My daughter is in school over in Georgetown, so she's practically a neighbor. If you're on an unlimited well, then you can have awesome St Augustine. As long as you (1) give it a full inch of water once per week in the hottest heat of summer, (2) mulch mow every week or so at your mower's highest setting, and (3) fertilize it regularly, then St Augustine will choke out the bermuda and other grassy plants. If you want quick results I would suggest using alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) as your only fertilizer. The application rate is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Put some down now and in 3 weeks your grass should be coming in just in time for the fertilizer to go to work. Organic fertilizers take a full 3 weeks to see results, but your grass has not started growing in yet for the spring, so timing would be perfect. For fastest results, repeat this monthly for the first few months. Then, if you want to and can afford to, continue monthly through the summer. Or you can skip summer and wait until Labor Day to hit it again. But if you use that for 3 months, the grass should become much more dense by June. Spreading will seem slow in the summer and then leap again in late September or early October. Deer resistant plants are only resistant until the deer get too hungry. Too many deer make them hungry. alternatives to grass on large acreage accent lighting in trees arbors (for vines) bamboo beds (perennials, annuals, bulbs, herbs, ferns, roses, hostas, container plants, rock, and fruits). bee keeping benches butterfly garden decks decorative gates (may be free standing) dog run or kennel edibles (veggies) fences (accent) fences (privacy) fountains fragrance garden gazebo greenhouse ground covers hedges herb garden hot tubs hummingbird garden Japanese garden jogging track moon garden (plants and lights for night time viewing) orchard ornamental grass garden other groundcovers out buildings (like sheds) outdoor theater overhead sunshades parcours (exercise stations) parking area party room (free standing for games, theater, pool table, etc.) patios picnic or barbecue area play yard for children ponds or garden pools pools potting bench or shed putting green rock garden rolling hills rose garden screened rooms (free standing) screens (foliage hedges or growing on a wire mesh) sitting or reading area sports courts statuary steps storage buildings sun room (free standing) swimming pools tool shed topiary trees (shade) trees (accent or decorative) tulip garden vining plant garden walkway (formal paved) walkway (informal path) walls (retaining) walls (accent or decorative) wildflowers Zen garden

You've done a ton of work! It looks great. What a transformation. I agree with Keesha that the left corner needs more oomph to complement your lovely stone entry. Is that one of your weigelas planted there? If so, that will eventually fill that space nicely, but a climber would be a good temporary addition. Another suggestion would be to use wider shutters, if the budget allows. If you don't like all the hostas in front, you might try moving some of them under the evergreen. The continuity throughout the two beds would be an added bonus. My hostas are planted with Coral bells and it looks nice. Also Brunnera goes nicely with hosta. Mine tolerant relatively dry conditions once established. I would really focus on the two beds you want to join. You will be amazed how much your new plantings will grow in the next year or two and then you can divide and move things around as you please. In the meantime, you'll have built the structure and bones of your garden. I know it's hard to be patient. I'm living in a new to me house too, and I want everything done now! But I'm just blown away by how much my plantings from last year have taken off. It's giving me all new ideas about where to move things to and shape new beds. One thing I am glad I did was to visit the nursery often last year. I was kicking myself at the time for all those impulsive purchases of lovely blooming things I really didn't need. But now, I'm patting myself on the back. It's making for a lovely succession of bloom. As one thing fades, another is coming in to its glory. So that worked well. Even though I ignored all the common wisdom about having a plan and limiting my choices. :-) Enjoy creating your garden - you're off to a lovely start!

