Oh Agnesd, I love fresh hams. Especially the cracklings. I almost bought one at the butcher today. We are having an overnight guest tomorrow and thought that a fresh ham would be nice for dinner. But the smallest roast was 5 pounds which was just too big for three people, especially when I hate leftovers. So I bought a small rack of Pork instead. This is my favourite recipe for fresh ham. It is from a 1990 issue of Gourmet. I've been making it since then. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pork - Fresh Ham With Cracklings And Pan Gravy ============================================== Adapted from a Gourmet Recipe 1 fresh ham (shank end leg of pork) olive for rubbing the ham 1 tablespoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard 12 ounces beer (not dark) For the gravy 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried sage 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled salt and pepper to taste . With a small sharp knife prick the ham skin all over, make 4 parallel 1/2-inch-deep incisions through the skin the entire length of the ham, and rub the ham lightly with the oil. In a small bowl rub together the coarse salt, the thyme, the sage, the pepper, and the mustard and rub the mixture over the entire surface of the ham. Put the ham on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and put the pan in a preheated 500F. oven. Reduce the temperature immediately to 375 °F and roast the ham for 1 hour. Pour half the beer over the ham, roast the ham for 30 minutes more, and pour the remaining beer over the ham. Roast the ham until a meat thermometer registers 170°F.,(the amount of time will depend on the size of the roast) and let it cool on the rack in the pan for 15 minutes. Pull off the brown crisp skin, leaving the layer of fat on the ham, with scissors cut the skin into small pieces, and arrange the cracklings in one layer in a baking pan. Sprinkle the cracklings with salt and bake them in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until they are crisp and browned. Transfer the cracklings to paper towels and let them drain. Cut the remaining fat from the ham, slice the meat thinly across the grain, and arrange it on a platter. Keep the ham warm, covered. Skim off the fat from the juices in the roasting pan, add 1 cup broth and deglaze the pan over moderate heat, scraping up the brown bits. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup of the broth until the flour is dissolved and whisk the mixture into the deglazing liquid with the remaining 3/4 cup broth, the mustard, the sage, the thyme, and pepper to taste, and simmer the gravy, whisking, for 5 minutes. Garnish the ham with the cracklings and the watercress sprigs and serve it with the gravy. Serves 8 with leftovers. Gourmet March 1990 Dinner Irish Style

i like the first pic Celery posted. With the panels painted to closely match the brick. A question...do you intend on keeping the blinds closed on the two rooms on the right side? The white of them, compared to the dark glass of the open windows on the left is off. I wonder how your house would look with all the windows (with or without shades) the same basic color. When the window shades are unapplied, i do like how the windows look with the roofing. And i think if you were to go with that slate gray theme a little bit more it could look pretty special. Nice dark green ...even blue-tone shubbery/planting would finish that look.

You could extend the garage roof leftward to a point about midway between the two windows on the left, adding a small forward facing gable in at the front edge of the roof directly in front of the front door. That gives you instant shade and an update on curb appeal. With the new "entrance" to the front door even with the front exterior wall of the garage, the glass in the garage door would be less of a distraction or focal point anyway but, just to be sure, you could create a bolder feature in the gable end of the porch -- perhaps an open arc: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/107171666112536981/  Perhaps an open end with only framing showing. https://onlineroofdesign.blogspot.com/2020/01/gable-roof-front-porch.html A wider/bigger bolder open gable . https://eplan.house/en/house-plans/149-kv-m-3-beds-no-garage-SV-58552-1-3 Enclose all or half the depth of the new front porch as a "sun room" entry of sorts or a more modern and dramatic entry foyer: With this one, you could add a patio door on the side of the new glass room and add a front yard patio on the side for which you could create a "green" privacy wall with a hedge beginning at the front of the sidewalk and extending all across the front of the house to the left front corner of the house. You could keep your existing front doorway but, perhaps, add a new door there, perhaps even a French door. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/543880092475643570/

WOW Great spaces. Really liking all that natural light. While I may well be in the minority, I'd like to suggest you at least consider vertical blinds. Before downsizing, I had them in the living/entry space, the den and the dining room. Would definitely use them again if I ever again have an other sliding glass patio door. They come in vinyl, wood, faux wood and fabric . I'd personally recommend the vinyl and using all one neutral color -- white or beige. Vertical blinds make it a lot easier to use the doors as doors and open and close them for that purpose -- or you can quickly just push them aside in an emergency. They're great for light control because in addition to open or closed -- pulled over the door and completely shut or pulled all the way to the side and fully opened -- when pulled over the door, the slates can be straight -- fully open -- or you can choose partially open with the tilt of the slats in either direction ... you gauge how much of a tilt and in what direction based upon sunlight available (and from what direction) and how much of it you do or do not want to let fully into the room.