This option has a happy little paved path straight to the front, with a trellis covering a front patio area between the driveway and front door. Notice the rooster guarding over the front door!
This one was my version of Cheryl's idea. Its a little more confined with a little wooden fence blocking out the space where you'd sit in the evening shade and sip your lemonade. The patio space will be a little bigger, being able to fit your, and another family comfortably (comfortable furniture not shown). The front walkway curves around to the driveway instead of going straight to the street, keeping visitors away from the direct front of your house, in case people from the street want to take pictures. To many people on the front walk can ruin pictures of houses, So I've averted them all to the driveway. It makes more sense cause there's always plenty to do in a driveway for people and cars. You'll notice a few ideas sketched on top of each other. Sorry about that, but the ideas were gushing out of me, I just had to get them onto paper! Oh, and none of these are to scale.
This is another one of my brilliant ideas. I was thinking to myself, what would I do, and I also thought on what Jacob & Austin might like. And yes, they both kind of remind me of pirates. Jacob would have the eye patch and the parrot, as where Austin would have a monkey and a striped shirt with the triangular hat. (remember the movie Swiss Family Robinson? The kid there and Austin are almost identical.) This idea was solidified as we were in Ft. Bragg, and they both desperately wanted to go to Capt. Jack's, the local pirate bar/pub/grill. As you see, part of the hull opens up to let you into the front door. You don't want visitors? Don't worry, they won't be able to even fine the front door! Waiting for house guests? send one of the kids up to the crow's nest and have them be a lookout! The driveway is cut in half and forms the drawbridge that allows people over the moat. The moat would encircle the house. On hot days the kids could swim laps in it! And then they could swing from mast to mast. Sure neighbors might call you 'Noah' as you're building it, but just think of the fun you'll have with the end result! And hey, if there is another flood, who will be laughing then! ha ha!
Here are a few other sketches on a smaller scale. The ship idea, then smaller patio on top, followed by a simple archway over the front door. Then on the bottom I figured you might like the facade of your house to look like our apartment building, so that's what the bottom is. Just throwing it out there.
Last but not least we have the Cathedral plan. With this option I wanted to turn your front hall & living room into something majestic. You will be forming your own gateway to a medieval history. The space would go 3 or more stories up above your house proper, and brilliant light would trickle in through the large stain glass windows. Most of the existing house would be engulfed inside of the Cathedrals Flying buttresses. The footprint of the house would act as the transept of the cathedral. The only problem I can foresee is that large stone enclosures are typically loud and everything echos a lot. I didn't see anything else like it in your neighborhood from the maps I looked through. And it will definitely be the house on the block that everyone will be jealous of. You can see I sketched the front, the floor plan, then the side of the cathedral, so you get a sense of its grandeur from all sides.
