Replace front door with one that fits the style of the house. Paint siding darker so that part of the house recedes instead of standing out. Paint garage door darker. A box bay (no angles) would look better. See the roof on the porch in this rendering. You could something similar. No dormer. No trim around front door. No shutters.

There is significant disappointment on our end as well as the builder that this was missed by the architect along the way. In fairness to the architect, the builder allowed us to work with the architect to develop the plans we love prior to any $ commitment from us but he did not want to pay for the survey until we were invested. So, here we are. We are disappointed because the length of the home has been established for several months and the width of the property has as well. The survey and site plan were just officially performed but the inputs are the same and have been known...so we are disappointed but still love the floorplan, location, etc. and want to make the best runner up choice we can :)

Hello Pity - the problem here is that these are not condos, but independent houses, with separate walls and systems which provide a fair amount of protection for the individual owners. The introduction of a whole layer of rules about interior decor is pretty intrusive and, so far as I can see, largely unnecessary. The major structural issues are already covered, and the too-large chandelier or a nail through the drywall will have zero impact on the neigbouring homes. So what exactly is the point? The owners have every right to be concerned, and if it were me, I'd be saying to the condo committee, if we agree to this then you will provide clear and comprehensive guidelines of what will and will not be allowed, you will stick to those guidelines in your decision-making, and you will agree to observe a strict timetable for responding to requests - and that timetable will be numbered in days, not weeks or months.

In your introductory statement, you say that you're interested in changing "... the front deck into a more pleasant entry way." Let's compare the existing deck to two concepts. Presently, it seems sized such that it could accommodate 3 or 4 people entering. In my concept I haven't the size of the deck much. I've widened it just a little, mainly to allow for building wider steps ... maybe twice as wide as the current steps. It might accommodate an additional person or two. In your concept drawing, you've changed the deck from merely an entrance, to one sized for family gatherings -- lounging, dining, BBQs, etc. Is that how you intend to use the deck? If it is merely an entrance, it does not make sense to overwhelm the space with a lounging and entertaining deck sized for a family ... unless you are receiving visitors in groups numbering into the teens. First, figure out its purpose and base its size on that. Then work out its configuration. Whether its a wood deck or masonry porch structure doesn't matter to its function, as either can do the job. The materials will have more to do with durability, maintenance and the visual, artistic impression that you are trying to make. In general, I think people value masonry porches as the superior ones, b ut it isn't necessarily always that way.