Your house can be charming with some changes. Are you changing all the siding or just the scallops? What color is the roof - looks gray but may have brown in it?? What is your location for landscaping help?

The roof does have brown in it. Replacing the siding is up for debate. It is actually steel siding and the paint is peeling. We've been told it is a painting prep error and others say it could be a siding manufacturing error. I would like to start over with new siding and my husband wants to try painting the parts that are peeling. I'd like to be ready with a fresh look when he (soon) changes his mind! Ha! We are in Iowa.

Here is the roof! Thanks!!

Have you contacted the siding manufacturer to see if there is any warranty claim or a class action settlement? The cost of steel siding is so high, it is worth your time to dig.

Your trees are providing a lovely frame for your home.

replace the porch post w/a squared cedar post.

The blue is fine, but I'd redo the scalloped part in a composite wood shake.

(or, pick a color. here's a soft blue shingle in a gable w/a decorative white truss)

this style fits your house better than the scallop design

shake gable w/batten style siding beneath it. also a nice pairing

wood shake, wood truss

you could also do a decorative gable truss. (not this large, but you get the id. you can google image search of diff styles)

Or, you could do the siding similar to this:

Notice the garage door w/the iron hardware and the row of windows.

Updated exterior lights, front door,

Here's a quick photoshop showing the wood post, new lights, doors, and diff color gable. if you like the modern farmhosue look, go for the black and white. white siding, black trim, wood gable shake/shingle, wood front door

You could borrow elements from what you see in this picture. landscape too

similar roof color to yours. this is more of a blue gray slate color siding. notice the gables are a diff material in a silver color.

the garage door needs some type of iron carriage decor if you're going to leave it as is.

Once you decide on the style and design you like, then you can narrow down the colors

“Notice the garage door w/the iron hardware and the row of windows.“

That was one of my first thoughts. You can really add some interest since the garage is so prominent.

Your house looks nice without changing much. I would definitely beef up that post a bit. What it is lacking is some color. Improving the landscaping would be where I would be spending my money. Make it deeper, and have some curves, and remove some of those little green balls. I would have a landscaper draw up a plan, with plants, and flowers listed, and dimensions, etc, and then, you can work on it little by little if you need to.

When I saw your roof, I thought something with these tones might be nice.

Thanks for the suggestions! Please keep them coming! I'm so grateful.

Regarding our steel siding having a possible defect, someone suggested we reach out to the manufacturer. I'm not sure how to figure that out who the manufacturer is. Do we tear off a piece of siding to see the backside? We also do not have the proof of purchase. I am guessing the builder would have that?? But we know that the builder has gone out of business, so I am not sure what to do about that. Any suggestions?

Your house is nice enough as is, or with a couple of small improvements, as already suggested. But a wnderful landscape could elevate it to a new level.

One more that didn’t post

I am wondering if anyone would recommend stone like this house. It's almost not noticable which is interesting. I haven't had seen any recommendations for stone like this or stone that adds more color. Curious if there is a reason.

I know my house has little resemblance to this one :) but the shakes make things more interesting. The garage door like this has been recommended.

Any thoughts on a fake vent for the gable or a fake window?

I worry that you are considering some things that aren't really suited to your sweet little house. Unless you really want to change the look to something that leans MCM or another totally different style from what it is.

Beth posted a pic of one of these....what would you think of something like this to 'fancy' up the garage area? You could plant something to the right of the post that would climb up and over the top of the walkway and across the garage area.

If you change the garage door, I would leave it the same color as the house; I like how your's kind of disappears...unless you select a natural wood/wood look door.

Thank you, that is a very good point. I do not want to change the feel of the house. I like that it is cute and cheerful. I also like that the garage disappears.

If I do not want the feel of the house to change, can I still replace the scallops? What would I replace it with? What can be changed? I just feel like somehow should change...but not exactly sure if I found the right thing yet!

Curious what a little bit of accent brick would do like this home...and here is another idea for above the garage door. My gable goes above the porch though.

The scalloped shingles in your garage gable appear to have buckled, or is that an optical illusion? I could see those replaced with a shake or board and batten style siding. Don’t get too kitschy with your garage door. Your windows appear to be single window casements, no? They have no muntins. So adding little windows in your garage door will look too cottage like, I think. Add ing a chunky cedar post, new lighting, and extensive new landscaping will add a lot to your home. No stone or brick is needed. Except, possibly, in your landscaping. And, your roof looks very nice with its variety of colors in the warm tones. Lean into those natural colors for your paint, etc. Don’t tack on fake elements like vents, etc. Your home has nice clean modern lines. Honor them.

