Congratulations on your new home. Hopefully those with building experience will weigh in soon.

While we wait, in my honest opinion, I don’t think you have enough room to add, plus you have the roof line.

At this time, I would invest in landscaping and a new pathway up the front and side.

Here are a few different angles.

Congrats. Your cottage has potential.

For what is the small front room that appears to have once been a front porch now used -- is it an entry or now just an extension of the living room?

Budget and building codes permitting, consider extending the actual house roof -- the roof over the forward facing gable -- the upstairs gable roof -- and create a full width front porch at least six feet deep instead.

Your home is a narrower single family dwelling so one arch and steps likely would do instead of two shown in this pic.

https://prcno.org/history-uncovered-and-upcycled-during-familys-renovation-of-double-shotgun-house/

What's wrong with the siding? It looks fine in the photos. What about painting the stairs, railing and shutters black.

@shirlpp The siding is actually almost 15-16 years old and there is very little insulation underneath. There are also large holes that we have tried to fill for now, but they’re extremely unsightly. It falls off when the slightest windstorm comes around, too.

If you add an open front porch (via extending roof), your screened in front porch -- w/half wall -- could become your foyer, perhaps with a closet on each end. Everyone can use more storage.

@suezbell We do use that front room as a enclosed porch/entryway. It is closed off from the living room by a wall and the front door.

Are you planning to re-side? I would work on pulling up the walkway to the front and from the driveway. If you don't have the budget for a concrete walkway, you could do gravel and pavers. Then spray your house numbers black to match your light and so they show up better. I would also remove the window boxes. The landscaper may even be able to give you ideas about what to do for the porch.

I tend to think of a portico as a stoop on larger and more modern houses but go with what suits your lifestyle.

If your porch became your entry foyer, your front door wouldn't need room to open into your living room.

If you don't want to extend the gable roof

https://www.horseproperties.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Shotgun-House.jpg

then you could extend the lower existing shed/sloped roof (over your existing screened porch) pand create a front stoop/portico/porch across the front -- as wide or narrow as you choose -- rather than extending the higher gable roof.

https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/3/28/18285703/cabbagetown-home-for-sale-shotgun-bungalow-house

This shed roof has "hip" corners:

https://www.google.com/search?q=shed+roof+front+porch+shotgun+house&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiHj-3X5oTpAhXjm-AKHYfgAxUQ_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1366&bih=654#imgrc=AGE7GEa8yeq1LM

Either way, a porch is a great place to enjoy spring and fall weather.

Good luck on your project. Do post after pics.

Googled "portico" and this is what I got:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Portico&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQ-PPW6ITpAhVHdt8KHVXwDKMQ_AUoAXoECBMQAw&biw=1366&bih=654

Googled "front stoop" and this is what I got:

https://www.google.com/search?q=front+stoop&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXva366ITpAhVhdt8KHYq8BNcQ_AUoAXoECBIQAw&biw=1366&bih=654

Specifically like this roof that might work with your existing floor rather than building a "porch" in front of a porch:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/baseview-cottage-traditional-entry-detroit-phvw-vp~5312572.

First you have to focus on fixing what's broken. If the siding is in such bad condition that there are holes in and pieces are falling off, you might want to

reside the entire house. That will not be cheap, but it will give you an opportunity to add color and interest to the house.

@houssaon Hi! As of right now, several companies that we spoke with said that they will not be doing siding projects unless there is a hazard such as water. However, construction companies are still operating as essential and building. We were told that many companies may not offer siding throughout the summer unless the mandates subside and they do not want to side in the winter. We were told that it would be better to halt the project until next year. I don’t really want to wait that long for other projects.

I think that it would be very odd to add a portico to an enclosed porch.

If you want to add interest and make it nicer while you wait to reside the house, then get a new light (should be 1/4 to 1/3 the height of the door, yes, that large), higher contrast house numbers (you can barely see the current ones against the white), a new door if yours has the Victorian look (not appropriate for your house), make sure storm door (is that necessary to have for you?) matches the front door, install a much wider front walkway and I would replace the front steps since they look as if they belong on a deck, remove the shutters. I don’t have any ideas for the front asymmetry.

While you wait, plan your landscaping and your house color scheme. We chose a sage green with cream trim and widened the trim to add more interest.

What color siding were you considering?

