I agree with jbantick. The stone in the outside area looks quite nice, but the area itself seems to be quite separate from the porch, which is a different colour and higher. It also doesn't seem to connect to the driveway area either, so it looks like a bit of an afterthought. Could you have the stone removed and kept, then dig up that whole area , probably bring in some new soil , add lots of compost, and create a garden with the beautiful birches as the centrepiece. The stone can be used as stepping stones through the garden, to join up the front path with the driveway. Shade loving plants will vary a little bit depending on where you are, some won't tolerate frost for example, but could include things like rhododendrons and azaleas and camellias. Also some ground covers like violets and cyclamen. There are also shady plants suited for warmer areas , which often have large structural leaves. Walk around your area and see what is used in similar areas to yours, talk to your local nursery people , and read gardening magazines. With gardens, a bit of hit and miss is normal, so don't worry if it doesn't work out perfectly the first time.

Love the 80' house, because you have a lot of sun to deal with a pergola from just above the front door running along the garage wall (minus the furniture) you could set a clear roof on top of the slats for shelter from rain. could even consider a similar pergola at a lower level running across from the front entrance and above the two front windows, these can be built to help block summer sun. Maybe render the garage wall to break up the brick and paint same as the garage door and timber above, this looks pale beige /grey, then this colour above windows remembering that window and door frames are cream, they can be painted. please keep the 80's door celebrate it.

This was my thinking about that pantry window (and there has been a lot of thinking, to my draughtie's despair!) : I guess it comes down to the fact that this is a renovation rather than a new-build, so it will always involve compromises. I chose to have the pantry on that front side rather than the back in order to get big stacking sliding doors across the whole back wall, which is north-facing - where the kitchen-dining area will open onto a deck. I have ensured that the renovation plan works with the current layout as much as possible, rather than forcing it to be something it isn't (I had a more complex design done initially, that was much more expensive, because it was trying to make the layout like you might see in a new build). Having said that, it also has to be functional and work for the lifestyle we have in this era. I think our floorplan achieves that - with the only minor point of contention now being that rather unobtrusive pantry window! I think for resale, and for the majority of people, if it came down to a choice between having a walk-in pantry with a window that isn't the same height/width as the others at the front of the house, or not having the WIP, the WIP would come out well ahead.

I would go different again , and do the deck on one level , BUT go over the existing step , the 'terrace' and the footpath . I'd possibly do a built in seat along 'this' near end , and you'd step off the deck down onto the grass , or the path on the right hand side . Brown is the traditional colour to paint your deck obviously , but looking at your colours ( I assume pic 1 was when it was rendered , pic 2 is the painting completed ? ) I'd be tempted to do the deck in a charcoal or even a darker silvery grey , AND the window sills in the grey too . Just my take .