Oh my god what a ! I think the plants just need time to mature -- I think bigger, established plants will feel better. I also love the idea of adding an undulating flower bed along the (lawn side) walkway, as well as making the bed underneath the window deeper. Those will go a long way to adding the "WOW" you want. I happen to be a fan of beds all around (inc. facing the sidewalk), but that's not for everyone. I find an abundance of plants really welcoming and friendly-looking. I don't know where you are, but a small tree (red leaf Japanese maple is what first pops to mind, but I happen to have a thing for them) could also do a lot. I'm not thinking of a large tree because it appears you have large trees on the hell strip. I think the small tree could go near the left corner of the house (to hide the junction boxes), and / or where that big rock is on the lawn. (well, maybe a bit to the left of it, closer to the corner of your property line) I like the dark brown trim paint color, but maybe when it's time to repaint you might consider a dark sage green or a mid-forest green. Your house is wonderful -- congratulations!

Add some color to the entry of your home. Maybe even something under the windows to the left that are colorful, warm, inviting. The potted plants (the pots and the plants) on either side of the entry could bring some color and make things seem more inviting. Colorful pots near the garage entrance??? I agree with not changing the garage door. Does it need some more hardware to add some character (I can’t remember the details of the garage door at the moment)?

This goes way beyond a few ideas for curb appeal. Many of your current shrubs appear to be planted too close to the house, planted for the size at planting rather than their ultimate size. This requires a lot of work to maintain and isn’t good for the beauty of the plants or the structure. Do you have anything evergreen there so that there is a winter presence? Much of what you have appears to be deciduous, and in the front in particular, not in large enough blocks to provide a mass visible from a distance. I don’t see much structure or overall shape to the plantings in a way that complements the architecture. I also don’t see much evidence of maintenance on what is there, and that is crucial in curb appeal, regardless of what is there. Some things to consider in Doug’s sketch beyond the evergreens and multiples of many of the plants: - lower plants in front of the porch to let the architecture shine - a second tree on the left to help frame the house - variety of foliage color to add interest when not much is blooming - mostly shrubs rather than perennials so you have year round plantings - an adequately sized walkway both to suit the architecture and to allow more than one person to walk abreast. The landing at the base of the porch should be at least as wide as the door, and the walk a bit wider than two people standing side by side. You need either a dense evergreen groundcover or a thick layer of mulch between plants to reduce weeds, but you also need to do regular maintenance to prevent the weeds from getting a foothold and then taking over. If you aren’t willing or able to either do this yourself or hire a skilled maintenance crew (not just mow, blow, and go), your home has enough architectural interest across the front to be able to carry a minimal number of larger scale woody plants without much of any foundation planting and return the rest to grass which can be adequately maintained by folks with minimal plant knowledge. My recommended first steps would be to consider how much garden maintenance you realistically wish your garden to require and then spend a bunch of time looking at garden eye candy on Houzz, in library books, on the internet more generally, and as you drive around. Think about winter interest as well as the other three seasons, foliage texture and color, plant height and shape, and how the overall look fits with the architecture. Are there shrubs blocking windows or trees that will grow out to block sight lines to the front entry? Do the plantings serve to ground the house and nestle it into its surroundings? Start an idea book or folder of landscaping that suits your architecture, your preferred amount of maintenance, and your tastes. Whether you end up doing this replanting yourself or want to consult a garden designer, having a folder of ideas is always a good start.

I think some kind of trellis or screening structure near the HVAC equipment or at the front edge of the roof as others suggested, could obscure the view. This is required in my area for commercial buildings with rooftop equipment. . In the "improve curb appeal" area, I think a lot can be done with your front yard. The side photo showing a glimpse of the neighbor's iron fence shows a walkway, a green shrub, and some grass. Your front yard could use some attractive landscaping. Or, if time or money is limited, put in some hard scaping - cover the dead lawn with a rock or gravel pattern and have an interesting center piece or two in the middle. Just something to make it look not-abandoned. Also, I think what looks like a chain-link gate to the left of the garage could be spruced up. Compare how it looks to the neighbor's redwood (?) or redwood colored wood fence on the other side of the yard. The wood fence looks attractive, the chain link gate looks scruffy. Good luck.