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ispeakwhale Hello, does anyone recall another home on here where someone else was asking for curb appeal advice? I would love to find suggestions. Thanks very much.

joannpb It looks like that room next to the door was once a garage. Could you add a shallow porch across that end, by extending the roofline down? If not, How about a raised planter under that window, filled with something to balance the shrubbery on the other side. Also, I think that shrubbery needs to be lowered, so that you have a good line of sight on all four window sills. Just that and the planter might do it.

cypress Hi, I think if you added shutters to your windows,paint your front door a color you love, place a long planter box under the window on the left and fill with colorful blooms, widen your flower beds at the lawn area and plant a cottage type garden. You could add a white picket type fence around the front lawn.

ispeakwhale Thanks for your input! The house hasn't been altered. (btw, we don't live here as of yet)

shrubbery hacking - check
planters - check

I'm looking for a lot more to really make this a cottage like home. But, I'm not sure on the style, and what elements of a cottage style would work for this house.

wmpj I think a cottage home has a lot to do with landscaping. You could add a white picket fence in the front yard and then plant many plants such as hydrangeas, roses, etc...If you look on Houzz and type "cottage landscaping" in the search box, you may get ideas.

ispeakwhale Thanks cypress. What do you mean by widen the flower beds at the lawn? Do you mean extend the shrubs along the front of the garage? I was considering extending a flower bed and small shrubs to the right of the house, and around the corner within an organic outline. Like that?

What about trim/garage door/front foor/shutter color?

I was thinking:

Red door
dark taupe or brown functional wood shutters
medium shade taupish gray brown (fawn?) garage and trim.

Would this be too heavy for the salmon and ivory colored brick?

What about adding a short pergola above the garage that would extend to the edge of the window tucked there in the corner?

We will put seating to the left of the drive, so I want reaaaallly inviting! :) What type of seating do you all suggest? Red painted iron benches, or Adirondac chairs, or a swing?

Thanks a bunch!

ispeakwhale hydrangeas and roses - check! My favorite. :)

a picket fence wouldn't work for this neighborhood, though.

cypress I was thinking of widening the flower beds in front of the existing shrubs, then rounding around by the driveway to the street. I think the pergola idea would look good, but also over the top of the left window. I like the red front door and the adirondac chairs for seating.

ispeakwhale I'm not finding too much by googling the site, but I am following ourfarmhouse. :) Buthis farmhouse is not a cottage. lol.

ispeakwhale cypress, so are you saying put a pergola over the garage, and another one over the left window? Can I do both shutters and the pergola type awning. Or, are you thinking of an extended pergola over that window so that seating can go under? I can't do that as that whole area is part of the swing side garage. But there is room still for a couple of chairs and a small table more to the left of that window. I should clarify that I was thinking more of the pergola window awning look. But can one do that and shutters?

cypress If there's no room for a pergola over that window, I would still have the shutters on the window, then do your chairs & small table to the left. Have the pergola awning over the garage, it might look better that way then with 2 pergolas.

cypress Hi ispeakwhale, FYI , I found some pictures here on Houzz, I entered "stone cottage exterior"

ispeakwhale ok, thanks.

ispeakwhale I was thinking something like this, but not sure on the colors.

[houzz=
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ispeakwhale The pergola awning like above but over the garage?

cypress Perfect! I also like those light fixtures.

ispeakwhale Me too!

ispeakwhale Does anyone else have suggestions on shutter/door/garage color, and an opinion about the pergola style awning over the garage?