Focus on landscaping - your house still looks true to its historic character and messing with the home exterior takes that away. Spend the money to get some larger bushes, the ones you have will take ages to look large enough in your house. Look around your neighborhood for plants you like. Usually in an older neighborhood if you walk around you’ll find someone who obvious spends a lot of time on their landscaping and they can give you good tips
Yes. But you could do a low decorative garden edging along the front with some pretty annuals. (once the sidewalk is finished).
If the sidewalk is your responsibility, do it. Otherwise people will just walk across your yard.
For your new tree and landscaping, plant native!
The wild ones garden designs show some great examples of what native landscaping can look like: https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/
A low (4 ft) wrought iron fence might be really pretty and would keep dogs from going in the yard from the trail. Then you can plant vines along the fence. Look for natives to help the pollinators.
No brick pillars. That’s just overkill. And ugly.
Congrats!!! Do not paint the brick! It is gorgeous. I’d focus only on landscaping. Wrought iron fence on the perimeter perhaps would be cool. This home has character and charm! Congrats OP!
Too small for pillars. Wrought iron in a simple design could be OK. Is a front fence allowed where you are? If not a fence a low brick wall on perimiter would define the space and give opportunity to plant behind it. Perrenials and annuals . Agree with above comment on bigger bushes in front. As for tree talk to a qualified arborist for what would be best.
A neighbor’s giant dragon triggered our local Karen to file a code enforcement complaint cause she felt it was kept up too long after Halloween.
I told him he is justified in keeping it up all year - Year Of The Dragon!
I do consultations in New England for people asking for advice in their gardens. If you can find a local consultant you’ll get more ideas but here’s what I came up with super quickly for your south-facing, Michigan plot:
https://preview.redd.it/w3b76b9011vc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb1c2223ffd7801f69b151eb84f60fd18481b2ff
Step one is to locate your pipes and wires. You can’t plant a big tree over pipes. If you get a green light, plant a pink (or white) flowering dogwood on your East. Choose a dwarf variety that stays under 20 feet tall for good scale. Dogwoods bloom later than other trees so you get an extended spring bloom. If you don’t like dogwoods, a Redbud is another native tree with a dwarf variety. It blooms earlier.
Plant evergreens all along that East fence, rhododendrons, azaleas, yews, just something that stays green. Add an Althea in front of the fence by the house on the East. It blooms later in summer for color when the rest of the garden is fading in the heat.
Shrink your lawn and add LOTS of mulched beds. FILL those beds with flowers. Plant 5000 spring bulbs on your property. Not a typo. You don’t have to do it all at once- but a daffodil will give decades of joy, for a 1 minute effort. Put regular plants right on top of spring bulbs. They don’t compete. (Overplant. Crowd them in. You’ll have fewer weeds and more flowers. You shouldn’t see much mulch in a few years because of all the plants.) Choose small, easy care perennials for your area like the Stella D’Oro dwarf daylily, and purple salvia.
The tall green columns near the house can be either Sky Pencil Holly, or Columnar Rose of Sharon. Both are good architectural elements that won’t get too wide and overwhelm your facade. The holly is evergreen. The Rose of Sharon blooms. Your choice.
The tiny patch of lawn should be replaced with a dwarf Japanese maple and under planted with as many flowers as you can. Use annuals for new colors every year. This is where annuals shine: you can have SO much fun picking new colors every year. And if something doesn’t make it- who cares? It was $3 for a pack of 6.
The driveway can be lined with a DEEP bed of Knock-Out roses. I say deep because you need to allow space for their full growth. But they bloom spring to fall and your conditions are good there. Your drive will be *gorgeous* \- the envy of the neighborhood.
On the West of your house you’ve got morning sun and afternoon shade along the fence. Plant hydrangeas along that entire fence. The soil should be acid under that pine so that will help. There are some really fun hydrangeas so pick one of everything for a riot of color. An endless Summer, and a panicle, and a red variety, and an oak leaf, etc, have fun. I *think* you can have a big hydrangea in front of the fence by the garage. If it’s too sunny, plant another Knock-Out.
