Not a pro. Just some thoughts.

Consider continuing the slope of the right side of the house until reaches a point at the ridge of the roof over the garage and left side of the house or until it "meets " the roof of the left side of the house behind the garage. Doing this could help you create a new covered entry and/or porch and/or courtyard -- with you deciding where you put any new front exterior wall(s), thus deciding what is new foyer and/or new porch and/or covered courtyard.

Just looking at the pic, it appears that elongating the right roof only could have the end of it "land" a few feet above the center ridge of the garage roof (and the roof of the house behind it). Alternately, you could extend both the left side of the left roof and the right side of the right roof and have the roofs meet in a ridge just to the right of the ridge of the garage roof.

Either could give your house a little more of an MCM vibe rather than a "ranch vibe.

If you wanted more of a contemporary vibe and a more usable social porch, you could add a 6'-8' deep front porch from the right exterior side of the garage to the right front side of the house, either by extending the new roof forward 6' -8' and by having the roof ridge located more in the middle of the house. the house. Or, in lieu of extending the roof forward 6'-8' forward, you could create that wide front porch with a shed roof from garage to the right front corner of the house ... buy add a small forward facing gable over the width of the entrance (what is now the courtyard).

If you roof over what is now porch/courtyard to create a new foyer/porch, you could create a new courtyard or front yard patio in front of the right side of the house to the right of what is now a sheltered walk path alongside the garage.

I love the courtyard idea. I would keep the red tree (Japanese maple?) but get rid of the green bushes (ligustrum). Pave the whole area in the recess and at least that deep. I would then build a low accent wall that could double as a bench and could have low annuals in it. No taller than 18” so it defines the space without creating a barrier. I would then punch up the landscaping on the right- taller and much more texture.

New garage door.
And lighting.
Beef up the posts. Maybe wood.
And then landscaping
Lovely idea with the courtyard in the front.
I think fire pit works better in the back tho...

Consider cladding your covered walkway posts and keeping the bird bath somewhere in your yard.

Like the Red Maple and, if you're not covering your current "courtyard", do keep it even if you move your current shrubs.

Consider putting the front wall of your courtyard in line with the front wall of your garage and adding a gate between garage and the first post of the sheltered walk. Then have your "L" shaped wall courtyard meet the left front corner of that right wing of your home. A solar light in the corner of that right front "L" would be worth considering.

Since that area to the right of your covered walkway is already nearly level, including all of it in your court yard should create an area large enough to invite guests to join you, especially if your side wall from the house forward as far as the right front corner of the garage either has built in seating or is the right height and width to double as seating. You could move your shrubs to below that right side wall -- save them but make more room, too.

Do let us know how your project turns out.

As you create the "floor" and walls of your new courtyard/patio, be aware of rainwater drainage issues, especially if your front door is barely a step above your courtyard/patio. While a concrete slab can have less maintenance issues generally, that is only true if they can slough off rainwater easily.

We added pavers in the courtyard with dwarf sweet flag in between pavers. I think above suggestions are good, but stop 1 foot shy of the corner of the house. Defintely square off the columns and beef them up. Good luck!

You've got the right idea by creating a welcoming social hub out front. Consider creating a multi-purpose patio with low plantings. Some examples are shown below.

A sunny spot to visit with friends, old and new! Variegated pavers make a seemingly random pattern feel easy and inviting.

This exploded flagstone patio with creeping thyme planted between the joints also has an informal appeal.

A small welcoming bluestone patio says "stay a while."

See more patio ideas on our websitePhoto Gallery.