Is there any way the garage can be pushed back?

Paint the garage doors and the side door the same color as the siding.

I would add a portico.

I don’t know where you will be building this, but doors into houses in most of the world should be covered and sheltered from weather. It’s optimal for siding to have overhanging eves too.

@Jeremy Norton chief architect (my father is a contractor). You can download a free trial but pricey to buy

@houssaon thank you! I’m sure we could push the garage back. I don’t love the look of a portico but like @ulisdone, maybe I should consider it since we’re in Maine

"...feel like something doesn’t look quite right from the front."

The visual mass of the garage overpowers the home. That's backwards from what a good design will achieve. A home is a significant investment. I think you'll be well served to work with an architect or experienced residential designer to get the concept plan right. When you do, you can provide it to your builder to turn into a set of construction drawings.

Yes, that huge garage is the first thing I focus on. The house itself is almost secondary. Any way to move it back and turn it so it's a side load because that's the "something doesn't look quite right" here. Who designed that?

What is above the garage?

Are you you using the term "colonial" in the real estate marketing sense or the architectural sense? The current design meets the former but is a long way from the latter.

Colonial houses often had barns benind them that were connected with smaller buildings. See "Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn, the conneted farm buildings of New England" in paperback.

Here is a Colonial house on Cape Cod built in 1693. Notice the taller widnow head trim and the portico with 4 square classical columns (not posts) and 2 matching pilasters behind them and "close" rakes and eaves and a large central chimney. The shutters would be very dark green and the window panes 8 over 8 for early examples and 6 over 6 for later ones.

Also, look at Classic Colonial Homes

@charles Ross homes & @architectrunnerguy You’re both right that the garage is overpowering. I also agree turning it could help. Perhaps you’re right on an architect - we wanted to avoid that since we felt a colonial was pretty straight forward but apparently not!

Does you lot acocmodate a side entrance garage? If you could turn the garage to a side entry so that just windows are on the front of the elevation it would look more balanced.

Also depsite you dislike of a portico this home could use a substantial sized one. Doing square posts on it or round would work. But I would make it as substantial as the space allows to give the front lower portion on the left some visual weight.

Your classic facade is ruined by all the appendages on the right. Do you have room on your lot for all those bits to attach to the back of the house? Some detailing at the windows and door could help with the issue. See how the appendages are out of site here and on a side views.

CCH Deerfield Colonial · More Info

CCH Custom Deerfield Colonial · More Info

CCH Deerfield Colonial · More Info

CCH Residential Settlement · More Info

What is your design goal? Do you want to make it look like an authentic colonial home? Authentic colonial homes did not have garages, and if a garage was added it should be tastefully done without looking like a suburban folly.

This isn’t the house I was looking for, but it’s in the same vein and could offer you an alternative that might work:

https://houzz.com/projects/1818681

I love looking at Architectrunnerguy's designs. There is rhyme & reason, composition, balance, proportions, and the design does not stop at the exterior walls, it goes all the way to the property lines. There is an honesty in the organization of space that creates beauty in plan and in elevation. And the smoke coming from the chimney is the icing on the cake.

You have shown a classic Saltbox colonial, very prevalent in the Northeast US. There are a number of ways to add a garage, but not the way you have posted. Here are some examples of saltbox Colonials with side additions (hallways/breezeways/garages) that work with the style of the home. Note that the additions are usually smaller and shorter than the house. They are also pushed back, so not on the same plane as the main house, which allows the house itself to be the focus.

Traditional Colonial · More Info

Recent Exterior, Old Greenwich, Connecticut · More Info

A New Farmhouse in Columbia County, New York · More Info

Colonial Revival · More Info

Colonial Farmhouse · More Info

Thanks Mark. I'm guessing that the "designer" is her father, the contractor (but OP, correct me if I'm wrong). Could be a tough family situation if I'm correct. Great design is subtle and given the results the OP posted above I don't think whoever the designer is is up to the task.

But the very best of luck to the OP in your build. Exciting times ahead.