Well, it seems that you want to do SOMETHING, lol! I think it's a perfectly charming house, I even like the scallops! You could change them to plain shakes, but honestly, for me, I would save my $ and create a fabulous landscape to enhance everything. But you're obviously not satisfied with the look of the house, so you should do whatever you think would make it better for you. Here is a house with plain shakes instead of scallops. I like how they repeated the look on the base of the posts...though that probably wouldn't work on your home,

But what really makes this place is the landscaping.

I like the scallops too. I dont think, the house needs much of anything done, except the post needs to be beefier, and the landscape needs a lot of attention, which will be a huge improvement. No stone on that house. Stop trying to make the house something it isnt. Its a nice example of what it is, just needs some small type flowering trees in the front yard, and some pots of colorful flowers, and some redone larger curved flower beds. Olychick, posted a lot of pictures, that would be a big improvement to the front of your house. The existing house, looks good, and the color is good too.

I'd add some white to your home.

I think landscapes feel more daunting to you— I mean really good multilayered landscaping that is allowed to grow up a bit, not just some box store shrubs plopped down. A plan for things give a sense of grounding and maturity and softness, will make your house stand out in a great way—much more than some embellishments to the siding or whatever. Though the ideas about colums & such make sense.

But, if you take can take some time to look for landscape designers in your area— check portfolios and IRL homes you can drive by— things that look good & not too fussy , include larger plants ( small trees, shrubs) and learn what are range of fees—that would be budget-worthy, I think.

What a charming house! Totally agree that thoughtful landscaping will give you the biggest bang for your buck -

if it were me, I would also add a white pergola over the garage, thicken up the bed post column (often you can just build out a nice square column around the existing column) and I would paint out the doors in a punchy coral (like BM golden gate) - a few large planters spilling over with colorful annuals would add a lot too -the house just needs a little love

You're dealing with the style of house that prioritizes the garage!!!! over the actual living side of the house. It doesn't help that driveway is tan, which also draws the eye to the garage not the house. You could get that skimmed in gray so it would recede.

--Run a white pergola over the garage to soften the double garage door.

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--Paint your front door a bright color: yellow, red, turquoise

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--Invest in landscaping on the right side of the house with deep garden beds extended out from the house. I'm always pushing for inviting front yards. Here's a slate patio with lovely landscaping framing it. You could run a patio from under the windows to the edge where the garage extends.

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Walkway, separate from driveway that extends to a seating area and leads to the house. This would really deemphasize the driveway and garage, which dominate now.

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If budget is more limited, then just create a deep garden bed across the entire front of the house side. CLAD YOUR PORCH SUPPORT IN WOOD LIKE THIS. Your pillar is too skinny.

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I think Housegal has a good point about the driveway. While you're focusing on the house, I think others' eyes see the large swath of concrete first and foremost. I don't think the embellishments you're considering for the house will change that. I hesitate to suggest this because it looks as if the walkway might be a more recent addition to the driveway, but I think separating it with different materials will lessen the prominence of all that concrete and provide a more welcoming appearance (in addition to landscaping).

Something that makes it clear it's a pathway to the door and not just more driveway

If you are not the original homeowner, perhaps the previous owner gave you an overflowing file of home papers that you set aside. I would dig through that to see if you can find the siding manufacturer. Call up the most reputable siding company in your area for an estimate on the replacement of your siding. Perhaps they have the expertise to tell you the manufacturer by the wood grain pattern in the metal or some other indicator.

Don't you dare change those fish scale shingles! It is the best of your front siding.

Consider paint the body of the house white and the garage door; yes make the column support larger. Then stain the cement walkway to differentiate it from the driveway.

Acid-based formulas for are long-lasting and resistant to fading. They react chemically with the concrete to create a permanent chemical bond. This means it will not peel or chip and will help produce a natural-looking finish.

The other option is to remove the walkway from the street and do this:

Save your budget for great professional landscaping and hardscaping of the driveway with a defined walkway leading to a bright front door. Beef up the pillar. Slapping on stone and the like isn't necessary and won't add as much as just giving your very nice house a better setting via landscaping and hardscaping.

Agree that all the architectural chat is likely to be wasted money and agitas. Paint your front door a bright color, consider one of the suggested changes to the garage door, and put all the rest into landscaping. Check back in a year and see how you feel.

Thanks so much! I'll add some questions/thoughts to some of the ideas I have heard so far!

1. Landscaping fix: I love flowers. Since we live in Iowa, flowering things maybe bloom for 3-4 months of the year. That is one drawback. Maybe that's why so many Iowa houses have stone or brick??

2. Bright color door: We actually have a bright yellow door, but the white storm door covers it up lol I like being able to open it up for light and fresh air.

3. Garage door dilemma. Do you accent the garage door more because it's prominent or try to let it blend in. When we painted, we were hoping for it (and the huge triangle) to disappear more. But we might be interested in a beautiful wooden door and a stained wooden post.

4. Style: Is the fish scale siding a Victorian style thing? What's the draw for it? Is the style of our house Craftsman? Traditional Ranch? A mix? Would knowing the intended style help with this process?

