Help with California Ranch Exterior (photoshop file inside)  

Example
Here's a quick example changing the color to a green, with the new flush garage door matching. You may not be able to tell in the first picture as posted here, but the current door has a "Hershey Bar" pattern of squares on it. I don't like it.

Can anyone confirm that the...
Can anyone confirm that the file is downloadable? It's at the bottom of the first post.

Taupe house color with a...
Taupe house color with a dark brown roof. I added some colored rock to the side of the house.

I'd really consider keeping t...
I'd really consider keeping the trees, but that may just be me. I think plantings then (to the left) would help balance your landscape. I like your second photo, with the house a sage green. The darker roof seems to make the house look more squat, which doesn't look as good to me, especially with the vertical elements on the siding. Good idea to change out the garage door. A nice modern mailbox enclosure might be worth considering. Nice house. Good luck with it.

I agree about the trees. I'm...
I agree about the trees. I'm of the school of thought that you never remove mature plantings unless you have too.

I'm unsure about the dark...
I'm unsure about the dark roof as well. I want to keep the house energy efficient, but always thought a dark roof would look better. Now that I see it photoshopped I don't know. I'm going to work on a version of the house with a galvalume standing seam metal roof and I'll post that. The current roof has ornate shingles that I really don't like. And the blue color has always looked weird to me.
My issue with the two palms is that I'm afraid they're going to fall down. They have really skinny ankles. We've had two fall over after a strong wind in the backyard already, and I'm afraid these are going to fall down and destroy a car. Here's a picture. You can also see the ornate shingles better in this one.

Here are some more pictures...
Here are some more pictures to give an idea about the layout of the front of the house.

A couple more.
A couple more.

Here are the full size...
Here are the full size pictures in case anyone would like to play around with them.
http://snodart.com/timpublic/HousePics/

Interesting, in your first...
Interesting, in your first photos it appeared to me that the trees were all close together, and near the street. I also could not see the detail of the roof, which appears to be a terra cotta type shingle, not often associated with ranch style houses. It's an unusual grouping of materials, that roof along with board and batten siding. Someone here at DA will have some good ideas. You might also try posting your photos at the lottaliving website.

I agree, the roof doesn't...
I agree, the roof doesn't work well with the board and batten siding. That's one of the main things we don't like about the house exterior as it is. The previous owner put on the roof in the 80s. Anyone else around here starting to think that the 80s was the beginning of the end for home design? The house had a shake shingle roof before that. I'm not really fond of them either. I originally thought that painting the roof a darker color might minimize the appearance of the shingles, but as I said earlier, I'm not sure if I like it now after seeing the photoshopped image.

I think
a standing seam metal roof is really going to fight with that vertical board and batten siding. It will start to look like an Escher optical illusion drawing from across the street.
You have a great many differing surfaces in the area of the front door already and a seamed roof is only going to add to the confusion.

I would start painting that...
I would start painting that brick planter next to your front door in the same colour as the facade, would make it easier on the eye.

Painting
masonry and ceramic is a bad idea -- definitely against "the nature of materials." No matter what they look like presently, they'll look worse -- right away, or eventually -- if they're coated with something.