-Off with the shutters & railing, which is probably not required since there's very little rise to the porch. If you legally have to have a porch railing then get wood railing and stain it to match cedar colored refinishing on overhang and new pillars as shown below. --Refinish the wood in a cedar stain. --Beef up the pillars and stain them to match the cedar (see below) --Paint the front door --Go to a small garden center and have them design a cottage garden for you. If you buy all the plants there, this can be done affordably and is a good time of year to do it. That way you'll have a garden in place for next year--shrubs, grasses, groundcovers, perennials. It could look gorgeous starting fairly soon. Look how open this porch is and how the plants enhance the house: - --When budget allows in the future and the garden is in place, install a stone walkway.

I'm guessing those corbels are decorative--in fact, your beams probably are. On second look, your beams really aren't THAT awful (they're darker and not orange like ours were), nor are the ones that run around the sides. I'd definitely take the corbels off though, and probably remove that skinny shelf next to the fireplace, and likely remove the grasscloth (we had that, too, only floor to ceiling and it was badly damaged). You might be able to paint the doors if they're smooth hollow-core (that's what we did). That will reduce the visual clutter, and then if you replace trim/baseboards with white (which I can't really see in these pictures) you may have enough of a new look that the beams are fine. Here's a "before" (well, middle, as the popcorn ceilings had been scraped) that shows how ghastly those beams were. I'll see if I can find an "after."

Our most valuable outdoor space is our covered patio. We're in the Seattle area, so any outdoor lounging time needs to be under cover. But San Deigo sun might call for full cover too? Our best outdoor furniture is a patio take on our favorite indoor furniture. Dining set for meals, Adirondack chairs for lounging with coffee or cold drinks. Gas grill for cooking. For the preference you're giving, I think your needs are an attractive covered area with lounge furniture (sofas/arm chairs) centered on a TV, a fridge for outdoor snacks and beverages, and a dining set. A full outdoor kitchen seems like overkill for how you live. I like the first rendering, but put a generous-sized dining set under cover where the kitchen is pictured. At the end where the rendering has bar seating, put a small linear cooking area with a grill, a gas or electric burner, an under-cabinet fridge, and a couple of feet of countertop on each side of the grill. And a full vented hood, to protect your roof and your lungs.

Good crystal balls are hard to come by these days. You might check with a Realtor to get their take on your specific location. I'm a big fan of Hardiplank - it looks great and holds paint (or prefinished) and will still in 10 years. I agree that you probably want to do what works for you now... not so much trying to predict the future sales trend. I also agree that replacement/update is always a good opportunity to consider an upgrade if there's a clearly established demand. However, most remodeling projects do not ever pay for themselves in resale value - and the more "custom" they are (expensive and tailored to individual tastes) the lower the payback.