Build an ideabooks with pictures you like, so we can see your taste.

Light dark natural modern classic steel wood vinyl horizontal vertical smooth textured location climate and more of these question related words.

Small start.. Too many options..

Improving shape of the house,add a porch.

We are in rural South Dakota. Cold winters, hot summers, and very windy!!! Not necessarily looking for something useful, just curb appeal.

These are some styles I'm thinking about. Do you think any of them would work?

New windows and siding could make a big difference in how the house looks. Do you have a style you are going for?

All of the images that you have posted have doors near the center of the elevation.
Your door is off to the side so the porch would be offset if you choose to do a small porch.

If you do a porch across the entire front of the house (as I posted previously ) it won't matter if the door is off to the side............

Find a local architect to do some sketches for you of options. These should include a roof plan on how the new roof will connect to the existing.

You could copy either of the two images that I posted and they will work with your house....

We are looking at the front of the house in your picture, yes?
Would it be an option to move the door to the side of the house?
Or a bit further towards the left, so it's more centered between the corner and the windows?
This way there would be more visually balanced possibilities when adding a porch/deck.

Different color siding, door moved left, darker concrete and gutter, removed shutters, replaced window on the left for the same height as the other.
Just to show you the effect of some changes.

Thanks Rinqreation! Those small changes are a wonderful start! We were thinking we would move the door. It's amazing what that did for it!

Is there software I can use to play with my image? Anything you would recommend?

I use Gimp, a freeware photoshop, but it has quite a big learning curve. Some paint brands have a color tool on their website. I never use them, so can't advise you on that one.

So much potential, so many options.

Consider a porch that wraps around on the right side of the house to cover the first window. This looks to be the primary approach and parking area, and the large wall could be enhanced with some additional structure. You would welcome your guest, and lead them around to the front door.

Instead of moving the door, consider replacing with a door and sidelight, or sidelights. As is, the door looks lonely.

The walls are flat and uninteresting. You might create a small bump out -- 4" or so, at the left end of the house, so the room on that end would visually extend out from the house just a bit. You could use a different pattern of siding here. This would help balance a porch on the opposite end of the house.

Old picture showing idea viewed fron side. Your front door would be around the corner on the left.

Ppf...I really like that idea! Thank you!

South Dakota! I owned property in Missouri and found the gusty wind, with its shifting directions, blowing snow and rain, and ice formation to be inconvenient and uncomfortable. A porch could really upgrade the quality of day-to-day life if it would break the wind, give a place to clean your shoes, and safely enter and leave the house with a reduced risk of falling on the ice.

Do you have an entrance hall? If not, an addition on the front of the house where you can put on your snow boots and hand up your coat would be really useful. It would require a deeper home addition: part for the porch, and part for the entry hall.