Would you be up for a concrete and brick walkway replacing the left edge of asphalt? Give the existing shrubs a serious haircut. Could all or part of the rear wall of the carport be removed to allow more light in?

Totally agree about the landscaping. Asphalt is under the carport so is quite dark.

Better light and an interlock path is a good idea. Unfortunately the back wall must remain as half of it is the back of the house.

landscaping and driveway would be first on the list. hard to see what's going on wn/the hosue since those shrubs cover all of it. they really need to go. all of them.

If you can swing it, remove ashpalt and do something else. anything.

this would look cool. the larger blocks of concrete w/pebbles in the joints. if you can demo a lot of whats there and help w/setting up the forms, you'd save a lot of money

if not, see if you can get the asphalt redone, or at least cleaning up.

consider painting inside the carport to lighten it up, replace the doors, find a spot for the trash cans.

gravel carport is another option

Or, if you have the funds, enclose it.

this example is really close to your model home:

at the minimum, do your yard like shown here,

or this one:

why not look at pictures of mcm 60's homes redos? you'll get more ideas

all of these yards, home modifications would be great w/your house.

These are great ideas and photos. Thank you so much.
Having the front door inside the carport was a strange design idea. Definitely needs some work to make it more inviting

Cute house!!! I would remove all the shrubs and hose down the driveway. You need a light close to the door and a bright welcome mat. The house numbers should move onto the house next to the carport. Once you get the shrubs out, post more pics with the sun shining onto the front of the house, and turn on all lights in the carport and take pics in there.

Remove the giant shrubs. Paint the interior of the carport bright white. If budget permits, add a skylight or solatube in the carport. If that's not in the budget, add a few solar lights where the small solar panels to run them are mounted on the roof. Then add a "Welcome" sign on the front of the house on the side of the carport where the entrance is. Lots of choices from novelty, farmhouse, traditional, craftsman and so on. https://www.houzz.com/products/query/welcome-sign

Welcome Sign, Large, Pinecone · More Info

Could you replace the back doors and far wall of the carport with something translucent (ie glass or plexiglass panels), or maybe even some midcentury ‘breeze blocks’ with the cool geometric designs? Agreed on pruning shrubs and doing something with the driveway- maybe a brick walkway next to asphalt to signify the path to the entry? I like the pavers idea also, but assume you are in a snowy climate which may complicate things.

What's your budget? If you want to replace the asphalt with some other material, then let's start with at least $10K. But, there are a lot of things you can do that will make a much bigger impact for less. Asphalt can be painted. If you want to brighten the carport that might be the way to start. You probably wouldn't have to do the driveway if you brighten that area in other ways. Do you normally park cars in the carport? If so, I wouldn't worry about the asphalt in the carport, you can't really see if if you park in there.

I saw some nice stone peeking out of the shrubs so I mocked some up on your house. Here's what I'd do. Take out the shrubbery, expose the stone, change the front fencing to something more in line with the era of the house and then photograph and repost for ideas of how to landscape to direct people to the front door.

If you don't use the carport, then make it more of a courtyard by adding a low structure (that can be swung open if necessary) to create a "front door."

The whole exterior of the house would benefit from a good cleaning. Landscaping should be redone. Could the entry of the house be moved to the front without giving up too much? That's my best suggestion for taking care of that problem.

Moving the front entry is not an option

How much of a budget are you working with?

Can you do ANY DIY?

What is the style you like? do you want to go w/more of a mid century vibe?

Decide those first, then get rid of all that landscape and start from dirt.

imagine a wood gate on either side of your yard, but here's how I'd do the yard, somewhat. the stones, the low plants, some grass, here's what concrete would look like on the left

Personally, I'd go w/either of these yards. the concrete 'steps' can be DIY'ed for next to nothing.

There is no way you could enclose that carport and make a garage or even an extra room?

For the carport, lots you can DIY. check out some of these ideas

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/asphalt-carport-makeover-diy

here's one w/the door on the side. get a mcm door and consider painting all of the stone/brick on the home

painting all of it white, hanging a light in the middle will be a start.

The addition of the wood siding/planks would look cool if going w/the mcm style.

bring in wood gates, mcm style doors, address,

Here's one w/a carport, wood slat, aqua blue house, cement stepping stones and gravel

call in an asphalt company and see what they can do to what you have. adding a gravel or cement border would give it more of a finished look

Some great ideas here. The entrance being at the side, in the carport no less, is a very strange design concept but one that unfortunately cannot be changed with our budget.

You might consider a row of path lights along the left side of the driveway, that would act to guide guests when they are expected. Hard to take advantage of the usual clues like painted door or flower pots, unless you can put something bright to the far side of your door inside the port.

As others have said -- paint the inside of the carport white and then install one or two hanging lights (maybe the classic MCM hanging globe lights). Depending on the width of the existing driveway -- maybe you could tear the asphalt out and replace the left 3-4 feet of the driveway with something like bricks or pavers to form a walkway from the street to the front door, so that it's obvious that this is the way to the front entrance. Then the right side of the driveway area and the remaining part of the carport could be poured concrete that is wide enough to drive a car into the carport. Remove the existing shrubs and grass, level the dirt and plant smaller shrubs and flowering plants. Maybe @DigDoug has some suggestions??? I don't know how to get him onto this thread but he usually has great ideas that could serve as an inspiration. Great project with a lot of potential!

Unsure of your budget I will give the most simplest and budget efficient suggestion:

*ADD BISTRO LIGHTS UNDER THE CAR PORT. TIP: Point them in a < direction towards the door. Do NOT place them horizontally to run in the same direction of the car port. Makes it seem like a “dead end”.

*REMOVE the two shrub with the X on them.

*IF / IN the case that you have more of a budget the most impact (in addition to the bistro lights and painting your door a night bright or light color):
REMOVE ALL THE SHRUBS, if privacy is compromised then add thinner skinnier plants, def paint the brick white or a different color.

Very good ideas