I love my house and neighborhood but the people who built it (in 1993) made some odd layout decisions and also cut a lot of corners in terms of construction quality. The windows are mediocre wood casement windows that are in OK shape (seals aren't perfect). I have never liked the way the house is accessed. The house sits on an elevated lot above a cul-de-sac. There is a curved drive to the right that provides access to a 2 car garage, so we access the house through the garage and up a wooden staircase - it is inconvenient and there is no "sense of arrival" at all. The front door is accessed via a narrow brick path from the right to left across the front of the house. The front porch has a full foundation underneath it, so we are planning to bump out a mudroom that will take up the right side of the porch (the right-hand windows along the porch are the laundry room). My dilemma is this: how can I improve the aesthetics, sense of arrival, and convenience of access without breaking the bank?