "L" shaped homes are a bit tricky for curb appeal. I think replacing the greenery with some color will help. Ask your local nursery to suggest some plants that can provide color and interest in the cooler months.

Ohh, so sorry! I did not pay attention to photos and made rendering on old one. I like your new door! :-)) and black shutters.

I like the black accents & the tree. I do think the planters on the steps pinch the walkway but otherwise it is a very nice house!

I love the stone on your house. I like the black shutters, although I'd definitely make them larger for a better look. I'd like to see a nice brighter color on the door, red would look good with the other elements. The black garage door was a mistake, though. I'd paint it back to match the siding. Then landscape.

I just found "your house" while browsing for exteriors ;) here it goes for inspiration: https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/lake-country-builders-transitional-exterior-minneapolis-phvw-vp~454688

Lake Country Builders · More Info

The L is really not a culprit in my view and dormers will be costly/not resolve what I think are.

You need to draw the eye to a welcoming front entrance, lessening the prominence of driveway, garage and the protruding L side (and removing shutters will help as well).

Softening and creating interest with landscaping is also really important.

Sorry about the new paint but when the goal is to deemphasize, dark is never good. The L shape is the garage. If you want to play down the garage and up play the HOUSE then the garage door needs to fade not POP. Same with the shutters on the garage. That is quite a substantial window meant to give the illusion of home vs garage..is it safe? If those bushes grow up it would be a perfect place for a criminal to hide/break the window..... I do think adding a front porch/pergola gives the home a friendly feel. Still then you are all sitting in the driveway given your home configuration and that's not always a favorite place.

@lobo_93 Yes! Thank you!!! This helps me visualize the area that I feel we need to focus on.

Let me know what you think!

The black pergola over your garage window does not enhance your house. That side looks fine. It has plenty of interest --- two sidings, a big window, shutters.

Adding landscaping is great.

Changing to brown rustic-style shutters is not an improvement, either. On the end of the garage, you have brown shutters, a black pergola, cream stone and white siding. It is not cohesive. The white siding, black garage door and cream stone was a nice set of colors.

Your house is nice and a lot of the advice you are getting is bad. Love the one you're with!

And improve landscaping.

Yeah, take those black things away.

I don’t care for the brownish shutters either. Two of my neighbors have installed those wood-look brownish shutters. (Is somebody on HGTV promoting those?) In real life, they look like wood pallets broken down and put back together as shutters. Not a good look, IMO.

Hi @Angie Langstaff, you said ref doors and shutters: "Those were literally just painted black. It looks so good in person." Then, you might want to let them be (at least for now), and focus instead on the other elements suggested here: 1- Emphasizing the front door/ front porch and 2- Landscaping. As someone who is trying to improve on those same issues, I wish you all the best moving on with your project ;)