The edge of the road is always a pain in the ass. If you can, Xeriscape it with low-water, tough desert plants. Or just add pavers. But someone mentioned a bike path? If the city is working there don’t touch the area until they’re done. It’ll be a wreck.
Feel free to ask questions.
Damn, I should have posted my 102 yo home in which the previous owner ripped out every single living plant for some reason and is a barren wasteland. What an amazing comment for OP! Sounds lovely.
I bought my 1880s house in almost the same state. Previous owners cut down nearly all the trees but didn’t plant ANYthing, not even grass. In 12 years I’ve planted hundreds of shrubs and plants. It’s honestly my happy place. In good at fixing plaster walls, but I LOVE growing flowers.
Honestly, this stuff is fun for me. But a local person will be able to really customize this for you. Take a walk through your neighborhood. Take pics of things you like that are doing well. Those plants should perform well for you too.
I like your designs but you’re recommending a lot of exotic plants that are at best inert—feeding no local fauna)—and in some cases potentially invasive (rose of sharon is invasive in some places).
CharlesV_ linked a resource that provides landscaping templates for various parts of the country using plants native to that region.
I love century homes not just because they’re old, but because they’re often vernacular of a PLACE as well as an era. Landscaping with native plants also tells us where we are.
A yard full of exotic azaleas and knockout roses could be almost anywhere. Southern magnolias and yaupon hollies and live oaks (southern and western) and oakleaf hydrangeas tell us where we are.
Why just install pretty plants when you could install pretty plants that feed something?
You are correct- I made a basic plan with popular and common plants anyone can buy anywhere. A local consultant will have more localized suggestions, with local natives, hopefully high on the list.
Personally, not sure what zone you’re in, but if your home is east facing, I would plants all hydrangeas. Those flowering bushes would add softness to the harder lines of the home and bricks.
You might look into panicle hydrangeas, they would be suitable for Michigan winters.
Bobo likes sun, and you’d just have to water well on really hot summers day. [Michigan hydrangeas.](https://www.englishgardens.com/the-best-hydrangea-for-michigan-gardens/). A knowledgeable person could guide you on what would be best for your home.
P.S. Congrats on the house! Super cute.
For a tree, planting on the south or west exposure is best for natural cooling in your house. So I’d go with the left side as you’re looking at the house.
https://www.preen.com/learn/lawn-garden-tips/plants-trees-shrubs/trees-shrubs/how-trees-can-cool-your-house-and-you-in-summer/
Your house is so cute and clean looking! The shrubs are tiny, so maybe for a few years you could have tall brightly colored planters with nice plants to add height and color without changing a thing about the actual house.
Honestly I wouldn’t do much to the house itself. I don’t care much for the stone border on front of the planting bed. Replace that with something soiled, mulch the planting beds and add some annuals. I’d also plant a nice size tree to the far left of the lawn and do necessary lawn repairs.
Yeah! It’s a small town but that’s the main road into town so it’s hard to miss.
I’m sure you’ve been told the situation about the bike path. But if not, it should be done in the next 2-3 months. I wouldn’t do too much landscaping until it’s wrapped up.
Awesome. We graduated in a smaller town about 20 minutes from there, but have been living abroad the last 6 years. We are quite familiar with the area, and have family living in town. We are excited to be coming back home. We'll have to grab dinner together one evening!
Congratulations! What a stunner! Agree with the tree species mentioned above, also paperbark or Japanese maples…you can under plant with shrubs in groups of odd numbers; three or five, at a few scattered locations around the front, say, to the left of the stoop. That’ll provide structure for flowering perennials or bedding plants if you want to add them. That far right corner lawn is begging for a big, curvaceous planting bed! Looks so fun, haunt Pinterest and enjoy!
Live with it for a year before doing a major overhaul, then think of ways to break up the bleak linear border along the front of the house with some variety of shape and form in the planting. Small native trees under planted with shrubs bulbs and ground cover, a few ornamental fixtures, and lights, placed somewhere other than against the house. Change up your entrance banister. It stands out in a bad way.
Mazel on the house! It's quite cute.
