It is the ceiling and garden that are letting this picture down. The ceiling needs to be a colour that works with the colour of the bricks - currently it doesn't. The suggestion of the house numbers on the column is good - keep them big or you are wasting your time. But the garden is all wrong. The retaining wall is past its use-by-date and looks as tho it could be removed without the need to replace it. A garden of green would work without the need for any other colour as green against the colours in your home would work beautifully.

There's a lot of timber going on here with the floors and the door, I would avoid any more features in this room and add a narrow console as the previous owner did. Just think, you didn't notice the crevice when you viewed the property. A console is easy and inexpensive, it's also functional if you use it for keys etc. Sitting a large plant (or cut flowers if you can manage the upkeep) on the console will add some vibrant colour and the mirror will reflect it adding depth. A few other accessories will help to dress it up. Consider baskets under the console or something similar to hide the crevice and cover the vast mirror. Whatever you decide to do, I'd love to see an after photo!

Perhaps it is just the limitations of photography, but to me it seems really shut in and as though the trees are keeping me away/baring the door. I would not want to go and knock on that front door.

Thank you for your great ideas and photos. I love the concept and have been thinking about this idea also even a basic series of large timber frames to line the path. I really do need the shelter though so I pretty much want exactly what you suggest. A raised, almost floating verandah roof starting from the inside cutout of the roofline (to get height) and angled down to match the garage/stone wall but yes 600mm or so gap and say timber lined with nice chunky timber post or even stone based posts. My worry was would this look out of place in what is a simple country home and the best way to finish it off and "ground" the structure so it looks like it belongs to the original building. It is doable I'm sure but I don't want it to look odd either. The devil is in the detail so they so. Thanks again for your thoughts and ideas.