The entrance to our home is horrific (on the inside.) You walk into a 4' x 5' area (when the front door is closed- when you open the front door you immediately loose half of this) where there are stairs (up to the main part of the home), a hall, and two doors. It's very crowded. For years we've tried to think of how to make this better, and we are planning to do a whole new entry that will make it like a split level- you will now enter on the platform landing of the stairs and either go up to the main part of the home or down to the first level. (The house is reversed due to the view out the back which is spectacular.) The rendering of the new entrance is not set in stone. We really wanted a double door, or one large door, to accomodate moving furniture in, with the landing being large enough to put some potted plants on. Our biggest concern is that the city will not allow us to put a covering over the new front entrance. This is in the southwest desert, and the front door faces indirect setting sun. Most wind and rain comes blowing at the back of the home. Should we scratch our plans for the new front door due to not being able to cover it at all? We plan on requesting a variance from the city (because I'm not sure why they would allow the stairs into the setback but not a cover!); if they approve the variance then what material would you cover this landing with, as I've not been able to source matching roof tiles anywhere?