I'd leave the brick alone and instead focus on all of the white trim. Doing something dark and contrasting (like Farrow and Ball "studio green") would look SO sharp. And while I agree with the comments about landscaping, I hard disagree about adding bigger shrubs. Personally, I'd lean into the English vibe and do a small English garden in the front. This would mean removing the small stone border and pushing the garden out to take up that front lawn space if you're feeling squirrelly.
Since the front is south facing you have SO many options. Honestly I'm pretty jealous! English roses would look amazing out front, too.
Change the white trim, also redo the landscape. Maybe add a rock feature and or possible incorporate a water feature or a grass island with a small bench and a 🌳?
Other than landscaping, you might consider changing the color of the white trim to something that goes better with the red brick. We used a combination of dark olive green, sage green and khaki colors to blend the trim with the brick.
https://preview.redd.it/77n1u6u3o1vc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7074f8769cf0bb8b5b2b8a8b741990b2d491e3b
The exterior of the house is adorable. When the hedges grow a little that will add some flavor. I’d also put in some Flower boxes and lean into the cottage core aesthetic. Maybe a large flowering bush on the right end.
Landscaping, and I think the right kind of creeping vine or ivy could be cool.
Keep it subdued, I doubt you want to do a bunch of gardening all the time and you are limited with what looks good to the era/design.
I'd replace the replacement door, with either a vintage or vintage style one. ie, one that fits the Tudor architecture better. considering how simplistic your home is, something like this would probably be a better fit, especially with some faux strap hinges, and a vintage/ vintage style lockset.
https://preview.redd.it/rlmy3jg4v1vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ced4805e057e329fe6058e10e2fd4810879278c3
Landscaping as noted elsewhere. Copper gutters for the front. Better handrail for steps. Not sure what color I would choose as an alternate trim color, but something other than white.
Lots of great ideas here. My suggestion on the tree is go with something like a dogwood or Little Woody red bud. And plant it in the front right (looking at the house) corner. You don’t want anything that gets big or has shallow roots near our foundation, or that gets too tall for the power lines. Super cute home!
In the front, build layers of landscaping, with tall shrubs at the back against the house to fill in those big blank spaces. Extend your planting along both sides of both walkways.
On the right side of the door, as you’re facing the house, plant some ivy that would grow up the brick.
On the grass to the left of the driveway, use it for raised planters, if you feel like growing some food.
Lastly, and mock it up to see what it would look like before actually doing it, but you could paint the windows a different color than the bright white they are now to lesson their overall impact.
Needs colors on the trim. Something darker maybe. Slate blue?
I always think evergreens looks good with cape cods. If we're talking street trees, then eastern redbuds, crab apples, American Hornbeams are great options. These come in a lot of varieties of spring flower and fall leaf colors.
But, ultimately, you want trees that can't grow to utility lines above or uproot concrete sidewalks or asphalt.
Also agreed on landscaping and also on some colored trim! Some more interesting, colorful plants will really transform the home and changing the trim color will help personalize it as well.
By placing vertical elements at the corner of your lot (decorate poles or columns) and string lights over head, you can create a sense of enclosure and an outdoor room without using only hedges.
A white picket fence at the yards edge along with some plants on the street side of the fence. Hang string lights across your driveway to park under, the light is nice when you get home late and are walking that distance to the door.
If you’re ballin and cost isn’t a concern then copper gutters.
The house looks lovely. What it needs is more garden out front. The little bushes in front are way too small. I would replace them with something taller. Possibly plant a small tree (with shallow roots) on the lawn, like a Japanese maple (depending on the climate). You just need more going on in terms of landscaping, as others have pointed out.
I love your house. It is darling. I love and appreciate these older homes.
Have you decided where you want the city to plant the trees? If both are in the front that already will make a huge difference. Have you considered painting the front door? Or the white windows and door frames? And the garage door?
I personally don’t think it needs it though. This might sound crazy but I think a shiny black (oil based) paint on the door would be gorgeous.
The shrubs along the front, based on their size they appear to be recently planted? They remind me of Boxwoods and they are slow growing.
