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janishill Add vertical board siding, carriage house garage doors, and add an arbor over the garage doors. Put in flower beds at the front and you suddenly have the look you want.

frankibean Very nice ideas! Thank you!

Interiors International, Inc. Great idea Janihill, also keep shutters.

alicekevin Garage doors should not stand out .. Really like the suggestion to paint a color that is closer to the siding color. Check out houzz site for front doors and you will get awesome ideas.

Pamela Bateman Garden Design I like the idea of an arbor over the garage doors but I can see there is no place to plant a climber to grow on the arbor. You can remove some of the concrete to create a place for a climber but it would probably involve adding irrigation and draining so check with a builder. It is always nice to have a walkway from the street rather that having your guests walk up the driveway to your front door. The walkway can then be lined with flowering perennials and annuals. It is also nice to have stepping stones or a path along the street side of the garden so that when people step out of their car they do not step out onto wet grass. A flower bed around the mailbox can also be very charming. Pick at least four flowering or fruiting trees or shrubs to add to the landscape that will be blooming each season. For example an early spring flowering shrub, then a summer flowering shrub, then a late season bloomer and then a shrub with winter berries. In my opinion no cottage garden is complete without some roses!

janishill Actually the climbers can be in planters.

arlendau An EarthBOX can serve as the planter. They have 6 gallons of water storage so you only need to add 1-2 times a week. They can also be set-up for automatic watering. Plenty of dirt volume for any plant. The terracotta color would work well.

frankibean Wonderful ideas! Input on a new house color would also be appreciated.

alwaysdesigning I really like darker grey with your white for a crisp combo. Also, soft sages, with cream trim, can be a nice cottage look. Your planting will be an important part of that also. Easy Knockout roses in back, drought tolerant and easy begonias in front of the roses to line the beds and some very nice fountain grasses interspersed with rosemary, and daisies for spring bloom will be a great start. Good luck
[houzz=Front exterior of the little red sided cottage from the drive]
[houzz=Guadalupe remodel]
[houzz=Modern Bungalow]
[houzz=Palo Alto Guest Cottage]
[houzz=Flower garden stories]
[houzz=Entrance Patio]
[houzz=The Rivendell Manor]

janishill Please post a close up of the stone. It looks as though the predominant cooor is beige, but I would like to see subtle colors.
I like the idea of the deep gray, but, again, would prefer to see the stone up close.

frankibean Looking for input on a new house color, including trim. The brick across the front will stay.

Interiors International, Inc. I think adding wood garage roors and some added details would really hit it home.

janishill This color would work nicely: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/bearcreek

and would be perfect on vertical boards with white trim and shutters. I can imagine it with the arbor, flower beds, etc.

Hope you will post updates!