There is not a single "right" color for your house, but MANY right colors. People usually like to please themselves with the color they're painting the house, caring a lot less if OTHERS like it. The blue that you mention strike me personally as too blue and a little dark. "Grey" trim? .... well, there are a gazillion greys. I personally favor white, or like-white trims because they create a cheerful, happy look. Subdued and dark trim colors might look "tasteful" but they can also look gloomy to ghoulish, neither of which I like. The scheme the house is now seems a bit dark and a bit cold, insofar as greys go. I like the white trim. Why not consider lightening up from where it is now and tinting it a little bluish, but not too much. If you want grey trim, I'd go light grey, making sure there is plenty of contrast between body and trim values. Paint jobs with little to no contrast between body and trim value always look to me like government/military projects... like someone bought 5,000 gallons of a color and all their decisions will be that color for everything until it runs out. As far as landscaping goes, you need go supply better pictures. Stand in line with the steps but far enough away to capture about 15' from the foundation (in order to show all the potential landscape area.) Pan the camera from far left to far right snapping slightly overlapping pictures. Include BEYOND house end(s). The camera must remain at the same location, merely pivoting. Post individual pictures, not a panorama made of them ... which will be too small and distorted. After that, move the camera across the street and take a picture that includes the whole front yard in one fell swoop.

@Anna & @NHBabs- I was trying to say add an above window pergola...not add a window =) We definitely don't have the room for that inside. I think with Dougs design a pergola would be too much though. We can definitely do a smaller, more affordable version of that gorgeous front deck. We are experienced DIYers and can do much or all of the work ourselves and with a few changes its completely affordable. I actually have more of the pavers from our walkway that can be added to the front area to widen that landing out some, though we won't go as wide on the left side as is shown because our yard gets narrower there against the neighbors yard. We can do stone that matches our existing stone out back on the steps and instead of stone columns we can do thick wood posts with black metal caps, and the affordable black aluminum railings that we had planned anyway, which would match our new back deck perfectly. We have considered stone in the chimney at some point in the future, though it won't be next year. It won't be quite as grand as Dougs design but gives a very similar look for alot less $$. I think to the left of the door we can add a long, covered, decorative bench box for wood storage in that space. That way we have wood for a week in the winter without trudging to the fire wood shelters out back every day or so. (We have 2 wood stoves that get used alot in the winters here.) We never use our entrance unless we are going out the front door for mail, and all our friends use the back entrance as there is ample parking out there. I can see us sitting out there on the deck with a glass of wine in the shade though. Since the only visitors we get out front are deliveries and people selling stuff, we probably don't need to add anything for sheltering them lol. Still struggling with house color. Currently its a pale yellowish color my husband hates (ditto for me) and it clashes with our new stone. We were thinking maybe something more earthy in a brown/gray...meaning not just brown or gray, something with a mix of both. Or maybe a darker beige. We'd like to darken it up a bit. The shingles are a dark gray but do have a little brown/tan in them along with the black and gray. Its called Canadian Driftwood.

I like the existing color of your home and the warm trim around the window which should be around the front door also. I would select a dark charcoal gray for the roof fascia board and use the same color on the front door. and on the brick around the base of the house. You require some type os screening around the base of the porch. Please don't buy lattice. It should also be painted out the the same charcoal gray. I would leave the railings and porch deck. If you 'paint' them white they will stick out like a sore thumb.

First off my backyard is in a slant down my belief is so that rain falls to back alley drive way concrete easily . so I had just put down pallets and some plywood temporary. But now I would like to diy deck .Front end deck i would like a level and back side to gate at a bit off ground deck. But would need some design help . I have my backyard gate right near where I want to build the deck so would want to at least leave room so I could open door and take out trash easily.