Take that hideous thing off .That is all wrong for that house and I have no idea what the reason was for it to begin.

I TOTALLY get that the round shape is not the right one with the house- 1927, eh? Yes the front landscaping needs a bit of help but that is a different matter and I am trying for sure- I have only had this for a year and the front had a ugly overgrown Juniper tree we just removed and the plants to the right are mine etc. Looking at houses here, I have always loved the Victorian look- wondering if I should go with that. Idk how much it would cost to replace the round shape with triangle. What that would entail etc.

Adding Victorian embelishments to your house would not be appropriate. This is a nice small brick ranch. Brick is an excellent exterior surface so you are really lucky there. There are so many things to spend money on when you move. If you haven't already, make a list of what you're interested in doing and prioritize it. The front porch may not be your first or even second priority. Most people work on the inside before getting to the outside. But when you can get to it, changing the front to be closer to the picture I attached earlier is a better idea than trying to make this house look Victorian. Please don't get a Victorian front door. :-) I don't know how much it would cost to change the front, and no one on this forum is going to know either because construction costs vary widely depending on your location and how busy contractors are. Sometimes they will bid something high because they are busy and don't really want to do a small job. Usually making a change like this when you're replacing the roof is the best time to do it. If it were me I would leave it alone until I could change it.

I’d recommend hiring an architect to redesign that entry cover and front steps to what has been recommended by @kandrewspa. It’s very wrong as is. Also no to Victorian. That’s not what your house is, so don’t try to do that to it. Respect the basic style and period of the home.

In terms of Victorian style I just meant some accent. Like the Victorian style shingles and the accent connecting the pillars to the interior roof of the portico. Idk if you guys can see my "wish list" but then you would have an idea as to what I'm thinking. I have redone the living room and it is much more beautiful than it was....this is a different matter. Anyway, appreciate the responses.

The round top is so bad that it's good. Work with it please.

If you like eclectic, one idea is to have a rotating decoration on that shingled area. Big pumpkin, heart, sun, snowflake. Lean into the odd. Especially as replacing is probably a longer term project.

I'm with your mom on the carpet. If the steps are in good shape, you can paint cement. Some of my neighbors have the risers only painted and it looks nice. I'm planning to do that when we paint the house.

Some options for your cottage.

Home Renovation and Addition in Decatur · More Info

Montlake · More Info

Norwood Residence · More Info

at first I was like WHOAH . but then I looked at the renderings people did and thought, well that looks shockingly boring in comparison. This is also an up angle so that is making it look more out there. Second thought is remove the entire structure and come back with an awning?

Just for fun: