Looks like i am going to repoint the brick facade and would like to put a decorative cornice to cover the plywood.  

Our building is on the Main Street and we are replacing the facade windows with casements.

We'd do a large rehab (not gut but pretty darn close - all new kitchens, baths, moving a wall here and there, roof, facade, flooring, etc.) and are considering creating a reverse layout in the top unit so that we can keep it a legal 2 bedroom as opposed to a legal 1 + den.

@Kathy Henley Is this a solid brick building or just a brick facade?

The only major expense that I am aware of is that the fake concrete "stone" facade is pulling away from the brick wall at the front of the house.

So it's a masonry building wih brick load bearing walls or wood frame with a brick facade?

I also got a notice from the city inspector that the facade of the building is not 'up to par'. 

Over the cobblestone on the outside was a 1/2 inch thick facade that looked like a block foundation (purely aesthetic).

Hi Kim,The house is screaming for a proper proper porch/entry with a portico... it would completely transform the front facade and give the house some much-needed curb appeal.That said, with your extremely limited budget, the next best solution would be build a MUCH bigger wood porch over the existing one (no demo cost, and it's below the entry treshold) that extends a few feet farther into the yard from the house, and if you can afford it, to the far right small window.Either way, build two simple fat columns at the corners of the porch that would be about a foot higher than the railing, and positioned just outside the two smaller windows flanking the entry door.Then, paint the entry door a deep, very rich burgundy.It probably would exceed your super-tight budget, but would absolutely be worth the investment.

How large are the windows, what is the facade material, and will they be operable or fixed?