I think the color is good I cannot imagine a light color at all on thta house . So just maybe a bit darker . it looks like you are on a huge lot so maybe no front street but if the is a front street a nice walkway from thet to the front door would be ahuge improvement IMO . I think a good cleanup of so much tall plantings could aslo help , it looks like a nice house but hidden away

I like the look of the house now. I would not do a solid stain. What you already have is so much nicer. I agree, the landscaping could be thinned out a bit, to allow a bit more light into the area.

Problem is i cant really do semi transparent again without spending alot of money on stripping and sanding, dont have that many years left on siding

Have the siding washed first and see what color it turns out to be before you make any color decisions.

Some examples of current state of stain.

I love your house.

Years ago I toured a home similar to the look of yours. I loved it. So pretty.

I think power washing by someone who understands cedar siding could help clean it up so that whatever you do as far as a stain will hold better on a cleaned surface. But I would be sure the person cleaning truly understands cedar siding. It is needs the lowest setting on a power wash tool.

I like the color that you have but if it's impossible to do it again, a darker stain could work especially since you have that lovely white trim and those gorgeous flowering shrubs.

If you don't want to do it yourself, get a good contractor to clean the stain with the right product. I suspect whatever is currently on the wood is creating that chalking problem.

https://www.realcedar.com/siding/care-maintenance/

https://cedarcountrylumber.net/tag/how-to-clean-cedar-siding/

The whole purpose of having cedar it to minimize maintenance. Don't do something to your siding that creates MORE maintenance for you.

Im not sure just a cleaning would do it, whatever water based stain the previous owner used is flaking off

A good cleaning might go a long way to removing the flaking finish. You certainly can apply anything over a finish that's flaking off.