hmmm i agree on the idea of using what you have with those diagonal posts. one thing i think we all need to see is how the house would look like without the landscape covering up the front as it is hard to tell when we only have the 1 photo , if you do decide to remove the landscape it would give us all a better picture of how the facade would look and what may compliment it.

I think this one is doable. since you're doing the roof, have them do this and elongate the porch. bring in chunky cedar posts, new door. love the white brick. (romabio) Here's the Before: this one was almost like yours w/the metal porch. look how they redid it (painted brick, revamped path, flower beds, porch posts, painted windows, extended porch) what about this one? painted brick, black trimmed windows, simple overhang (like above) slightly different porch posts. The slate tile porch, extended over to one side, and the pathway w/flower beds, really add a lot. I like this idea too do a little arbor, redo the porch w/some coposite wood decking, or maybe some black slate tile w/wood steps. Get a more modern door. I hope you go w/a dark charcoal roof tile. I reall like this one too. what do you think about extending your porch under either window? since you're redoing the roof, adding a wood arbor like this wouldn't be too diffult. (can those windows be painted or are they vinyl? They'd look great trimmed out in black) And, I really like how they painted this porch deck and added the tiny flower beds in front of it. here's the gable you mentioned. porch is simple. what do you think about painting the brick? Look at Romabio Lime Masonry paint. all natural. what if you extended the roof over the front door similar to this? bring in some chunky cedar posts, new door, NO shutters. maybe paint the trim of the windows. They painted the brick black in this one. looks great w/the cedar Or, do the brick in all white. ignore the right side. you can see how they built onto the front porch and did the overhang w/a gable. this is going into the farmhouse vibe rather than the mcm vibe

Thank you everyone for the insight and comments! This is my first time posting on this site and everyone has been very helpful and respectful, much appreciated. Our initial impression was that the roof on the left was very empty and the overall look appeared very "simple." But maybe that's what we should go with? I agree it does look fine without the dormer. However, we live in Myrtle Beach, SC and a lot of houses here seem to have a lot of dormers so figured adding one to the roof on the left would make it not so "simple" looking? The other thing is I really want to add a metal accent somewhere on the roof. Not sure why I'm enamored by it so much but I am. The problem with adding it to the dormer on the right side of the garage is you wouldn't really see it. @Woody Vaughan or Shaun Fogarty Yes, the rendering isn't exact. Our idea is to have the shed dormer running most of the way across the roof line like the example below: https://www.houseplans.com/plan/2889-square-feet-4-bedroom-3-5-bathroom-2-garage-farmhouse-traditional-craftsman-cottage-sp276687 We thought it added some architectural interest and made it look less simple. I will have to talk to my builder and see if we can make it functional in the living space to help bring in more light, didn't even think of that honestly. Thanks for the tip!

Thank you, Patricia. Yes, I want something to attach to the house to keep the patio dry. I know the pergola wasn't placed properly. At one time I hung drapes on one long side to keep the sun off the patio but they weren't a satisfactory solution. To windy where I live and tey blew too much. I'm not sure I would want to dine in the rain either, but I would like to use my grill during the winter months. Covered patios are coveted in the Pacific Northwest.