Agreed. We used to follow all of the litigation over unapproved architectural changes in Arlington, VA (since we also lived in an Historic District), and you must work through your commission. Obviously, they'll let you do work (like your front porch roof), but they want to approve any exterior changes (like removing the roof or expanding the porch). A change in color (maybe a darker grey) with a bit of gingerbread'ing trim would be nice. There are a couple of neighborhoods in Falls Church, VA which exemplify embracing period architecture.

another agreement. we live in a historic district, and when we wanted to add a room on we hired a design/build firm that the owner used to be on the commission. our plans passed at the first meeting, when submitted.

our neighbors used a brand x design firm, and after 9 months and multiple submissions, each time with a new set of plans (that they had to pay for) they gave up.

their plans always looked historic, but not actually right.

as far as adding gingerbread... we arent allowed to add anything that documentation doesnt show was once there originally. as a result, when we have the house repainted i have to remind the painters not to remove the existing shutter holdbacks, although we dont have shutters. they are proof the house used to have shutters, so we can add them down the road if we like.

in general, begin by planning to kiss up to the folks on the commission. some (not all) are petty tyrants who like to say no. once you are on their good side things go much easier. our first project was to remove 70s era aluminum combination storm windows to replace with all wood 2 over 2s. needless to say, they loved us.

we only have a few rock faced cement block homes in our area, but many many garages were built in that style when cars 'came into fashion'. so you'll see a standard victorian home with a stand alone garage built that way in the back yard. also, a lot of foundations were built that way and then homes were moved on top of them, as main streets became more commercialized. (funny to think, in the late 1880s/early 1900s, it was cheaper by far to move a house than to tear it down and build another some place else.)

so its all when your neighborhood was built out. my town is full of victorians. one town north, true antique colonials. one town west, tudors. (mid 1800s, mid 1700s, and 1920s)

don't feel bad about your homes building material, is what i'm trying to say. its authentic and honest. more so than people putting farm sinks in suburban houses!

I think it looks pretty nice. I even like the white with the dark-framed windows -- am suprised that you could have those large windows in the bay zone under the guidelines!

If you want to change the rock facing to something else, you just need the commission to give you a list of approved materials, and/or a list of other houses you can look at. If you like one of those better, then nobody will keep you from spending the money!

As for the porch, I suspect your biggest barrier will be required set-backs: the only real place to wrap is on the left, which is pretty close to the street already and may not be allowed to go 10 feet further in that direction. There could well be historical regulations about porches, but I'd do a quick zoning search first, as it could save you a lot of fruitless planning.

First Last:

It's going to be much easier to change your attitude toward your home's history than to change its looks. Covering that stone-faced block would be criminal; it's bad enough it was painted.

You may poke around in your yard for evidence of a previous porch foundation; that's huge undeniable evidence to the commission that a restoration would be historically accurate.