Like omelet I'd encourage you to research more current plans, particularly with regard to energy efficiency. It sounds like you may be the sort of folks for whom low long term operating costs are important. In that case modern framing methods, sealing, and insulation should be in the plan from the get-go. A lot has been learned over the last 60 years, it's worth taking advantage of. Cost varies hugely with region and with material costs that can fluctuate a lot. I've been a resolute DIY remodeler for decades now and am convinced it is a great way to have fun and save a lot of money. (OK, I have a weird idea of what's fun.) You can DIY anything, it doesn't always make sense to DIY everything. Some things are just too physically difficult to be worthwhile (hanging blueboard or drywall), require equipment that's too expensive (asphalt paving), or have an untenable learning curve (for me, plastering) Investing time and energy in learning about building pays back whether you do it yourself or just deal on a more even footing with contractors. Watch This Old House, read all the back issues of Fine Homebuilding, take out all the books in the library about home building. It will all help you to understand your options, their relative difficulty (and therefore cost), and will help you to build a home you will love. +1 on the inadvisability of hiring close friends and family to work on your project. You really want to be able to deal with your contractors on a business basis. To do otherwise is a recipe for disaster and disappointment.

I think you should post some more pictures. That picture is probably the most unflattering view of your nice house. It makes the garage door look exaggerated, which it probably isn't in person. Everything depends on your budget, of course, but without spending too much money (like changing the roof and exterior materials), which I am certainly not qualified to give opinions about, I would think about creating a wider, more substantial and nicer walkway to the front door. A couple of pretty planters on either side of the garage, and larger light fixtures would go a long way. Im sure you could do something else with that post. Let's wait for experts!

Yes, tsjmjh, some people do paint their downspouts to contrast with the house and, as evidenced by the photo you posted, it looks awful, don't you agree? I'm a little biased since that was my custom built house, lol. It was designed by a prominent architect and his firm and since I let him have free rein with the exterior, we always laughed and said we had a house with "gutter art." I couldn't find a better photo; it made sense when you saw the FLW lines and rest of the house. (FLW did contrasting gutters/fascia/eaves but didn't like to use downspouts, which is why most of his houses leaked.) And our gutters/downspouts weren't "painted"; the color was picked by the architect(s) and gutters were custom made with baked enamel finish that never chipped or faded.

Look at vintage 50’s -70’s home plans. Thats the era of the true Ranch. These days, lots of people call any single story home a ranch. It’s not. A ranch has a single long axis, low sloped gable, maybe with a cross gabled wing, or even two. It is 2 rooms deep along that axis. It is a simple, classic design. It was a vernacular utilitarian design at its peak production, having millions built without any professional designing them. It was also elevated and very well done as a professional design, creating a wonderful indoor outdoor connection, and rooms with a lot of light. The professionally designed MCM ranch homes are in high demand and enjoy tremendous resale value because of that design sensibility. While you can get a utilitarian design from a self designed simple ranch, or a bought plan, most lack that connection to the site that elevates a home from OK to Great. The site has to rule the design choices. Not the reverse. From the side of the property with the road cut acces, to any elevation changes that it has, to the direction that it faces. Start your exploration, not with “plans” but with the demands and constraints of the building site. You can have a well designed, thoughtful, simple plan, just as easily as you can have a poorly designed, wrong for the site, plopped, “simple” plan. https://www.google.com/amp/s/antiquealterego.com/2013/01/21/vintage-house-plans-1960s-ranches-and-l-shaped-homes/amp/