Perhaps echo the roof above the second story in a wrap around that same corner of the building on first floor. Project as far as needed to cover porch if extended around building. Lose that single pane window beside front door and replace with double front door to relate to double window upstairs. This could provide for bringing in furniture and a more substantial entry. Porch or not, light from under overhang as the door will be protected but need illumination

aw, that's really too bad :( but as i sat here, trying to think of some clever advice for your porch, it occured to me that you hadn't moved in yet, and the first thing you wanted to change about the house was actually the first thing about the house: it's entrance.... it was a sign...... you're better off. no word of a lie, i almost wrote that it must be a bad omen, before i even read your update. all the best, you'll find what you're looking for :)

So disappointing, but I think these things happen for a reason.  You just haven't found your new home yet!

After a few trips to a new city we thought we found the home we wanted to buy, fix and flip.  After meeting the seller's price, etc. we got a call from our realtor as we were driving back home telling us the seller decided not to sell!  As it turned out, we bought a much better home in a much better location ... lake view and only a two minute walk to a public beach.  We have renovated this home (almost done) and are not flipping it.  We absolutely love the location, the property and the house.  Things usually turn out for the best, but hard to see it at the time of disappointment.   

Well....here's an update.

The company that winterized the house last fall went in yesterday morning and turned the water back on.  I guess they didn't bother hanging around to check anything, because we went by about 8 hours later and noticed water seeping THROUGH the walls and down the exterior of the house.  As it turns out, one little pipe under the sink in the upstairs bathroom was leaking.  It flooded the bathroom, hallway and part of the master bedroom. The water was running through the bathroom floor and pouring like a waterfall from the ceiling and light fixture in the dining room below onto the hardwood floor.  Then it was going through that and had, when we discovered it, left about two inches of water in the finished basement.  The place is a wreck and now needs to be basically gutted. 

So...with 8 days left before we move, the deal is off.  We're not buying a nightmare.

Thanks again for all your inspiring comments.  Hopefully we'll find another house we loved as much as this one...

I liked the idea of extending the front porch around the side of the house, til we realized that the fence on the side was designed to come off to accomodate RV parking, (which is a HUGE selling feature for most people in this area) and a porch would make it too narrow.  While we don't have any plans on purchasing an RV, we do need to consider that for future resale, as we'll probably only be in this house for 5 years at the most. 

I do like the idea of extending the porch at least to the outside edge of the house and widening the stairs.  A little creative landscaping would pull it together.  The first photoshopped picture I added is interesting, but offers little shelter from the weather.  The second one mimics the roofline from above and looks a little more balanced to me, although it wouldn't extend out much farther than a typical eave.

Thanks again for your ideas! It certainly helps getting other people's input!

Oh yeah...I mentioned putting a red door on it to my husband...and he looked at me like i'd just announced I was running away with the circus! ha.

A covered deck is going to be your best friend. I would start by building out the deck so that it is perpendicular and square to the side of the house, go beyond that second window to the left of the door. And build out the stairs. If you make the bottom step meet the door on the side of the garage, then you can build the deck out forward to give you more horizontal frootprint. I would also cut the railing on the right side of the stairs and extend them to meet the garage wall. You can then put a roof over it with a slight pitch. You definitley need to add some lighting, and a roofed deck would allow some nice overhead lighting. You will also want to consider a more contemporary door. Once you have the entry built out, adding some plants and small pieces of outdoor furniture will help you to define the space as "entryway".

The biggest problem is the door on the side of the garage. It is keeping you from building a deck out too far. If you decide you are willing to get rid of that door, that would be your best option. But I don't think it is necessary. I wish I could see more of the side of your house, becasue you may be able to build the deck out substantially on the side with a good design. That would give you more furniture space, if that is what you are looking for. It would be so much easier if I could post a picture of what I am talking about! Good luck!

From a personal stand point I would have a stand next to the door to set stuff down when you open it, I have a bench I use and find it very handy when my hands are full.  From a fengsuit perspective I would find a red door if you can, it brings good luck.  The current stairs seem at odds with the house because they are square and the house is not at that section, perhaps something with some curves to it.

Unfortunately, some northern areas of BC also got snow last night and today!  Will Spring ever arrive?!?!?  At least you know it won't be sticking around!

The new door you have picked out sounds very nice.  Here is a link for you to check out for an alternative type of door awning - http://www.instacanopy.com/.

By no means am I an expert, but from what I have read it is recommended not to make you garage door stand out.  Those in the know seem to recommend  blending it in so the focus is on your front door and making it the show piece.  I will be painting our garage door this year to match the rest of our house (ran out of warmer weather last fall).   Maybe consider painting your garage door the same colour as your stucco and then adding a big splash of colour on the front door. 

Trim is a great and inexpensive idea!  The door just looks so lost.  I don't think an awning would stand up to our  Alberta weather and high winds (we just got a foot of snow today! May long weekend! ACK!)  The door itself is in rough shape so it needs to be replaced.  We priced out a nice one today that has a narrow window in the middle that mimics the shape of the windows beside it.  Could look nice.  I'd paint it white to match the garage door. 

We love the idea of a pergola but weren't sure about angling it with the angle of the roofline or straight out or if it would look odd.  I worked this picture on Paintshop and removed the whole deck just to get an uncluttered look at it and that helped somewhat.  I like the idea of removing the railings and extending the stairs the whole width of the deck.  Maybe just use potted plants as 'railings'.

I can't tell from the picture as to how many risers on the stairs, but you may be able to rip off the railings and stay within the building codes.  Time and money permitting, I would then expand the deck by adding a lower level that steps down to the lawn and you could add some beautiful planted containers.  If this were my home I would look at installing an awning over the door made with Sunbrella or other long-wearing material.  I would add 4" SmartBoard trim around the door and I would just paint the door.  If you like contemporary finishings, you could add a stainless steel kickplate to the bottom of the door and then spend your money on a new door handle and outdoor light.  We trimmed out all our doors and windows and it made a huge difference.  We live in the Okanagan and I wanted to paint our door, but because of the intensity of the sun on our south facing door, I had to leave it plain white.  Looking forward to seeing your updates!

Adding a pergola that is bigger than the current porch would be a good compromise. You wouldn't have to tear out any walls, and you could grow vines or use canvas weaved through the top to provide some rain protection. It shoulld be pretty easy to add some large-scale trim around the door, or even some masonry work(bricks etc.) like the window above the garage, around it to make it stand out and fit in with the mediterranian style of the home. Can't wait to see the results! Post pics when you are done!