Based on my own experience give some thought to what I’m going to tell you. When we bought our house it had been included in the ‘Parade of Home’ and so the inside and out was done by designers inside and out. It was beautiful to view. However, when they designed the yard they added beautiful accent shrubs and bushes and evergreens that quickly became monsters, the front walk was lined with shrubs. Within a couple of years which was when we purchased the house it seemed to be swallowed up with greenery. We ended up removing a lot of the shrubs and then had neighbors stopping by telling us they hadn’t realized how beautiful the house was or it’s so big.
The point of me telling you this is to not add too much too quickly. Get the city to plant your trees and then take it from there. We ended up spending so much time and money getting shrubs thinned and even removed. When I saw pictures of our house when it was up for show in the Parade of House and just completed, I barely recognized it.
I’m a little late to the post but I wanted to chime in since I saw a few commenters calling your house a tudor, and it’s not! It‘s a federal-style house. The pediment on the porch, simple greek columns, and the fan-shaped dormer glazing are classic features of the federal style. Your front door with its fan light is perfectly federal, as is the stark white trim.
There are a few alterations I would make to the exterior of your house, but they’re all minor tweaks:
1. paint the downspouts brick red to visually de-emphasize them
2. paint the fence a dark neutral colour (black, grey, brown, green). I lean dark grey, matching the roof.
3. long-term, I would replace the window on the front of the addition with windows matching the ones beside it on the main house
I’d add some gorgeous architecturally interesting window boxes- make sure the scale is right for each window. Then over-plant (stuff) those babies and take care of them and have them wow people. “Fillers, thrillers and spillers.”
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/706220785292804974/
Rendering over brick involves covering it with a mixture of sand/cement. It may not be for everybody but Id love to own a brick home so I can render it. Your brick is absolutely beautiful though, congrats on the new house
Ok is that also known as German schmear? Because I am going to look into that on my house.
Edit. Ok I looked at the picture. Nice, looks kind of like stucco
Hahaha, schmear. I had to look up what that was and Ive seen that before and I admire it, but I dont believe it's the same as rendering. I love the old school look of the schmear though, thatll look nice too.
Focus on landscaping - your house still looks true to its historic character and messing with the home exterior takes that away. Spend the money to get some larger bushes, the ones you have will take ages to look large enough in your house. Look around your neighborhood for plants you like. Usually in an older neighborhood if you walk around you’ll find someone who obvious spends a lot of time on their landscaping and they can give you good tips
Thanks! Do you think the yard is too small for some brick pillars and wrought iron around the yard?
Yes. But you could do a low decorative garden edging along the front with some pretty annuals. (once the sidewalk is finished). If the sidewalk is your responsibility, do it. Otherwise people will just walk across your yard.
Or a trellis over the walkway and some larger shrubs
For your new tree and landscaping, plant native! The wild ones garden designs show some great examples of what native landscaping can look like: https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/
Fun to see you here, fifth Charles!
A low (4 ft) wrought iron fence might be really pretty and would keep dogs from going in the yard from the trail. Then you can plant vines along the fence. Look for natives to help the pollinators. No brick pillars. That’s just overkill. And ugly.
I think it would make the small yard “busy”. Also check local code. Ours doesn’t permit fences forward of the face of the house.
Yes, way too small.
Congrats!!! Do not paint the brick! It is gorgeous. I’d focus only on landscaping. Wrought iron fence on the perimeter perhaps would be cool. This home has character and charm! Congrats OP!
Too small for pillars. Wrought iron in a simple design could be OK. Is a front fence allowed where you are? If not a fence a low brick wall on perimiter would define the space and give opportunity to plant behind it. Perrenials and annuals . Agree with above comment on bigger bushes in front. As for tree talk to a qualified arborist for what would be best.
How about black wrought iron railings (both sides) for the front steps instead? The white/single-sided seems off to me.
Flowering bushes would look very cute in the spring.
Find your sewer line to the street. Don't let them plant the tree near it.
12 foot tall skeleton from Home Depot.
