I wouldn't be so quick to rip out the yews. If you do all new plantings they will the be only mature plants and so will give your new landscaping some heft right off the bat. I might prune them differently, but I wouldn't take them out.

I'm no great whiz at this, but I think I would keep the plantings low going from yews to driveway; I'm thinking you should have enough sun for some of those very cool spreading or layering junipers that look like they are flowing down the slope.

This is definitely a house that could use some foundation plantings, and the conditions should be good for Rhododendrons and some of the other classic evergreens such a boxwood and, heaven help us, more yews! There is a lovely cultivar called Taxus baccata Repandens that spreads nicely and has lovely deep green foliage; also consider plum yews (Cephalotaxus) which have more weeping shapes and might look nice. I'm picturing softer, flowing shapes to offset the boxiness of the house, punctuated with some height of course, and extending a ways out to the side to meet with those evergreens on the left.

But I would also tend to make the rest of the landscape a better setting for the house, creating a bit of a woodland or shrubbery that the house can nestle into. That doesn't have to be much, maybe just a grouping of three to five shrubs or small trees out near each front corner of the lawn. If you are a keen gardener, you could go further with a little conifer garden out there, but it can be quite modest and still have an effect.

Thanks for your reply. We ripped out many overgrown and not well maintained shrubs. It is kind of difficult to start over with smaller shrubs, but the others really did not appeal. It is hard to see in the picture but the yews have have dead spots and we trimmed the bottoms because it was all dead branches. They are also right against the sidewalk so they are trimmed flat along that side. In that space near driveway I am thinking of a shrub & perennial garden, keeping the shrubs low, we kind of like the openess of it now. And having a few ornamental grasses and taller perennials for height.
But I think I am mostly worrying about what to put at the corner of house and next to doors.

I wouldn't use anything tall and narrow for the areas flanking the door. Use plants that are rounded overall and no taller than the foundation. Shorter plants under the lower level windows unless you don't mind blocking the light, and gradually taller as you get nearer the outer ends of the house.

If you reach into the yews with pruning shears and snip out branches to let some light into the interior of the plant, you'll get new growth in there that can eventually take over as you gradually remove the longest branches, a bit every year. You'll eventually have a smaller, more naturally shaped plant without having to start over with tiny transplants. Shearing makes the foliage thickest on the outside of the shrub and shades out the bottom and interior, resulting in what you now have. Hand pruning is a better method.

Saypoint, thanks, I was thinking rounded shrubs by the front door would look better. I'm thinking of some pavers in front of the "stoop" to expand it a bit. But I think the yews will have to go. Thinking of a short type hedge to run along curve of that bed, and then just fill in with some evergreen and deciduous shrubs, some perennials and ornamental grasses.

Obviously, you love ornamental grasses, but if you put them on an east or north-east exposure, they may not love you. Start with one or two; don't go too nuts -- they might not get enough sun, so you don't want to be experimenting with a big investment.

Improve your soil and whatever you get, you need to water regularly (at least 20 minutes of gentle watering every three or four days unless it rains) so you won't have bad spider mite infestations and so azaleas can thrive in what should be perfect light conditions for them. Don't plant shrubs right up against a tree trunk, of course -- they need room for their roots to grow and get water. Hollies and yews should be easy-care, so if they are not doing well for you, examine the soil and your watering schedule.

I would put some lovely small ornamental trees -- one, two or three -- near the front door. Try amelanchiers (serviceberry trees) or a cercis. You will get a bit of uplifting height with those slender trunks; the foliage on those is mostly airy and up top. Flank those with Japanese maples -- simple, green viridis -- or part-shade shrubs with lacy foliage... perhaps that newer cultivar of sambucus -- what is it called, 'Black Lace'? 'Black Beauty'? Something like that. Anchor with (evergreen) rhododendrons and/or azaleas, perhaps some mountain laurel (kalmia) or very late-flowering camellia. Tuck a few hydrangeas behind the lower evergreen shrubs. Perhaps also a viburnum or three, but only if it can get some sun.

Perennials: hellebores, hostas, epimediums, bergenia, brunnera.

Bulbs: ipheion, chionodoxa.

Groundcovers: lamium, asarum europaeum.

Annuals: impatiens, of course.