Thanks for your thoughts/experience. Someone else I talked to said they thought it would look nice on the house and should be just fine w/ proper insulation. I've been in a couple houses where rooms have been over porches, or even garages, and the temps in those rooms have been very different from the rest of the house. Glad to know that is something that can be addressed.

just really heavy rains, usually 2-3 times a year. This year we had more. I am not so worried about insects as rot and mildew from moisture, and keeping small animals out. The ground is sloped for good drainage and we are going to keep that slope. Water does not sit in that area. We will have weed fabric on the ground with gravel over it, whatever that is worth.

It is hollow in that area. The garage is a flat roof inside. The porch is a screen door and screened in area and about 4 feet by 4 feet inside the screened area before coming to the front door. I would love to paint the entire house, but definitely the trim. I would love to have the house light gray with white trim or white with black trim and either way a black high gloss front door. I am even going to probably paint the roof a light to medium gray. I agree the attempt to make something out of that huge wall is a big issue. I am unsure what to do to even begin to envelop that big a wall. I thought about maybe a wall fountain on that wall and maybe just letting vines grow on the entire front of the garage, but that is hell when the house needs to be painted.

For sure, I would install a small roll-up/ overhead door. You could remove the siding from that end of the house and use it on the back side of the screened porch and choose another siding--as close as you can find to the original siding--on the end with the walk out door.