can you post a picture of the whole house, with a view from the street?
It is hard to suggest anything without seeing the whole place.

I will do that tomorrow.

{{gwi:1649092}}

Another frozen Canuck, eh? :)

Natural stone or porcelain for the stoop, if the concrete is solid enough. Scrap the light fixture!

I'd also like to know where the moisture is coming from that is causing that efflorescence. And, oh, you need a new roof.

Worthy how did you find that picture of my house. A little scary when you think of what information people are keeping of you. Anyway, here is a picture of the front of my house, without snow.

{{gwi:1658348}}

I won't give away your address or name. :-) (Or info on your eye op.) Hint: go to account options on Photobucket and choose "private."

Lack of significant window trim makes the window appear naked. I don't know if there is a way, other than shutters, to put up more substantial (3 -4") window trim. Both doors need to be refinished or replaced. I would refinish and paint them semi-gloss black to give them more prominence - do the window ledges in black too. I would remove the evergreen and put in a pretty tree at the corner, at an adequate distance from the house. Put in a nice round evergreen or a perennial bed to the right of the steps. Or else move the evergreen to the middle of that wall and add some flowers to both sides. I would paint the roof trim a contrasting color, not white or red, maybe a green? Do as already suggested with the porch: scrape it down and tile over it- don't forget the sides of it. Replace the railing with something more substanial, either black iron or wood. Build a removable box to cover the utility stuff. Maybe the box can support a pot of flowers.

I agree about prioritizing a new roof - the existing one is quite tired and kind of drags the house down, as well as being a potential leak hazard which can cause significant interior damage. (With snow loads like those, you need a roof rake to avoid ice-damming and leaks!)

If you can't afford to totally redo the front steps (after paying for a roof LOL), patch up the chipped-off chunk and paint with textured concrete-patio paint. Not a really long-term solution, especially if you have to use salt for ice removal, but it'll get you by for a while. Love the idea of veneering the steps with natural stone or porcelain (a slate look would be very nice with the brick, especially if it has some brick-colored streaks in it) when you can afford to do so, especially if the existing brick walkway were to be removed and continued with the material used on the steps.

Paint the front door a dark green or darkish, slightly grayed blue to contrast with the brick, perhaps with a taupe/beige trim around the window. Maybe taupe/beige for the screen door. Replace the worn hardware with a slightly antiqued brass like Emtek's French Antique.

The mailbox and light fixture definitely have to go. Although your house isn't a bungalow, look at some of the Craftsman-style lighting out there because you can mimic the low roofline of the house - repeating elements makes a more cohesive look. I'd suggest a slightly antiqued brass like Rejuvenation's Brushed Brass - their Lowell/Williams (two sizes of the same light) and McKenzie are good ones to look at. Yes, they're rather expensive, but the quality is amazing. Especially in harsh climates, cheap lighting looks cheap and cheesy fast.

The "Welcome" sign on the door is a little too cutesy and country-style for the house and blocks the window. Get a welcome mat instead, if you must express the sentiment in print rather than attitude. :-)

A larger and more interesting set of house numbers to the left of the large window would be more visible from the street. Look at address plaques and try to tie it back into the door color.

The railing definitely needs replacing but I'm not 100% certain with what. Where I live any stoop/porch with three steps requires a handrail, check your local building-code compliance department to see if this is the case in your municipality. I'm thinking maybe just something plain but chunkier may work nicely - something like this?

Plant evergreens and perennials (as well as annuals if you don't mind the work) around the steps themselves. If you use something low-growing right in front of the (gas?) meter and something taller directly to the right of it, the meter will be disguised but still accessible to the meter reader. I'd also put a planter of flowers or a small evergreen in that dead spot next to the door.

An unsolicited longer-term suggestion - when you can, think about repainting the foundation to a slightly darker value of the brick color, or a deep warmish gray. The white foundation makes the house look like it's floating. Also, consider repainting the white trim to something like a camel color, since the white is too contrasty with the brick and accentuates the smallness of the windows on the front of the house. Another repainting thought is to try to match the gutter downspout to the brick color so it isn't as "in your face" - aluminum guttering can be painted easily.

Why not think about tearing out the concrete mess. Replace it with a nice wooden porch and handrail facing to the street. Change the area under the P/W to a pretty flower garden, perhaps some evergreens.
Yeah, you'll have to move the meter. Just an idea.

The Porch Guy

Here is a link that might be useful: My Album

I would make a large porch all along in front of the picture window-- it would be gorgeous! can you tie into the exisiting roof when you reroof?

skatiero,
Yes you can tie into the existing roof.

The PorchGuy

Here is a link that might be useful: My Album