I don't personally like side load garages because when you have guests, they have to walk around the entire front of the house (or around the garage that sticks out) to the front door. The front door then becomes a bit of a hike and less inviting. It also takes up a lot of room if you're on a wooded lot and you want to preserve the woods. The most efficient and logical garage is a front-facing garage attached to the home. Aesthetically it may not be the best option, but there are ways to vastly decrease the "impact" of it, such as not building a HUGE garage that is attached to the front of the house. A garage that goes into the house and doesn't make the garage protrude 22' out helps, or one under the main roof. Two doors instead of one also help aesthetically. I suppose the motorcourt appeal is that it saves room, such as with a side-load, but doesn't make guests hike around the house for the front door.

Thanks, teacats. If I go with a more casual style door, can I get away with only replacing the door and leaving the sidelights/transom as is? (except no storm door)? If its only the door, I can probably afford a nicer, heavier weight door, perhaps even with some wrough iron "hinges" and or clavos, etc. But will it look OK with the white trim sidelights? Or, would it be worth giving up the nicer quality door (but still more relaxed style than current)and replace the sidelights/transom to have the same wood look as the door? In other words, it would look more like one "unit" rather than door with sidelight/transom trim? If we go with the 2nd option we would have to put a fair amount of $ with the insurane money b/c the insurane company only pays enough to replace in the style we currently have, plus there was a deductible. I love the idea of window box on garage (and address numbers on house near front door), however, the house is dryvit and I really don't think there is a way for it to support the weight of a window box. Wah! And the main color is going to have to stay the light tan...no $$ to repaint all the dryvit and we just had all the wood parts (window trim, bay, soffits, etc painted white last year. My concern with painting the garage doors the same tan color, is that its going to be even more bland than what it is now and since its dryvit I don't have many option for jazzing it up with window box, etc. Any thoughts on painting the garage faux wood?? Big change, but with a new richer looking door and the brown of the copper roofs on the main part of the house, might this actually help the garage tie into the rest of the house...rather than something I try not to look at?! LOL example door, except this one has matching sidelights. If I go with a door this 'fancy" not sure I can affort to also replace the sidelights. Door itself might have to be downgraded

Can you draw a sketch of the layout? I'm not sure I understand when you say you want to move the front door to the front so you enter into the sunroom, but can't because the sunroom opens to another room. Or, are you thinking that you want to enclose the front door stoop, and move the front door out into that enclosure to face front instead of driveway? Your issue there would be zoning, if that kind of enclosed space is too close to the property line.

The only construction change I would make is to box in the stone posts. To my eye they look very odd - just random shapes of stone glued onto the posts. Larger light between the garage doors. Good ideas above. I would just paint the garage doors and trim, not add fancy windows to them. You want to draw attention to the right side of the house, not draw attention to the garage doors.