Most important thing of all! Fix those stairs. They're dangerous. There needs to be railing on both the left hand and the right all the way down to the bottom step. As is, someone's gonna get airborne. People use rails to tell them where the stairs end, sometimes unsconsciously: no railing under your hand means you've got to the bottom. Also think night time, and navigating those things in the dark.

I would skip the siding for this year. Yep, COVID has wrecked many plans and anyone with a shred of sanity left is gonna be very impatient.

Take advantage of the lag time as you are doing by getting input on the overall look and feel of the home. This way, you won't have a piecemeal approach.

While you't thinking of appearances, include in your design a way to hid the garbage cans.

While you wait, fill those window boxes with bright annuals and load up the flowerbeds. Add more at the base of that telephone pole. Then execute the whole look and feel (except for the safety issue on the steps, which has to be taken care of ASAP) next year.

Also, do you have a photo of what you'd like to accomplish as far as a little roof over the entrance? That would help with this thread.

Here's a look I think you could work toward if you want to include the porch in your living area.

Napa - Third Street Farmhouse · More Info

This is a starter home - don't over invest.

Right now the stairs dominate the front of the house. I would change the stairs to go down to the driveway, remove the walkway from the center of the front yard and do some nice landscaping.

This would give you much greater curb appeal and make getting to your front door with groceries and other stuff easier. It will also hide the garbage can nook.

Congrats on your new home! Something like this, but with deck on both sides, would look so pretty :)

Starter homes today may be forever homes post Covid-19 et al. Plan for comfort now and resale later, but see what the next year holds before going overboard on the home.

The picture that Outshopping posted is what I was thinking would look nice, including going all the way across the house. The gray shutters and gray deck floor with white railing look nice.

In fact if it is not in the budget to replace the front steps now, just painting the existing steps and the burgundy shutters in the gray and white would make it look so much nicer. Right now the natural wood stands out in not a nice way, since it is the only wood showing.

Very nice cottage. You will love it.

Some idea

What some people call a portico and/or stoop and/or porch appears to vary a great deal. If the objective is to cover the entry, you can do that with an awning available in different materials and broad price range..

I'd suggest an aluminum awning and that you choose one wider than the door frame.

https://www.ebay.com/i/121873395115?chn=ps&var=420867446666&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=420867446666_121873395115&targetid=883687709934&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9011044&campaignid=9338046419&mkgroupid=103102861148&rlsatarget=pla-883687709934&abcId=1139336&merchantid=115042939&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6PTRpPGG6QIVyZ-zCh2E-Qw7EAQYBCABEgLlNPD_BwE

If you want/need more than that, unless this is a long term investment, save for will be a longer term investment or forever home. For now, consider the smaller roof suggested (via pi) by celerygirl -- perhaps extending it out over the steps as well as the stoop.

Unless the siding is damaged, you might consider painting it rather than replacing it.

Window boxes can hold moisture against your siding and window frame, potentially causing damage. Would remove them from the house ... but you could add them to horizontal rails between the posts on each side of your stoop.

Or option to go with white trim and charcoal/gray body. Some overhang as extension of existing porch roof.

Nailed it with this last one @celerygirl

Where do we find an awning like the one picture? Is it an extension of the roof that would have to be professionally built?

One piece of advice - pull the dirt and mulch away from the siding at the front and any other place that might be happening.

You would have to have that built. You need to have the gutters trimmed back and capped off and a second downspout run down the right side of the house. Then you'll have to have support posts put in for it. If you get any snow, you'll probably have to have footers put in first and run the support posts down to those to carry the snow load. The 4x4 posts are going to cut your windows in half view-wise. IMO, the better option is to run the porch all the way across, reroute the steps so they go down to the driveway, and then add the shed roof. Metal roofs like that hold snow. Then, when it warms up just above freezing, the snow comes falling off them. You don't want to be the person standing on those steps when a foot of snow comes rolling off the roof. Not to mention that dripping snow will land on your stairs and make them very icy. It's pretty but it's not practical. I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I know how dangerous that kind of set up can be.

I agree with Katin. Be very careful with any over hang.

Congrats on your first home! I enclosed my small front porch and the first thing I learned is that the building codes called for a 25' setback on the front of the house. So I was not able to build a roof over my steps. They said I could build a freestanding roof (sort of like the ones in one of the posts) as long as it was not attached to the house. Go figure!