The house was in the best street, the pictures were immaculate... heaps of people came to view ....the moment you reached the front door the smell of curry was so strong that some people started coughing. I was not deterred and inspected the entire house and it was even better than the pictures but the smell of curry was extremely strong in open kitchen area. Apparently it is almost impossible to get rid of the smell once it's that bad without major work.

Definantely keep the old garage, it's been there much too long to be considered illegal, your neighbour would also love the privacy it provides to both of you, we have a similar one next to our pool, we love it. Agree some gardening and clearing away some old bits and pieces. Just attaching a couple more photos, don't throw the plants away just repurpose them. the first photo is of a builders house, he used the existing garage as a games room with added pergola over original driveway, a second carport is off to the left looks brilliant (they get quite a lot of sun on this side). The next two are before and after shots of a mid centuary house similar to your's, the last photo is of our current house, flat roof garage is hiding solar panels, we have changed the colour pink to a more original one, grey green.

Is there enough depth to allow for a carport/garage straight in on the brick paved area, this would be better use of the space, perhaps reuse existing carport but allow for light between the new carport and the building. You can use the large timber and metal auto sliding gate/fence that slides to the right side of the front boundary, you can have a smaller gate within this to allow pedestrian access to your front door, or have a separate entrance to the front door on the right hand side of your property.

You probably don't need a permit to put a garage door on the existing carport (assuming it was installed with council approval) but I would call the local council just in case there are any local planning, heritage, or visibility regulations. If not, you can get a quote directly from a garage door installer. It is likely going to cost you a lot more to alter & extend the existing carport roof "slightly forward". An extension is highly likely to need council approval if there are block coverage regulations i.e. what % of your block can be covered by structures. A reputable carport installation company should be able to design and provide extension plans for council approval. You don't need an architect. For a new door, you will need at least 150mm of side-room on each side of the opening for the door tracks to be bolted to. A 150mm infill jamb is definitely required on the house side. Your photo didn't show the boundary side of the carport but likewise 150mm will be required. For a sectional/panel type garage door, you will need a clear 200-250mm (depending on the manufacturer) minimum headroom from the top of the carport opening to the lowest point of the roof structure i.e. check for lights, rafters, and steel beams on each side of the carport up to 3m into the carport. The motor will require a powerpoint on the roof that is at least 3.5m into the carport and at least 350mm offset from the centre of the carport opening. Then you will need to decide on the colour and style of the panels.