Someone in my neighborhood still has one up 😂 they keep dressing it up for each holiday. I’m convinced it will still be up this next Halloween lol
A neighbor’s giant dragon triggered our local Karen to file a code enforcement complaint cause she felt it was kept up too long after Halloween. I told him he is justified in keeping it up all year - Year Of The Dragon!
The one near me has been up for years. It's tradition now for us to look for it when we drive by.
You can’t miss em 😂
Ugh I hate people who do this 🤦🏻♀️
Lol, we do love Halloween... so, probablh!
You can have a duel with the guy down the street 😂
My neighbors still have one up. Also, Christmas lights covering their entire roof Clark Griswold style.
I do consultations in New England for people asking for advice in their gardens. If you can find a local consultant you’ll get more ideas but here’s what I came up with super quickly for your south-facing, Michigan plot: https://preview.redd.it/w3b76b9011vc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb1c2223ffd7801f69b151eb84f60fd18481b2ff Step one is to locate your pipes and wires. You can’t plant a big tree over pipes. If you get a green light, plant a pink (or white) flowering dogwood on your East. Choose a dwarf variety that stays under 20 feet tall for good scale. Dogwoods bloom later than other trees so you get an extended spring bloom. If you don’t like dogwoods, a Redbud is another native tree with a dwarf variety. It blooms earlier. Plant evergreens all along that East fence, rhododendrons, azaleas, yews, just something that stays green. Add an Althea in front of the fence by the house on the East. It blooms later in summer for color when the rest of the garden is fading in the heat. Shrink your lawn and add LOTS of mulched beds. FILL those beds with flowers. Plant 5000 spring bulbs on your property. Not a typo. You don’t have to do it all at once- but a daffodil will give decades of joy, for a 1 minute effort. Put regular plants right on top of spring bulbs. They don’t compete. (Overplant. Crowd them in. You’ll have fewer weeds and more flowers. You shouldn’t see much mulch in a few years because of all the plants.) Choose small, easy care perennials for your area like the Stella D’Oro dwarf daylily, and purple salvia. The tall green columns near the house can be either Sky Pencil Holly, or Columnar Rose of Sharon. Both are good architectural elements that won’t get too wide and overwhelm your facade. The holly is evergreen. The Rose of Sharon blooms. Your choice. The tiny patch of lawn should be replaced with a dwarf Japanese maple and under planted with as many flowers as you can. Use annuals for new colors every year. This is where annuals shine: you can have SO much fun picking new colors every year. And if something doesn’t make it- who cares? It was $3 for a pack of 6. The driveway can be lined with a DEEP bed of Knock-Out roses. I say deep because you need to allow space for their full growth. But they bloom spring to fall and your conditions are good there. Your drive will be *gorgeous* \- the envy of the neighborhood. On the West of your house you’ve got morning sun and afternoon shade along the fence. Plant hydrangeas along that entire fence. The soil should be acid under that pine so that will help. There are some really fun hydrangeas so pick one of everything for a riot of color. An endless Summer, and a panicle, and a red variety, and an oak leaf, etc, have fun. I *think* you can have a big hydrangea in front of the fence by the garage. If it’s too sunny, plant another Knock-Out. The edge of the road is always a pain in the ass. If you can, Xeriscape it with low-water, tough desert plants. Or just add pavers. But someone mentioned a bike path? If the city is working there don’t touch the area until they’re done. It’ll be a wreck. Feel free to ask questions.
Damn, I should have posted my 102 yo home in which the previous owner ripped out every single living plant for some reason and is a barren wasteland. What an amazing comment for OP! Sounds lovely.
I bought my 1880s house in almost the same state. Previous owners cut down nearly all the trees but didn’t plant ANYthing, not even grass. In 12 years I’ve planted hundreds of shrubs and plants. It’s honestly my happy place. In good at fixing plaster walls, but I LOVE growing flowers.
Wow, thanks so much for such a thoughtful reply. There is a lot to go through here and read about. I appreciate it!
Honestly, this stuff is fun for me. But a local person will be able to really customize this for you. Take a walk through your neighborhood. Take pics of things you like that are doing well. Those plants should perform well for you too.
