The large bush on the right is overgrown and doesn't add any value to your home's appearance. The tree looks nice, but would look much better on the far right, not blocking any windows...right now it looks out of place. I also think the trim would look better in a darker color, including that trim around the front door. Paint the door in a brighter, more welcoming color, and larger, colorful plantings around the porch would be a good idea. Also, why is the roof looking so faded in spots? It is detracting from the look, so even if it is still functioning, maybe cleaning it would help? Your home looks spacious and it is in a lovely setting. Good luck!

I agree with other posters. I like the color of your house. I think if you painted window trim black, changed front door color and removed the tree/ bush on the right it would look great. Also paint garage door and trim same color as body of house. It would be great if you could move he bush to the back yard in front of the center bump out and make a large flower bed there with the bush being the center attraction. If that can't be done I still would recommend planting something large in the back maybe a climber on a trellis to cover that entire area. If you could move the tall tree in front that would be awesome, but I think it may be too large to move and I hate when trees are cut down for no reason. It's a lovely house.

I like the color of the house. The roof needs to be washed & I'm guessing once the stucco is washed the appearance will change also.

Pull out that overgrown bush and thin out the tree so it doesn't visually oppress the house.

Should you decide to go for a color change, I think your house would look really lovely painted this saturated olive green.

Black window trim is very modern farmhouse, so unless that's what you're interested in, no need to go there. This is a more restrained version of that as this uses charcoal gray instead of black.

Cooper Woods Modern Tudor · More Info

Or, as other posters have said, there really isn't anything wrong with the color the house is now. When you say you want an "updated look," what does that mean to you? If you wash the stucco and it still looks dingy you can paint it. Our first house was stucco and it looked a lot better after we painted it just a slightly lighter color. But that's a lot of area to paint. You could definitely use an investment in landscaping.

I think your house would look adorable in creamy white white light gray trim like the house @kandrewspa posted. But you don’t really need to do paint it. Spend your money on cleaning the roof and landscaping.

(BTW- gutters and leaders can be painted)

Thank you for ideas. I agree dogwood needs to go. The giant mound bush is a Japanese maple. We do need to thin and prune to lighten it up.

To Red Rider: what is a leader?

The vertical metal pipes that take the rainwater from the gutters and dump them underground. All of that can be painted to match your house - or contrast. You stated they are new but they don’t have to stay white. Some of us didn’t know that until we got on Houzz.

The Japanese maple wasn't placed in a good location to live out it's natural life. It's placement isn't doing it, or your house any favors. Landscaping shouldn't block windows. Taking it out is the absolute BEST thing you can do to increase curb appeal. It might look appropriate moved to the right about 6 feet, but direcly in front of the windows, you need plants/shrubs that can be easily kept no higher than the bottom of the windows.

I agree that a roof wash and some landscape reworking would do wonders for your house. The landscape company we hired after being in our home for a couple of years helped us so much with design ideas and really improved the overall look of our house. Makes such a difference!

When doing your landscaping, look into dwarf varieties of bushes. Our porch is low and we have dwarf arborvitae in front. They’re pretty and easy maintenance- mostly they don’t block the view. You don’t want to block your windows.

I don’t know if it’s possible to lightly stain the roofing so it looks less blotchy. I would thin the tree (is that a dwarf Japanese maple?) to the right of the front door just a bit to allow a little light and view from inside, and perhaps plant a few spring bulbs in those two areas for some temporary color. The grassy area to the left of the driveway looks a bit uneven. Add some good topsoil in the low spots to even up the surface and let the grass fill it in.

White House black trim

I think your house is charming but agree that a good overall wash (roof and stucco) along with tree pruning and saying goodbye to the big bush would do wonders! After everything is washed you may like it. If not, maybe a color consultant? I think lots depends on what colors and shades (light/dark) you are attracted to. If you keep the color consider a rich toned wood door, that could be gorgeous.

I appreciate all your suggestions. Pruning will begin when this 100degree weather leaves in Fall. Not a fan of storm doors but it certainly helps with heat and cold.

Actually fall is not a good time to trim trees or bushes. They should be trimmed when dormant. However, it’s a great time to transplant.

House color is nice as is. Keep the dogwood, it’s lovely. Japanese maple not needed unless you enjoy seeing it from inside the house. I agree thinning it out a bit will remove the “blockiness.” Shorter shrubs instead on that side will balance the dogwood. I have wonderful native American holly dwarf shrubs in front of my house that only grow to 2’-3’ tall and stay evergreen.