Hi Florantha! My main concern was how the small tall kitchen just dropped after the end run before the nook, which was bothering my eye. So, I came up with a cheap solution that I think works. As I did not want window treatments I just did a skinny simple moulding piece above the three windows painted the same color as the uppers. Now my eye moves around the room better and the pitched height above is a non issue to me now. That little project took a little longer than I thought but IâÂÂm done. http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20progress%20pictures/?action=viewät=nookandabovewindows011.jpg" target="_blank"> This is the wall IâÂÂm not sure what to do with. It looks into living area. I just stuck one of my unfinished paintings up there for now. I donâÂÂt feel like having my art there so IâÂÂm looking and will know it when I see it. See my little nook husband made? I can now get my tea stuff off the counter (LOVE). http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20progress%20pictures/?action=viewät=nookandabovewindows004.jpg" target="_blank"> http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20progress%20pictures/?action=viewät=nookandabovewindows006.jpg" target="_blank"> We finally finished the peninsula, just needs another coat of paint. I didnâÂÂt want big corbels for supports so we just hollowed out pieces of standard moulding that matched the doors on upper spice pull-outs and angled off at end. I took this picture to show but I was located on the floor. You can not see the under side brackets unless you are on the floor. Cheap and cheerful! http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20progress%20pictures/?action=viewät=countersupportsandboyspicture001.jpg" target="_blank"> http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20progress%20pictures/?action=viewät=countersupportsandboyspicture006.jpg" target="_blank">

You should paint the gutter downspouts to match the brick. With white window trim, it seems unnecessary to paint the white fascia and white horizontal gutter. If the well and septic tank are NOT being used, they'll only be a potential impediment to your digging not a prohibition of it. If you run into an unused well or septic tank pipe, you can simply cut through it. Electrical wires would be a different issue. Rather than a "patio" against the house, you might well be better served to create a front porch all across that "area under question" between the two front wings of the home -- a porch that you can use by exiting via the front door rather than adding a new forward facing door. Even if you stay with the patio idea rather than creating a wide front porch, resist the temptation to add a second forward facing front door to your home. If you create a patio beside your front porch, make it larger than the "area" of loose dirt and don't limit it to a rectangle against the home. A larger window in the dining room might, however, be worthwhile -- perhaps even a different kind of window if you want to create a pass thru to your porch or patio. Remove the loose soil -- what appears to be rich planting soil -- from that "area" (to be repurposed for either filling in a low place or to be used in a raised flower bed elsewhere). You want to have hard ground and stable rock beneath your new porch or patio. For a porch, if you choose a treated deck board floor, you'll need to have the ground beneath it sloped away from the house. If you choose a concrete porch floor -- which which will last longer, be easier to maintain (and, therefore, be more economical long term -- that removed soil will most likely be replaced with gravel before any concrete floor is poured (rather than pouring a thicker slab of concrete). A concrete floor porch will require a footing and foundation across the front and, if it extends beyond the two wings of the house, on the sides as well. Any removed loose topsoil will likely be replaced with gravel before the concrete is (rather than pouring an unnecessarily thicker concrete pad). You'll want any porch or deck or patio to be not less than six feet deep. That depth surface will enable you to set chairs on it and still walk by them the full length of it. For a porch roof, you could raise the front half of your roof between the two front wings of the home to cover the area of the new porch. https://rgbconstructionservices.com/hip-roof-vs-gable-roof-best-home/  Another option would be to create a concrete porch floor between the two front wings of the home that extends to a point even with the front edge of the front wall of the home -- but ONE step down from your existing stoop floor -- to use as a part of an uncovered patio now but that might be covered for use as a porch later. You could then create a third patio level with a sidewalk (that is at or closer to existing sidewalk level) to be used as your permanent patio, with that sidewalk leading lead away from the front entrance toward the left side of the yard (away from the driveway side of the yard). You could face the front edge and sides of both the existing front stoop and the new future front porch with stone (or brick) https://www.google.com/search?q=Front+yard+patio+by+porch&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkkPaJkovlAhVBSN8KHeQNAQwQ_AUIESgB&biw=1328&bih=617#imgrc=EZ5cIofdfse1pM:&spf=1570485418994 and then use that same material to begin to create your actual FRONT YARD patio. https://www.houselogic.com/photos/yard-patio/front-yard-patio-ideas/slide/patio-as-focal-point/