SFGate

decoenthusiaste Out with the clumpy landscaping and rethink the porch and entry. Here's a pretty colonial portico. Your present shutters and windows seem too wide and contemporary to achieve the colonial look, but maybe with less contrast between them and the body of the house, they'd work. Pull the eye out into the yard with landscaping and get the bushes away from the house.

aniluap2 Love decoenthusiaste ideas. Portico will make a world of difference as will good landscaping. Heavier molding above the windows as shown in pic2 that deco sent is maybe all you need with the portico added. I would do away with the shutters and maybe just put window boxes under the top little windows on the right side to give them a stronger presence so they don't appear do dwarfed.

JMSDesignAssociates We are a landscape design firm and often find the same problem as yours with the front of the house not having enough guiding interest. Try a columnar planting to show off the entry (like juniper) and then grasses and maybe a blue juniper or flowering crab apple off to the side in front of your window. It will balance out the house by tying down one side with larger plant material and then more material with character on the walk to the front door. Let us know if you need a landscape concept plan. We can help you put all your ideas together.

Ironwood Builders Growing the stubby windows on the right side of the house to balance the facade will do some good. I agree that the shutters do nothing to enhance the design (especially those stubby ones)....and deco enthusiasts always has good ideas!

Colleen Mahoney The shutters are ok - but if you replace them consider materials other than wood (yes, ugh - plastic?) but then you will not have them falling apart. The new entry porch is an excellent idea and you definitely can greatly improve your curb appeal with a nicer landscape!

Engrav's Decorating This would be cool over the front door.

Brenda Fisher

Using a portico similar to this with fanning stairs will draw attention to the door instead of the windows. Adding moulding in place of the shutters on all windows is an absolute necessity. For the tiny windows play with the scale of the moulding. Narrower on the sides and more substantial top and bottom.

Urban Oasis Along with the portico add some nice wide steps and pathway leading to the street. Plant along either side of the path. Cape cod roses like the one in the picture, bloom almost all year long.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Where does the sidewalk lead to and what is the measurements of your property from front entrance to curb or street ?

Sweet Caroline Garden Design I think you need a new walkway and landscaping like this example :

handymam Engrav's Decorating, I think those colors would be great too!

ablechman Wow, thanks for all the information! I guess I should have mentioned that we already have a landscaper working on a plan. The walkway and porch were both re-done about 3 years ago and though we considered moving the walkway (it currently meets up with the driveway) we were concerned about disturbing roots from a couple of 60 year old trees that aren't pictured. So the steps, porch and walkway will have to stay.