Sorry to disappoint you- I like it just how it is! - but I also like your clay painted brick idea. One easy fast change is to change the size and style of the light and mailbox by the door - they could match the shutter colors if they stayed. You could also remove a few of the low evergreens under the 3 section window to give a more open look...or exchange the plantings for a low hugo pine (or is that yugo?) to give a totally different look. Or add shutters by the front door..sorry I am not going with your flow at all..I will stop!

Thanks for your input. I agree with changing the landscaping as it is overgrown at this point. Perhaps creating a walkway straight from the street to door would work.

You might consider creating a covered entry porch. The two window sets are nice and well balanced but the front door feels diminutive in its relationship. An entry porch also adds a transition element and space from outside to inside. A well-designed minor addition may be the touch that completes the look of your nice home.

Update and modern has a wide range of meaning - your windows have traditional grids on them, and the wainscot brick leans in that direction. Clay as a brick color could just shift this terracotta / more traditional tones, or it could pair up with some core-ten accents and be very contemporary but then would clash with your windows. Taking the shutters off is fine, and the shutter purists would want them widened anyway, but how updated and modern do you want to go? An updated cottage look would be the most easily achieved and most saleable in future. You could use vinyl paint and masonry paint to take the exterior monochromatic. With white windows and a gray roof, if you went with a mid - tone warm gray above on the vinyl / a deeper tone on brick and took shutters down but painted your door a funky citrus green, you might get a look that was fresh and still worked with the traditional grids. one note of caution, staining brick requires less long-term maintenance.
you can replace the vinyl siding - but if it is in decent shape, repainting with the new paints formulated for vinyl will be more cost effective.

Thanks -That idea is what my husband is speaking about also. He said add a triangular portion above the door with two pillars. Can I change the vinyl front of the house and leave 3/4 of the house vinyl?

I like your idea of the color change up until the cirus green door -only because a neighbor used the same color door just recently. Any other suggestions for colors- gray vinyl dark gray bricks and yellow?

or turquoise - test grays like sw dovetail and dorian gray - instead of pillars, with the mullions, you may want a small entry gable supported on wooden brackets - look at prowoodmarket.com and search houzz exteriors for ranch and cottage images

Your ideas are very helpful. The colors are on point for what I am after, and my husband was describing your idea of the entry gable (I think). I will continue to look at pictures as you suggested. If you know of any pictures with this look, please send THANKS!

I would ...
- Paint Door blue or blue/gray
- Paint white fascia and window trim. or pale gray
- Remove shutters.
- Add entry roof overhang
- Remove 2-3 rows of brick (not liking so close to window sill edges)
- White.gray wash the brick
- Add stone steps in the same color as walkway. I like the curved path as is.
- Porch on the left is a possibility

Thank you for the visual update. Since I have vinyl siding, I would have to add siding instead of brick or take the siding off the house altogether and replace with wood-Is that your take?

Not sure if it can be done, you can remove a few rows and add a few rows of siding. You would then repaint all the siding. Don't know if it can work this way or not. Does nayone out there know?

You have a pretty good landscape already , it just needs tweaking a bit. Remove the pot and two little shrubs in front of the walkway on the right , trim the shrubs back a little , and add window boxes full of flowers. If budget permits remove the shutters, fake brick and current siding and select some new James Hardee siding. Trim the windows with wider molding. I think a sage green body with tan trim would look good for the color scheme. If a new roof is in order use a taupe or charcoal gray. These will make the most impact. Below is a ranch update that I like.

Hi, did you ever figure out if you can remove the vinyl? I have the same set up and I would like to remove the vinyl and then paint the brick all one color, I'm just not sure how the vinyl is attached and whether it's damaged the underlying brick.
I'm also thinking of just painting the vinyl and the brick all one color to make it easier.

Sorry LB INTERIORS but I dislike your after picture very much. It looks like a new railroad car. I think a peaked roof, new paint color for the shutters and door, and some updated landscaping would do wonders for this cute house. Good luck on your project. Hope to see some pictures later.

That's ok wwmdrm. the dilemma description stated.....
'Can I change the vinyl siding on the front of the house without changing the rest of the exterior? I would also love to paint the brick a clay color and remove the shutters.

I suggested some changes that would be less cost and without changing the exterior with high costs. A new roof is very expensive. I painted the brick and removed the shutters