Is this a remodel or new construction? If it's a remodel can you just post a photo of what you have?

It's a remodel. I hesitated to post the photo because we are planning to build out the entry, as the rendering shows, and because we have to excavate that entire front area, and plan to totally redo the hardscape and landscape. I also didn't want to give people the the idea that we are only interested in a narrow walk/stairs like this. But here it is:

I love the look of your house! What is the reasoning behind bumping out the front door like that?

benjesbride - Thanks! Bumping out the door is not a definite. We're exploring possibilities that might 1) add a roof over the porch, 2) make the front entry more prominent (one of the other renderings we've done added a vaulted gable there), and 3) expand the size of the interior entry way. Bumping out the front door gets at #3, and somewhat at #2. What do you think?

I wouldn't touch that front entry. I think it is perfect as it is. Honest. You'll need to get a landscape designer on the case, but I think a generous terrace with a nice, wide stair approaching the chimney from the street would be great. By having a large front patio you eliminate the need for a railing that kind of clutters up the front elevation. By moving the stair to the chimney, you're highlighting an interesting architectural feature and you also might be able to make the transition from the terrace level down to the lawn level a more gradual slope for plants.

Terrible attempt at a drawn explanation...

Thanks, benjesbride. That's exactly the kind of suggestions we were hoping this post would bring. We appreciate it!

Others - feel free to share additional ideas.

I looked for your old thread but could not find it. It seems you got a few good ideas then.

I would also discourage you from bumping out the front.

Why does the whole front need to be excavated?

Your house is really quite nice as it is. The only "flaw" I can see is the current stairs.

I don't even hate the piebald chimney, although I remember that others did.

I think the overall landscape needs some tweaking also but that would be after the hardscape is done.

You could plant something trailing to hang over the wall.

You mention the driveway but it is not visible Were you hoping to have a path to the drive? .

I don't remember if you said at some point ... have you considered reconfiguring the drive and bringing it to a higher level so that there isn't such a drastic elevation difference between parking and entrance?

Thanks for the sketch, emmarene. Yes, we are still building on ideas from the older post that you remembered! We will be excavating to remove a 1000 gallon oil tank that is buried in front of the existing porch - so at that point, everything is fair game. After the excavation and any remodeling is done, we plan to bring the driveway across the front and have the steps/walk meet up with it. Just curious - what is it that you don't like about bumping out the front entrance, and would you feel any different (either better or worse) if it were to come all the way out flush to the adjoining wall (the two-story section) as opposed to part way as shown in the rendering?

Hi Yaardvaark - yes, definitely planning to bring the drive up as high as possible now, though we are thinking we don't want it so high that it starts to block that lower-level window on the left.

ptreckel - thanks for the suggestions! Even now, there is no shelter over the front door/porch, and it's turning out to be tricky to add any with the existing hip roof to the left. Adding a portico or roof structure over the existing front door ends up creating a horizontal valley between that roof, and the roof on the left (not a good thing in upstate NY). If you notice in the rendering, the existing hip roof is actually expanded to provide the shelter over the front door. With the front door still at its original location, this ends up being a very long, narrow covered area that goes straight out from the door. That's when we started playing with bumping out the front entrance.

"... planning to bring the drive up as high as possible now, though ... we don't want it so high that it starts to block that lower-level window on the left."

Your problem with getting good feedback is going to be that you're starting this process without properly introducing people to the surrounding site. We have only a snippet of information ... more or less a theoretical house front. Not a complete front yard or a driveway or even a good picture that shows the land/house relationship. As it is, every solution offered is already limited by your own preconceived notions, which limit what you show us. We've been here before and didn't come to a conclusion that you got excited. The set-up now is little different. Whatever you do architecturally, outside of changing the main entrance to the basement floor, will make no difference insofar as solving the problem, which has not yet been clearly identified (the path from parking-to-front-door problem.) No one can investigate how changing the approach to the house might work toward solving your problem. Most other threads on the forum seem to reach a more or less successful conclusion because they involve a little planting or a simple problem. Here, the problem is much more complex, but the base information is threadbare. Like a newspaper that starts with the front page headlines, and then goes to article titles, and then on to elaboration of details, is how you should be presenting information. We should see the whole front yard at a distance, some sequential pictures that show the present approach, some wide span scenes (from slightly overlapping pictures) that show the area from at least 2, or maybe three different points of view, since there is topography involved. (Each point of view should be a complete scene ... not a disconnected picture.) A landscape architect could not assess and explore the issue with so little information to go on. I'm not trying to be a downer about your thread or issue, but trying to say if you want to be happy when you leave, you've got to produce enough information to work with.

lesp79 I share the thinking of ptreckel that the current door location is ideal and suits the architecture. The door moved forward screams Remodel. I would dislike it even more if the door was moved all the way forward. I also oppose it for financial reasons. You will only be gaining a few feet of space but it will be hallway, not usable space. I like hallways as much as the next person but I would not pay to enlarge mine.

Now that I've said all that I must say that you have a nice house and it will still be a nice house if you do the bump out. You are the owner so it is your choice.

Design Dilemma has many helpful contributors in the building profession. They have helped many people. They will not be inclined to help if you do not post more pictures.

Read this link to see how helpful they can be.