r/ExteriorDesign

For some reason, my eyes don’t fancy the white columns on my house. I am not very savvy when it comes to decor and designing of any kind, so your thoughts would be appreciated.

Should I paint them a different color? If so, what would look best?

We love our late 80s home and are dead set against painting the brick or changing the windows or front door.

I have toyed with the idea of painting the trim a dark brown and the siding / garage doors a creamy off white.

However, seriously every other home in the neighborhood that has made a drastic change like that IMO ends up looking just slightly off, and I secretly end up not fully loving the outcome.

Maybe a refresh?! Help!

Could use some suggestions for our pretty mediocre looking 1963 ranch house. For some years I thought about a second story over the back half, relocating the odd side door to the front. But now we’re resigned to keeping the layout as is and making it as nice as possible.

One thought I had was a narrow white pergola to the right of the door. We’re also redoing windows and siding, and I also like the idea of a wood or wood-like garage door with windows, in which case I’d match the front door to that.

Really though I’m wide open to suggestions from anyone up to this challenge.

Help! I’ve had this super ugly aluminum overhang for years and want to remove it for something more in character with the house. Would love some ideas ! 🙏🚪

We got new siding, windows and front door a few years ago but have been slacking on putting details back on the house. Looking for help on colors and styles of shutters and front door. I was thinking maroon. Thanks

I am going to change my siding. Now is the time to make all the changes I can. What is some good advice on colors, textures, anything to enhance the curb appeal. What does my house need?

Looking for ideas and recommendations on how to give the exterior of our home a nice facelift. This was our first home and we’re planning to sell within the next few years so don’t want to spend a ton of money on upgrades. Definitely will paint garage door, shutters, and front door at minimum but struggling to figure out a good color that would go well with the brick, siding, and roof. Considered painting the brick, but not set on doing that. Photos appreciated!!

First pic is house as we bought it. I know it needs landscaping, but I’m not sure about shrubs or flowers, etc. I do love window boxes. The second pic is a ChatGPT render. If anyone has ideas about landscaping or changing colors on shutters, trim or front door I would appreciate it. I wish I knew more about landscaping.

Between these two, in your opinion, which would you choose and why?

Does anyone have advice for materials (board and batten vs horizontal planks) and exterior color/design for our style home? It’s currently a barn red color and wasn’t well maintained so the siding, windows, and doors need to be completely replaced.

I have been avoiding white or light colors because the whole back of the house is south facing and it gets brutally bright back there in the summer. I didn’t prompt the colors or styles generated in these pictures, these are just some of the ideas we liked more than others. If the climate context helps, we’re located on Long Island so get both snow and humid, hot summers.

I’m on a low budget, but I’ve been thinking about painting my porch and making the front of my house look nicer and more inviting. Any affordable advice or ideas on how to make it feel more homey would be greatly appreciated.

Hello! About to purchase our home we have been renting for 3 years, super excited to make changes. This is the current exterior situation this awful green color.. trim is a weird yellow. Patio roof is baby blue.. not to mention the front door is maroon and side door is purple.. looking to make everything cohesive but on a budget. Planning on doing a DIY paint job for the trim and doors to all match. What’s the best color combo to go with this weird green though?!?!

We need a new roof and siding. What colors would complement the brick? I like the idea of black accents and likely a black roof.

Most specifically, the first step is very steep. I think the bare concrete is kind of ugly. We want to add an extra step below the first one but it’s kind of an awkward height and would jut in too far into the path way. My grandmother when she visits, cannot do the first step and has to come in through the garage, so accessibility is also a factor.

Aside from the steps, just looking for some ideas of how we can elevate the front door & steps area. I thought railings may look nice but not sure how to attach them to the white posts?

Not looking to remove the pea gravel. Off screen there’s hardy shrubs planted that tolerate gravel beds appropriate for sun and zone requirements (did lots of research and took advice from the landscaping sub). The shrubs (off screen) are currently baby size and have yet to grow and fill in. Mostly looking to focus on the steps and doorway itself.

Thanks!!

I’d like to paint my shed but I don’t want to use the same color as my house. What do you think would go well together? My house is painted In the Midnight Hour by Benjamin Moore.

The shed is in its own part of the yard, but you can see both the shed and the house from the road.

Thank you for any suggestions!

In the middle of exterior renovation and am struggling to come up with a design. I’m sorry I don’t have plans/measurements. I am thinking of doing a 11’ outdoor kitchen along the wall closer to the house, some type of pergola overhang attached to wall to provide shade while cooking (maybe I can attach to roof? I don’t want support posts in middle of patio. Maybe just fabric canopy instead?)

I would like an 6-8 person table to host dinners with family, but space is very limited/awkward with pull jutting out? Maybe is just feels smaller bc it’s empty rn? Table could be next to windows but then it blocks path around pool.

No space for pool loungers except by the canal so thinking of putting lounge chairs instead close to pool sun shelf or maybe keep open?

Weird to have table in front of pool area? Maybe fire pit instead with chairs around it?

I also want to smooth out the concrete plaster wall/house and repaint it off white to match better with teal roof.

We are replacing our door with a 4 lite door. We would like the color to compliment the home but as you can see, the door is in a shadow. Additionally, we plan to paint the wood accent but for now it’s that yellowish color.

Any recs for:

1. Door color
2. Wood trim color
3. Remove shutters??

One thing homeowners don’t realize until they start planning a deck renovation: the structure underneath matters just as much as the finished look.

We recently completed this covered deck transformation here in the Kansas City Metro area, and one of the biggest parts of the project happened before the beautiful finishes ever went in — structural preparation, support work, grading, and making sure the foundation could properly handle the new outdoor living space long-term.

A lot of older decks we inspect around KC have hidden issues:

- unstable footings

- poor drainage

- aging framing

- improper support spacing

- moisture damage homeowners can’t even see yet

The finished result is always exciting, but the durability of a deck starts underneath everything.

This project turned an unfinished exterior area into a fully covered outdoor space designed for relaxing, entertaining, and year-round use.

What’s one feature you’d add to your dream deck setup?