Brilliant ideas, gang. I love the look of concrete facing on the chimney, and it would make it fit the rest of the house so much better. The brick may be covering the original block chimney, it is not brick all the way to the basement. It is obvious there was a wood burning stove in the kitchen and maybe facing a fireplace in the living area when the house was built. no trace of either now. We will be getting a high efficiency boiler soon so the chimney will be non functional at that point. I love the idea of painting that front gable cement color as well. The door you see in the photo is the screen door. There is a solid wood door behind that, not visible since it is open in the photo. These photos were taken by the previous owner. The concrete "bricks" used for the porch and planter are very light pink in "real life" and really do not match the chimney at all. Awesome ideas about the metal posts and rails on the porch.. The idea of using metal pipe is outstanding too! Spouse and I discussed the idea of adding wrought iron details to the planting areas in front. I agree it needs depth and contrast, I think the former owners tore up the original foundation plantings because they were overgrown and getting ugly. I have red and white flower pots and am thinking just touches of red in the plantings and using the red pots might give me nice contrast with the greys. we have 4 metal rockers from the late 40's /early 50's. Two would look great on the front porch. They are painted green, but paint can change. Ideas are forming. dang I love this forum! thanks to everybody, your comments and compliments and your creative input are doing good for mental stimulation, feeding my psyche and my soul! This conversation is getting long, i'll find the previous owners interior pictures and put them in another post.

Paint the supports under the window -- match the shutters or the brick. If you paint the front door, choose the green or the red of the brick. Plant 3+ same-sized good-sized bushes under the window to camouflage the window supports. Hydrangeas? (These can be had from a friend with overgrown hydrangea hedge.) Turn the corner for about 6 more feet with more of these bushes if you can afford it--will expand the width of the house visually. If you had a line of these beyond the back door parallel to the street that stops the eye before it goes from driveway down the hill at back you would also add some definition. Flower boxes on the small windows will simply look like there's a gardener who needs to be on tippy toes to water them. From street, you will look UP at them, not straight into them. Instead, cover the expanse of brick on that side of house from foundation up, not from the windows down. Plant larger, taller bushes on the left side of photo along the front of the house where the land slopes downward--arborvitae or other tall evergreen? Something with a pale bark and great silhouette that will outline itself against the red? Existing plantings in this area are much too minimal. If you use annuals, only use one major type or stick to one major color so that there is a strict pattern that is definable to observers. Consider pink if the brick has a maroon tone. "Knock-out" pink roses? Whites would look great against a brown-orange brick color. Tall cannas? green/white hydrangeas? white potentillas? Create a small garden between the house and the city sidewalk to give the lot depth but it's important not to make an "eyebrow" or odd shape but instead an organic shape that fits the existing features. A cluster of 3 different shrubs with contrasting leaves and bark, with one having a very chartreuse leaf? You could include the existing sapling tree in this garden. But...you also need a defined walkpath from driveway to front door. You may need to change the plantings you have on the slope in order to make the front door very inviting for those approaching from driveway side of house. If you create a sidewalk or formal path here, create some kind of tall perennial or shrub hedge on outer side of the walk from driveway to step, to give the yard more depth and definition. If you buy a tree, get the largest one you can afford. A line of hostas that follows the city sidewalk along the boulevard side of the sidewalk would also give the house some width and the lot some defintion. Consider painting the front steps white. If you use flower pots, get large ones in white, but don't put any more on the steps except on either side of door. White half-curtains in lower part of each window on 3 sides of house would add coordination. If you get honeycomb or other blinds, choose bottom-up type and leave them at half-mast during the times you don't want sun gain in daytime. This is a darling house and I wish you a great time in it!

Thanks Yardvaark. The original pic at top of thread was in mid construction so of course it was not welcoming -- very ugly it was (or perhaps you were referring to the original house with white siding that had overgrown burning bush that obscured the circle pavers). Either way the result is an improvement for sure. I am very glad we decided from the good advice on this thread not to do plantings around the circle entry courtyard as I like how open it is now with just a garden around the birch (future garden that is). emmarene, We are definitely still doing the glass railing around the deck over the garage. We just have not got that done yet. That will really finish off the outside.

Not a Pro. What a great home! Love @Beverly ideas for your home. I would not paint the brick. Your home colors work. After you make those small changes, work on your landscaping. That will be where your colors should come in on this home.