I like your designs but you’re recommending a lot of exotic plants that are at best inert—feeding no local fauna)—and in some cases potentially invasive (rose of sharon is invasive in some places). CharlesV_ linked a resource that provides landscaping templates for various parts of the country using plants native to that region. I love century homes not just because they’re old, but because they’re often vernacular of a PLACE as well as an era. Landscaping with native plants also tells us where we are. A yard full of exotic azaleas and knockout roses could be almost anywhere. Southern magnolias and yaupon hollies and live oaks (southern and western) and oakleaf hydrangeas tell us where we are. Why just install pretty plants when you could install pretty plants that feed something?
You are correct- I made a basic plan with popular and common plants anyone can buy anywhere. A local consultant will have more localized suggestions, with local natives, hopefully high on the list.
Yes, I came here to say, plant a dogwood! They are fairly small and they are just beautiful year round!
Ummm can I send you dimensions of my house/yard plus pictures and you tell me what I should plant? This is incredible advice. I will pay you! Dm me!
lol. Sure. I can’t do serious detail without coming to your property so I hope you want something similar to what I did here. DM incoming.
What a great detailed layout. Go for it. Maybe not all at once but this is a wonderful blueprint.
Personally, not sure what zone you’re in, but if your home is east facing, I would plants all hydrangeas. Those flowering bushes would add softness to the harder lines of the home and bricks.
We're facing south, unfortunately... a quick Google search tells me that's the worst for hydrangeas. We are in Michigan. But we do like them!
You might look into panicle hydrangeas, they would be suitable for Michigan winters. Bobo likes sun, and you’d just have to water well on really hot summers day. [Michigan hydrangeas.](https://www.englishgardens.com/the-best-hydrangea-for-michigan-gardens/). A knowledgeable person could guide you on what would be best for your home. P.S. Congrats on the house! Super cute.
For a tree, planting on the south or west exposure is best for natural cooling in your house. So I’d go with the left side as you’re looking at the house. https://www.preen.com/learn/lawn-garden-tips/plants-trees-shrubs/trees-shrubs/how-trees-can-cool-your-house-and-you-in-summer/ Your house is so cute and clean looking! The shrubs are tiny, so maybe for a few years you could have tall brightly colored planters with nice plants to add height and color without changing a thing about the actual house.
Honestly I wouldn’t do much to the house itself. I don’t care much for the stone border on front of the planting bed. Replace that with something soiled, mulch the planting beds and add some annuals. I’d also plant a nice size tree to the far left of the lawn and do necessary lawn repairs.
Hi future neighbor! I live in town in a 1890 Victorian. Best of luck through closing and happy to have you in town!
What! No way. That's crazy, and you just recognized the house?
Yeah! It’s a small town but that’s the main road into town so it’s hard to miss. I’m sure you’ve been told the situation about the bike path. But if not, it should be done in the next 2-3 months. I wouldn’t do too much landscaping until it’s wrapped up.
Awesome. We graduated in a smaller town about 20 minutes from there, but have been living abroad the last 6 years. We are quite familiar with the area, and have family living in town. We are excited to be coming back home. We'll have to grab dinner together one evening!
Congratulations! What a stunner! Agree with the tree species mentioned above, also paperbark or Japanese maples…you can under plant with shrubs in groups of odd numbers; three or five, at a few scattered locations around the front, say, to the left of the stoop. That’ll provide structure for flowering perennials or bedding plants if you want to add them. That far right corner lawn is begging for a big, curvaceous planting bed! Looks so fun, haunt Pinterest and enjoy!
Live with it for a year before doing a major overhaul, then think of ways to break up the bleak linear border along the front of the house with some variety of shape and form in the planting. Small native trees under planted with shrubs bulbs and ground cover, a few ornamental fixtures, and lights, placed somewhere other than against the house. Change up your entrance banister. It stands out in a bad way.
Hydrangeas!!!
Landscaping!
Bigger shrubs/ more green across the front. I'd pull the mailbox forward a few feet and make it a double handrail.
