My vote is dark blue too.

We installed a screen door that slides open to one side like a roller shade so you can see the front door when not in use.

I thought of closing off the far end visually and prompted AI with a sofa to block the portholes plus some type of screen. I took Lyn's idea for decor. Also I like comfortable furniture. This is AI so adjust as needed..

Yes, a lot of outdoor furniture is on sale now. I know that “Polywood” is having a sale . It’s made from the same material ( HDPE ) that my Room & Board outdoor furniture is made from. I’ve had mine several years &/it looks just like the day I purchased it, indestructible. “All weather” wicker is good too, have it in my second home in a brownish/taupe that would look good with your tile. I just remove the cushions & hose off to clean it.

Took a mini break from Houzz and actually finished some projects. This is the end result of the front nook area and it is perfect for us. I still want to explore a floating bench but we had significant trouble finding a woodworker to make the bench so settled for this upgrade instead. The photos make me smile
Every day and I love them.

I actually like it the color it is.

Love Trace's dark charcoal with the light green door, I agree it makes the house quite stately, lovely!

If she does want to plant natives (yay), we have a Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora which can be used to see which plants are native in which counties. Couldn't find the same for Maryland, but the link is a very good resource, I think. It doesn't seem to identify specific counties, but it does break down by region. I clicked on all three regions, so lots of pics, but your daughter would probably want to narrow it to her region. I like the photos.

UMD native plants database with photos

They call it the Native Plant Finder. :-)

ETA: I typed in the zip code of friends in Bethesda and it gave me the Piedmont eco-region for example.

Create a focal point with decor and natural elements. Here are my ideas I prompted to AI so adjust as needed

I think you could bring out the MCM.

Stucco or paint the retaining walls white with gray capstone.

Use the white and gray color scheme on the house.

I added shutters for more detail as an option.

For Sonoma an Adobe Pink paint color?

AI would not change the gray portions to brown for me...but it would give more Sonoma rustic look as another option.

Okay here is some brown trim...exact colors TBD. And a floating solar fountain for the birdbath needs no setup.

To answer the true color questions, this photo shows what happens when light hits the velvet.

The nap catches my eye and contributes to a feeling of being in a story sea. The showroom owner suggested buying a Bissell Little green machine, which I will do because there’s going to be eating and feet up that constantly disturb the nap,

I’m instead shifting my view to take this as an opportunity to not be responsible for a pristine appearance —especially hard for those of us who lean toward perfectionism. 🙂

I would go with the orange door with green, but burnt orange.

Thank you Payton. I was so revved up to get this project going and just learned I have active termites around the foundation. I was getting ready to get siding bids and had some ducting stone and they noticed it. So now I'm in maintenance repair mode instead of the cosmetic mode. 😥. I'll get the little bugs gone and then back to the new siding and paint !

Typo. "Ducting Done, it ducting stone. Oops.

We have made some progress and I will post more photos when we return from out of town. Thanks for the beautiful renderings Emily.

Here is our update and what we have so far. The plants are faux since there is no drip system out there. Thank you all for your help.

Thank you!

The Navy is very nice.

Just wanted to show a picture of the final output. Thank you everyone for your ideas!! We did scrape and paint the railings white with teal trim, reinforced and painted the handrail, put a bright white piece of wood on the final step since it is not standard and we wanted it to stand out, bought a porch swing off fb marketplace, reduced the amount of furniture on the porch, washed the porch floor, stucco washed the front and walls, straightened the janky sign, took off the damaged sign, and put in hooks and added fake ferns. She is going to ask the landlord to replace the front door.

The side door could become the main door becaue it leads into a foyer type room that then leads into the main living room. The lcurrent front door leads into a foyer with a staircase leading upstairs and a study to tne right and sitting room to the left.

Traceflyod- I really like the updated photo with pavers replacing the asphalt pad in front of the house. i also really like the idea of adding atrellis over the garage doors. the idea of adding a awning over the current front door is interesting as well.

Another option:

I have been amazed by everything posted! Can’t thank everyone enough… you have really helped me visualize the potential for this house!!

I don't have an opinion on H&B (since I'm not in the market to buy or sell, I'm not going to spend a lot of time thinking about it).

When we bought our current home, in September of 2021, there was a LOT of interest - we toured the day it went on the market, and there were 11 showings scheduled over 2 days. The seller was motivated, and the price was great. The seller looked at bids after the second day of showings.