5. Coloring the sidewalk: interesting idea!

I would call it a ranch, since it is a one story house. Some ranches are very long and some are a bit smaller. Some might even call your house a bungalow, however, even knowing the intended style, doesnt change the suggestions here for landscaping. All the landscaping doesnt have to be flowers. It can be trees, and other shrubs, etc. That still helps the look of your house, despite your harsh Iowa winters. I do know all about those winters, since, I lived up north for many years. Despite all the snow, and cold, you still need landscaping . Garage doors should blend in, especially, when they are in the front of the house like yours is. It is possible, to paint your storm door the color of your door, so you can see the color. There is special paint to use on metal. Or you could change out the storm door, for one, with a lot more glass, and a pull down screen at the top. Your colored door will then show through it.

I would guess the fish scale detail was added to do exactly what you are trying to do, which is add an embellishment for interest.

If you start looking into improving your landscaping, you will discover that there are many elements besides flowers that add interest and beauty, including different colored foliage (including evergreens) different textures and shapes, different sizes and things that can look colorful in the stark winter, like colored bark and berries.

^ yes! a landscape pro will add amazing heights, textures and colors to your landscape for year round interest

A couple more that didn’t post. Look at this first one for how beautiful and interesting it is without a flower in sight!

Those are great examples of landscaping.

I see a lot of people on here like the scallops. It kind of surprises me, but I can see it does give character. Since the fishscale siding is buckling and the regular siding is peeling, we may want to try something new. Yes, windows do not have grids...but there are ways to put look alike adhesive grids on windows.

Just a quick thought….painting the banding white that divides the scalloped part of your gable from the garage I might give some dimension to your garage. I would also remove the three light security light that is front and center on the garage. If your side lights on the garage don’t do the job of adequately lighting your driveway area, then get larger side lights. Small ways to bump up the look of your charming home. Landscaping will be the key to making the whole home come together!

The color is uninspiring unfortunately and makes the house look dull IMO. Would suggest painting a much brighter color. Would also suggest you replace the spindly column at the porch with another that has more heft. Lastly, will suggest replaceing your garage door with one that has windows. Nothing opens up a flat garage fascade like having a garage door with windows in it. Good luck!

landscaping will be a huge improvement to curb appeal.

that cement area next to driveway. what if you modified it to look similar to this

you see how the planter and shrubs next to the driveway really change the look?

or this one:

even this looks better than concrete

Then redo the garage door and the color palette. add some new lights, address, paint the door

Don't forget the cedar post (s) on the porch. I gave you a 2nd one.

I really like the wood (or composite wood) shake (or scallop if you prefer) in the gable,

along w/board and batten siding, something similar to this, elsewhere.

just another shot of a gable w/the wood accent. I like the two tone option. this color wood would look nice w/the forest green above, and the off white.

I like these nature colors. if you like white, do the siding in the white w/the darker trim and doors.

Or do the siding in the dark color and the trim in the white.

looks great w/the wood

You see how it's vertical in the gable portion?

You can do this^,

or, You could do the shake in the gable, and the vertical around the front of the home.

here's one example of the gable in one material, and the batten siding elsewhere

I absolutely love this color from Hardie. paired w/wood, it's perfect.

Here it is on this exterior. so many ways to use this.

Here's another shot in a dark blue in the batten siding on the whole house. paired w/wood and copper accents, it's beautiful

Hardie pre-painted siding

If you like greens and blues, try this palete w/a similar garage door. this style door fits your home perfectly.

another palette that looks nice w/your roof color. gave you gray washed garage door

The gable portion you could do in a solid shake or scallop, diff front door.

I also like these warmer colors w/the charcoal or black

Again, diff garage door. you can paint it one of these colors,

Or do the wood or wood look door. and I added the truss accent too

With these neutral charcoal/blacks/whites and tans, the wood accents really make a nice impact

Something like this one. Iron Mountain is the darker color, paired w/a lighter griege, and wood accents. So pretty.

If you like the darker, reddish wood tones (like a mahogany) I'd consider doing this paint palette (and would look amazing w/your silver roof)

Here's one of the gray colors from James Hardie siding. Paired w/the blackberry colors above, and the mahogany wood tones, it would be very classy looking.

Here's your color roof w/white siding, down spouts and a charcoal board and batten. not suggestion you do this around the window, but in the gable or for the whole siding, could look good

Ironstone board and batten siding : (comes in other colors too)

white board/batten siding in the gable w/dark garage door, wood accents and black elsewhere

My first thought, that I don’t see anywhere on here, is to add a small horizontal roof or pergola above the garage, paint a more saturated color, use wood to wrap the post AND the same wood around the bump outs on the windows of the house to add balance and interest and warmth.

Beth suggested twice pergola over garage,