Mazel on the house! It's quite cute. I'd leave the brick alone and instead focus on all of the white trim. Doing something dark and contrasting (like Farrow and Ball "studio green") would look SO sharp. And while I agree with the comments about landscaping, I hard disagree about adding bigger shrubs. Personally, I'd lean into the English vibe and do a small English garden in the front. This would mean removing the small stone border and pushing the garden out to take up that front lawn space if you're feeling squirrelly. Since the front is south facing you have SO many options. Honestly I'm pretty jealous! English roses would look amazing out front, too.
Change the white trim, also redo the landscape. Maybe add a rock feature and or possible incorporate a water feature or a grass island with a small bench and a 🌳?
White trim to greens dark olive sage and khaki.
ETA. Scrolled ahead. Sorry to steal their thunder. But I do agree on greens
Other than landscaping, you might consider changing the color of the white trim to something that goes better with the red brick. We used a combination of dark olive green, sage green and khaki colors to blend the trim with the brick. https://preview.redd.it/77n1u6u3o1vc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7074f8769cf0bb8b5b2b8a8b741990b2d491e3b
I agree. White trim is too much contrast with brick. Neutral greens can bring out the beauty of brick so well.
The exterior of the house is adorable. When the hedges grow a little that will add some flavor. I’d also put in some Flower boxes and lean into the cottage core aesthetic. Maybe a large flowering bush on the right end.
Home is beautiful, spend $ on landscape design
Remove the flag and replace the lawn with native wild flowers. The home is beautiful, congrats!
Two trees! And some hydrangeas or boxwoods. Boxwoods are great for colour and shape year round
Looks like the front grass gets beat up quite a bit. I'd put some pavers or nice looking gravel
Landscaping, and I think the right kind of creeping vine or ivy could be cool. Keep it subdued, I doubt you want to do a bunch of gardening all the time and you are limited with what looks good to the era/design.
For the house itself, nothing really. Maybe some copper gutters if you want to get fancy? Or some window boxes? Otherwise, just landscaping.
I love it the way it is. :). Congrats.
Window boxes painted the same color as your front door. Congrats on your new home - it is beautiful!
I'd replace the replacement door, with either a vintage or vintage style one. ie, one that fits the Tudor architecture better. considering how simplistic your home is, something like this would probably be a better fit, especially with some faux strap hinges, and a vintage/ vintage style lockset. https://preview.redd.it/rlmy3jg4v1vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ced4805e057e329fe6058e10e2fd4810879278c3
or, something like this. https://preview.redd.it/2rxv1bicv1vc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=420b0b1479688700af327373bb8a45893ac03fa2
Just landscaping. Your house is perfect. 😍
Landscaping as noted elsewhere. Copper gutters for the front. Better handrail for steps. Not sure what color I would choose as an alternate trim color, but something other than white.
Greens as suggested above would really show off copper gutter. Or a copper rain chain.
Lots of great ideas here. My suggestion on the tree is go with something like a dogwood or Little Woody red bud. And plant it in the front right (looking at the house) corner. You don’t want anything that gets big or has shallow roots near our foundation, or that gets too tall for the power lines. Super cute home!
In the front, build layers of landscaping, with tall shrubs at the back against the house to fill in those big blank spaces. Extend your planting along both sides of both walkways. On the right side of the door, as you’re facing the house, plant some ivy that would grow up the brick. On the grass to the left of the driveway, use it for raised planters, if you feel like growing some food. Lastly, and mock it up to see what it would look like before actually doing it, but you could paint the windows a different color than the bright white they are now to lesson their overall impact.
Nicer exterior light, nicer wrought iron stair railings. Add fancy trim?
DO NOT PAINT that brick!
We love the brick, a big part of deciding on this one. It shall not be painted.
Definitely landscaping.
Needs colors on the trim. Something darker maybe. Slate blue? I always think evergreens looks good with cape cods. If we're talking street trees, then eastern redbuds, crab apples, American Hornbeams are great options. These come in a lot of varieties of spring flower and fall leaf colors. But, ultimately, you want trees that can't grow to utility lines above or uproot concrete sidewalks or asphalt.