We loved it immediately, and HAD to have it! I asked our realtor for advice on how high we should go to make sure we would get it, and she suggested an escalation clause. We bid the asking price, with a clause that we would go $1000 over any higher bid, up to a maximum. Our max was $30K over asking. Since we had bought our previous house in 1989, we had never heard of such a clause.

We got the house - for $4K over the asking price. Without the escalation clause, we would have bid $15K over asking. I don't know how many more bids there were, or what would have happened if someone else had an escalation clause. I feel like our realtor earned her keep! Especially since an identical home across the street sold for $25K more than we paid, 2 months later.

One more idea is to keep a portion of the deck (or redo completely) - can even be a small deck out the front door and then walkway to driveway.

I think this might be it

I guess the OP did not get the response they were looking for and has disappeared.

No more replies in the last two weeks. I thought my tandem garage was a good idea. Oh well.

Like I said the OP has left the building.

Yeah, that was a given when the response was so relentlessly negative. I was speaking to you when I said the problem with your improvements was the starting design. At some point, you're putting lipstick on a pig and, while the pig might look a bit better, it's still a pig.

I think the OP is out searching for a competent local residential architect.

(very optimistic)

What did you end up doing Cindy? I see this is a very old post

This post is so old the site is probably a Data Center by now.

I like this look.

All those gables, disparate sidings, two garage doors, each under different roof lines, as Phoebe said "my eyes, my eyes". Do one color; work with the orientation of the house.

I'm suggesting white. And no shutters!

There is only one photo in sunlight. Of that one, I like the warmer color on the left.

First off, I really appreciate how much thought you've already put into this. You've considered things that many homeowners don't - roof color, heat absorption, light reflectance, brick, gutters, and how different lighting changes the appearance of paint throughout the day. Those details make a huge difference.

If this were one of our color consultation projects, I actually wouldn't try to fight the architecture. I'd lean into it.

The warm brick and chocolate brown roof are already doing a lot of the visual work, so I'd choose a warm greige, taupe, or mushroom-toned body color that complements those permanent elements rather than introducing another strong color. Then I'd simplify the trim instead of emphasizing every board.

Because your board-and-batten pattern naturally creates a lot of visual movement, reducing the contrast between the field color and the trim can make the house feel more cohesive without making it look flat. You don't necessarily have to paint everything exactly the same color, but keeping the trim within the same color family can soften those vertical stripes that you're not fond of.

I'd also lean toward gutters in an off-white, cream, or medium bronze/brown rather than bright white. Since they won't be painted later, choosing a color that blends with the fascia instead of standing out will help the roofline feel cleaner. One thing we've learned after helping homeowners with exterior color consultations is that the "perfect" color chip can look completely different once it's outside. Sun exposure, roof color, surrounding landscaping, and even neighboring homes all influence how a color is perceived. That's why we almost always recommend viewing large painted samples at different times of the day before making a final decision.

I'm with All American Painting Plus in Northern Virginia, and these are some of my favorite projects because exterior color isn't just about choosing a beautiful paint, it's about creating a palette that works with the home's architecture and the elements that aren't changing.

For what it's worth, I think your instincts are right to avoid a minty green if you're hesitant. A warm, earthy greige or muted olive with restrained trim contrast would likely age beautifully with your roof and brick while keeping the home comfortable and timeless for many years.

I think I like Downing Earth better! https://www.buildersservicecompany.com/how-to-plan-an-exterior-remodel 

A simple outdoor shower spigot to rinse off chlorine or sweat. As mentioned could be unheated water to cool off and one can certainly shower in a swim suit.

My brother in law built a wooden privacy fence from the calves to the neck to shower and change.

Here’s an idea working off of your rendering.

I put the shelves on today, added lights and a metal sun I made. I will get some waterproof containers for soil and tools. I ended up buying an azalea as it had similar requirements to the rhododendron but grows taller than wider. I also purchased several hostas. Tomorrow I will get some shredded mulch and then plant

You love the neighborhood, you lucked out. why move into an unknown situation? The grass is always greener. How much time do you really spend looking at the house from the curb anyway?

Btw I love the house and yard. I would paint the brick as suggested, use Romabio made for brick and masonry.

I would like to be as Florida Friendly as possible,

A good source for ideas/suggestions for that spot would be your native plant society. Every state has one.