Okay, let's see if I can catch up on all of your helpful posts! I met with a landscaper and we were pretty much on the same page but there were a few things that I didn�t agree with. Maybe I just have no clue what I'm doing and maybe his recommendations are truly better than the picture I have in my head! I'll be meeting with another designer on Monday to get his take on it. The first guy was free and we just talked about what the plan would be. The second guy charges $50, but will draw up a whole design. They also do driveways, which the first company does not do. The one thing that I really didn't like about the first guy was that I felt like I had seen all of his ideas in my neighborhood already. I don't want something crazy that doesn't fit the house or neighborhood, but I also don't want the same thing everyone else has. How do you get your house to stand out from the others but still "fit"? Just because everyone else has "x" number of garden beds and "x" amount of front yard grass doesn't mean I have to, right? I did read over our HOA docs and they simply state that no more than 20% of the yard can be raised garden beds or container gardens. I would really like to make maintaining the lawn easier and to shade the front a little more. He wasn't on board with that. As I said before our yard is quite short, only 25 ft deep from the sidewalk to the front brick. So that will definitely play a big part in the design. The front tree is a cherry tree (with fruit) and I have been told that it will grow large enough to provide cover for the front window, not too sure about the door. Every arborist and landscaper that I have talked to seem happy with that tree and tell me not to touch it. The shutters have actually done quite well with all of the sun and heat that they get exposed too. No warping or anything. Considering the roof color is a good point. I think the wrought iron color would look great. I still don�t know what I want to do with the door. I have been playing with pictures of the house for days now. I've cut and pasted so many different designs I'm stuck. I think that there are some styles and looks that definitely work, some that definitely don't work, and then there are the in-between ones. I don't mind having my house look a little different then the neighborhood. I have two tri-levels on each side of me and three true 2 story colonials across the street from me. From my mock-ups I think can get away with some different looks that neither of the other two styles could pull off. And that is why I'm stuck. Too many ideas. I think a designers eye is what I need. The other challenge I am having right now is prioritizing what to do with the house first. The inside still needs to be painted. I could use some new furniture too. If I did do painting I would want to update the lighting while the ceilings are getting a fresh coat. As far as the outside goes, we obviously need landscaping. But we could also use new gutters and soffits, possibly a new door, and new hardscaping. My husband would also like to close in the carport. There is just so much to do and I don't know where to start. The changes we have already made to the inside were easy because they were done out of necessity. Really none of these other things have to be done. I think that I would like to focus on the outside simply because I have a 4yr old and 1yr old that make it a little harder to maintain the inside versus the outside. And I can handle the inside myself. I obviously need professional help with the exterior. So, any ideas on how to prioritize my projects?

Lisaam, i haven’t seen many examples of siding being painted lighter than the lower brick. I’ll have to look up some examples. Thanks for the suggestion. If i were to paint the siding light blue gray, then i could do navy for the brick. That could be interesting. Is there a particular reason you say don’t go white with the trim?

I think a regular shingle roof would be more appropriate for the house. Metal is kind of country and more expensive. I think if you do a garage on the side, the roof line has to stay in concert with the house too.

Lower the dormers to meet the windows and not peak above the roof line - That will be pricey but worth it and a lot less expensive than removing the gambrel roof. Paint the brick with a masonry paint or lime paint. Don't do a wash that exposes the brick. The house and roof together are both busy, you need to tame one of them down and it's cheaper to tame down the brick. I know folks love to recommend a wash that shows some brick, but someone did that in my neighborhood and in person, it looks awful. Can't quite see the lower windows, but they look like they need to be freshened up. Are those storm windows? Storm windows do the job but IMO, cause too much reflection as a single plane if you're going for cottage. You need the mullions to break it up. Get good quality windows in a style you like. Black shutters Make your front door more prominent by removing the storm door. If you need better energy efficient door, get that and don't replace the storm door. If you need the storm door, get a good quality one with low profile styles so the door will show. Paint the siding the same color as the brick New handrail that compliments the overall look. Not sure what that is but once everything else is done, you'll figure it out. Landscaping. If you really want to use or maybe exceed your budget, do cedar shakes on the gambrel and roof. My neighbor has a very similar house and did cedar shake on the front of the gambrel and the front of the roof. They did asphalt shingles on the back to save money. Looks really nice. $50 - 60K seems like a lot but it will go fast once you start making changes that cut into the roof line. Plus good quality windows are crazy expensive now. Make a plan, price it out and you can make your lovely home spectacular on that budget.