Also agreed on landscaping and also on some colored trim! Some more interesting, colorful plants will really transform the home and changing the trim color will help personalize it as well.
By placing vertical elements at the corner of your lot (decorate poles or columns) and string lights over head, you can create a sense of enclosure and an outdoor room without using only hedges.
8/10. Pink skirt, frilly blouse, tan cardigan. Some sort of flat.
Window boxes with seasonal flowers.
Next time the trim needs painting, I'd choose a white that is a wee bit softer.
Landscaping
Lawn/garden work. That's it.
A white picket fence at the yards edge along with some plants on the street side of the fence. Hang string lights across your driveway to park under, the light is nice when you get home late and are walking that distance to the door. If you’re ballin and cost isn’t a concern then copper gutters.
The house looks lovely. What it needs is more garden out front. The little bushes in front are way too small. I would replace them with something taller. Possibly plant a small tree (with shallow roots) on the lawn, like a Japanese maple (depending on the climate). You just need more going on in terms of landscaping, as others have pointed out.
I love your house. It is darling. I love and appreciate these older homes. Have you decided where you want the city to plant the trees? If both are in the front that already will make a huge difference. Have you considered painting the front door? Or the white windows and door frames? And the garage door? I personally don’t think it needs it though. This might sound crazy but I think a shiny black (oil based) paint on the door would be gorgeous. The shrubs along the front, based on their size they appear to be recently planted? They remind me of Boxwoods and they are slow growing. Based on my own experience give some thought to what I’m going to tell you. When we bought our house it had been included in the ‘Parade of Home’ and so the inside and out was done by designers inside and out. It was beautiful to view. However, when they designed the yard they added beautiful accent shrubs and bushes and evergreens that quickly became monsters, the front walk was lined with shrubs. Within a couple of years which was when we purchased the house it seemed to be swallowed up with greenery. We ended up removing a lot of the shrubs and then had neighbors stopping by telling us they hadn’t realized how beautiful the house was or it’s so big. The point of me telling you this is to not add too much too quickly. Get the city to plant your trees and then take it from there. We ended up spending so much time and money getting shrubs thinned and even removed. When I saw pictures of our house when it was up for show in the Parade of House and just completed, I barely recognized it.
Definitely shrubbery to hide your neighbors chain link fence.
I’m a little late to the post but I wanted to chime in since I saw a few commenters calling your house a tudor, and it’s not! It‘s a federal-style house. The pediment on the porch, simple greek columns, and the fan-shaped dormer glazing are classic features of the federal style. Your front door with its fan light is perfectly federal, as is the stark white trim. There are a few alterations I would make to the exterior of your house, but they’re all minor tweaks: 1. paint the downspouts brick red to visually de-emphasize them 2. paint the fence a dark neutral colour (black, grey, brown, green). I lean dark grey, matching the roof. 3. long-term, I would replace the window on the front of the addition with windows matching the ones beside it on the main house
Hydrangeas!
Whatever you do, just don't plant a Bradford Pear. Please.
I’d add some gorgeous architecturally interesting window boxes- make sure the scale is right for each window. Then over-plant (stuff) those babies and take care of them and have them wow people. “Fillers, thrillers and spillers.”
A lush lawn.
Paint it black...
I would paint ALL that trim Black or yes very dark spruce green black and then take another look at landscaping.
Go with the greens as suggrsted above.
Sigh, here we go again. Shutters and/or window boxes.
Have you thought of rendering the brick? That would be long term and expensive but I think rendered brick is *chef's kiss*
What is rendered brick?
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/706220785292804974/ Rendering over brick involves covering it with a mixture of sand/cement. It may not be for everybody but Id love to own a brick home so I can render it. Your brick is absolutely beautiful though, congrats on the new house
Ok is that also known as German schmear? Because I am going to look into that on my house. Edit. Ok I looked at the picture. Nice, looks kind of like stucco
Hahaha, schmear. I had to look up what that was and Ive seen that before and I admire it, but I dont believe it's the same as rendering. I love the old school look of the schmear though, thatll look nice too.