Can you remove some of the plants and wall in front of the doors to provide a more open, friendly approach? Perhaps put a paver area in front of the sliding doors or line the curved sidewalk with pavers to make it a little wider or interesting?

Paint the house a warmer tone. Get rid of the planters. They aren't adding anything to the party and in fact actually detract from the home's looks. Put a larger bed in their place. Plants in the ground do SO much better!

I'm confused by the narrow line of stepping stones and gravel. Are you saying that you have to scootch down that narrow path to get to the front door? If so, that needs to go as well. Add a side door to the house from the drive area into the home. The convenience factor will more than make up for any costs here. You could even do a small shed roofed porch with entry to keep the rain off where you show the car parked. If the layout of the home prohibits an entry there, then take the bed out further into the yard and create a nice curving path to the door that doesn't feel so hemmed in. I can't imagine carrying a sack of groceries down that!

I am liking the idea so far of removing the planters. A door out by the car area wont work because of the layout but an awning or covered area to park the cars would be great.

Would someone be willing to photoshop the house without the planters?!?!

What do you think about this for the driveway?

I am liking the idea so far of removing the planters. A door out by the car area wont work because of the layout but an awning or covered area to park the cars would be great.

Would someone be willing to photoshop the house without the planters?!?!

What do you think about this for the driveway?

That's a waste of money for the driveway. Put your funds into things with a bigger impact first. Do you have a layout of the home? Maybe a side door can't go right there by the drive, but also maybe there's another solution to walking a half mile sideways to get to the entry way. A detached carport linked to the house with a breezeway could also provide covered parking. You just gotta find a way to route that breezeway into a useful part of the house, like maybe a back door?

{{gwi:47716}}

There use to be a garage in the area I marked off on the left. Right now its being used as a media/baby play room. there is a door in that room that leads to the storage/washer/dryer room, which has a door that leads to the outside (marked on the pic) We are planning on making two rooms in that area and extending the home back in the future. Thats why I'm a little iffy on using that back door.

If you need any other information to help visualize let me know and I will post it.

Thanks a Lot!

{{gwi:47716}}

There use to be a garage in the area I marked off on the left. Right now its being used as a media/baby play room. there is a door in that room that leads to the storage/washer/dryer room, which has a door that leads to the outside (marked on the pic) We are planning on making two rooms in that area and extending the home back in the future. Thats why I'm a little iffy on using that back door.

If you need any other information to help visualize let me know and I will post it.

Thanks a Lot!

some better shots:

{{gwi:47724}}


{{gwi:47723}}


{{gwi:47722}}


{{gwi:47721}}


{{gwi:47720}}


{{gwi:47719}}


{{gwi:47718}}


{{gwi:47717}}

The walkway from driveway to front door is 3ft wide

Does anyone use the walkway to the street? If not then maybe eliminate it as it looks like a bright gash across the lawn. Instead, do a path from the driveway to the front door that can meander around some curved, perhaps mounded garden area. I think the walls/planters do detract from the front of the house.

But the biggest thing to me is the color. I'm not a fan of brown trim anyway, but it is especially stark against the light building, which gets really washed out in the bright FL sun. I think adding color to the scheme will help a lot.

Adding color to the garden would help as well. Dad always filled his planters with bright red geraniums and they looked fabulous. There are a lot of colorful plants in FL that you could use...bushes that bloom all year, crotons with their colorful leaves. And one of my faves...bird of paradise.

The mature trees are lovely. But the small ones in the planters are too small and lonely. The 2 "Xmas trees" in the front on the right are also too lonely and out of scale. They will grow, but especially until they do, some other plantings will soften the look.

I agree about that back walkway being too narrow and definitely nothing I'd want to navigate with arms full or in heels. Pavers that don't meet and aren't level are just dangerous IMO, as is that trip hazard in the front...that little lip where the sidewalk meets the porch.

What about a driveway to the right of the walkway? Can anybody try out a computer sketch for me to see what that will look like

I didn't read all of the ideas, but the first thing ,I noticed is the front. It needs a front porch where, you can have family come over and visit. Watch Traffic. Lots of flowers with lots of colors. some blooming at different times.I love stones. Make a stoneway walkway. get rid of the concrete containers or redesign them.

Personally, I like the containers. They are right in line with the style of the home and I feel should be kept as part of the original design. It's a 50s - 60s ranch, don't try to make it something it's not.

You might want to re-do (paint?) the sidewalk to match the color of the planters so it doesn't look out of place and then put gardens along each side of the walk which widen and curve out as you approach the street. Fill them with some low-growing mat shrubbery, like mat junipers or something similar and some colorful flowering plants.

After that, put in some very narrow gardens along the front of the planters that have low-growing shrubs or colorful plants which help soften their appearance and lead up from small to large to their massive size. You could add some very large rocks in front of them to help naturalize the feel.

Create a circular garden around the tree on the right and add some large crotons or other large colorful plants there.

A very good, simple piece of outdoor wall art on the front next to the window on the right would help a bit. Very simple and clean, nothing really fancy or decorative.

Hope this helps...