I agree that in order for the house to look welcoming, the way to the front door must appear visible. There needs to be a spacious landing the full width of the porch. The walk needs to be least 4' wide, and 5' is OK. Walks can be widened and decorated at the same time by adding a border of brick (an 8" strip) running along each side. (If the walk is too close to the home, I would not add a strip of brick on the side that makes it even closer.) If there is too much to be changed, it might be better to demolish the old walk and create a new one. I would not run a second walk straight out unless there is NEED for it. As far as making the scene look cozy, there needs to be no spaces that should be filled with plants, left empty. The obvious one is along the wall with two windows. There should be some shrubs growing below the windows. The next place is below the purple-leaved tree. A circular bed of groundcover would enhance the scene. If we had a wider view, we might see something similar is needed at the right half of the yard. Achieving coziness is not helped by letting things become untidy. The lower branches on the trees are impeding the view of the house and the canopies need to be lifted and tidied up. I think the house would become very plain looking without the shutters. They're an important trim piece. With modern windows, we all know no one actually uses shutters for storms, and that they're just decorative. So they don't need to close -- or even look like it -- in order to be valid.

We purchased our home 7 years ago and just yesterday removed all of the bushes. we want to add a front porch patio style but will likely keep the small porch roof in the picture. any suggestions?

Your front door doesn't need to be centered in your front porch. Remove the bushes from and dig out the ground left of the sidewalk, tossing the dirt over to the right side. Build your front porch the same width as the cantilevered two story part of the home and at least eight feet deep with a forward facing gable roof with its point between the two windows. Use thick sturdy posts.

Janie, Thank you for the kind words. The purpose would be a nice place to sit and enjoy sunsets or otherwise hang out. I was thinking of extending the concrete a little and making something go from end to end. Maybe a couple chairs or a swing. Not sure of material, I just wanted to get some ideas. Haven’t thought of a budget.