Hi, I’m just getting started and decided to begin with my neighborhood.
While adding some houses, the front door is sometimes not obvious and so I thought it would be a good idea to add this on the map, including walk ways - is this usually done for single family houses or is the “entrance” meant more for public places?
This house also has a side door (green) and garage door (orange) that I noticed I could also mark. I added the dashed pathway and driveway. Am I on the right path?
Adding this kind of detail is fine, though typically access=private is applicable to such objects
Unless anyone who wants to knock or park on driveway is entitled/welcome to do so. But it is really rare, I think.
Typically only welcomed people are supposed to do so (including people delivering packages etc).
The question is how useful is to add such data, maybe mapping something else would be more effective. But you are not obligated to do the effective thing.
yes, it is meant more for that but it is acceptable to map also for houses
Thanks, that makes sense: the purpose should be to help others identify public information, but it can help in some private residence questions for locating things, if I understand correctly.
It is especially useful when access to house is not from the apparently closest street. This gives hint to users, including routers, about proper routing.
It is especially unhelpful when private shortcut (when house has exits to two different streets) is mapped as a public one.
Yes, it is fine to map these things.
Consider adding the entrance=home tag to the node at the front swing door connecting the building=* way to the “front walk” highway=footway way (which can be additionally tagged footway=residential!), and the entrance=garage tag to the node at the overhead door connecting the building=* way and the highway=service+service=driveway way 
