Here are more pics

Here is what I had in mind and to even come up with this it took me all day of brainstorming lol, the yellow is where I want to add concrete the black is mulch. Also the lot is 50x100

You should really consider hiring a professional to do this work. Without knowing your zone, direction of your house, budget, and wants and needs list, its hard to come up with something suitable. Consider hiring a design/build firm because they can do the design and installation for you. Generally they can absorb the price of the design into the price of construction and you wont have to pay for two different services.

You have a nice house and I would love to give you ideas, but I can't without knowing a lot of the conditions. You need to start with a design in order to have the proper direction for the project. Remember, you don't always have to do it all in one shot. You can stage your project in two or three phases so its a bit easier on your wallet. I'm sure there are a lot of talented contractors and designers in your area!

Zone Map

My only advice it to avoid planting shrubs in the soil island between the walk and the drive way.

Thanks for the advice so far, I don't know how to find out what zone I'm in if you can point me in the right direction so I can find out that would be great As for hiring some one we had plans on trying to do it our self and sub out what we can't like the concrete, the house faces east and we just want something that's easy

emmarene, can I ask why you would not put bushes in the small "island" I'm sure theirs a valid reason and I'd rather not put something in only to rip it out

Thanks everyone please keep the advice coming

Take a look at this web site and maybe they can give you some info on your zone and plants that would do well there. http://www.redbuttegarden.org/gardening_in_salt_lake

I agree with no bushes between sidewalk and drive.They would be in the way of car doors and get walked on frequently. Grass would be the easiest solution or some rock mulch.

Look at the homes near you--maybe in a subdivision that is older and more established.

I do wonder about that rock wall? in the back of your house. What is going to keep it where it is? It looks like erosion could have it tumbling down. Is it a wall or is it just big rocks laying in the dirt side by side?

You plan looks fine for foundation beds around the house. They just need to be wider and have the corners rounded.

The cement area will need a way for run off water to leave away from the house and not bothering the neighbors property. Many people use rock mulch instead of cement to help with absorbing the not too often rains and break up the looks of lots of cement.

You might think about installing fencing on both sides of your property to give some privacy. The neighbors in back are elevated so they will be able to look down into your area unless you plant a few small spreading trees.

thanks guys for the links to the zone maps on my phone they did not show up but they do on the computer so on plantmaps it says I'm in a 6A but on the USDA site it says I'm in a 7A zone

regarding the rock wall the inspector said its just a standard wall of rocks laying in the ground and I should have nothing to worry about, I asked about the the mound of dirt if it needs to stay or if we can remove it to flatten the lot and avoid the water going towards the home in a heavy rain , he said to consult a grading expert but being that the soil is very sandy he sees no issues with flooding.

got it on the shrubs in the island so no to shrubs, I like the rock idea thanks.

I really wanted a path from the garage to the back yrd and to the front right now in our rental when ever I mow the lawn its a pain to get the mover to the back because we have wood mulch so the mower ends up getting stuck the whole way

A fence will definitely be going in at least in the back yrd, thanks for the tree idea for the rear section that might be the solution to the privacy issue from the rear.

please keep the advice coming guys and gals

I found the Red Butte Garden website also. Read the articles about your soil and water--these will have a huge impact on what you plant. Do your homework before planting anything--you don't want to waste money and effort on things that won't like your conditions. Don't just go by the zone--all that really tells you is the average low temps, There are many other factors such as summer heat and amount of rainfall and the type of soil.

Follow the advice above to make your foundation beds deeper and curved around the corner of the house. Don't put shrubs too close to the house. It looks like people getting out of cars will very likely be stepping in the "island" area so be sure any covering such as rocks that you put down is walkable. Maybe some stepping stones and ground cover would work.

Good luck, it's a lovely home.

I thought you would click on the Zone Map link I posted above.

As far as the dirt island is concerned I don't know how to explain but I will call attention to one of your pictures. In this view when looking at the picture our eyes notice things that are interrupting the smooth flow. For me when looking at this picture I immediately noticed some things that just did not belong. It looks like you have a few signs near the front of the dirt island. I find them intrusive to my view. Likewise the board blocking your drive way is distraction. If you look at the picture as if you are first seeing it I think you would agree that the out of place things are not pleasing to the eye. I feel the same way about shrubs in the island. In the second picture I doodled in what I am pretending is a hedge of Spirea. Do you see how it interferes? It is just my opinion. I am not a professional. A lot of pros give advice here and many will not be labeled as pro. I am just a person who likes plants.

Long ago I had a house with a skinny bed on a slope like you have between your sidewalk and drive. It started out with one groundcover that didn't thrive (planted by the HOA). That was replaced by another, tougher groundcover that was still there when we sold the house. Now, years later, all the skinny, sloping beds have been filled in with brick by the HOA. Just saying...

That new disign looks great question on the dar green ground cover, are you saying I should put some color rocks/pebble their or is that some sort of plant greenery coverage if it's a plant can I get a name for it so I can get a better idea thanks

There are many different plants that can be grown as ground covers. Here is a link to a list of plants suitable for your area:

http://www.slcdocs.com/utilities/PDF%20Files/2013_SLCPlantList_ver2-1.pdf

Jump down to page 18 for the ground covers. This list will be helpful for your other selections as well. You don't want colored rocks. If you use rocks you want a type that you won't trip on if you walk over them. A local nursery or rock yard can help you with that.

Lex, as far as it being rocks or plant groundcover, in my mind it's the latter. I'm not in your area so don't know what grows there, but surely, there is some kind of low groundcover that grows?? You could research it locally. Look around and see what's there and check at the local garden centers.

since I was also a first time homeowner with a blank square of dirt, I offer a couple of things for you to consider. First, do you have HOA rules which say anything about requirements for the front yard? that may give you a starting point.

Second, take your time and think about it. You don't have to do it all at once, depending on the time you personally have to put into it and the money. A lawn in front is fine if you want to be mowing out there (I would not). A good place to start is thinking about where you may want to plant trees. There's a ton of resources available out there -- you could start with the landscaping section of your local library, and also go online and look for [county name] agricultural extension.

It took me really a year of sitting on my tiny little porch, observing
where the wind comes from, where the sun goes, where the water goes, and
thinking about what kind of things I wanted to do and see, particularly
in the backyard. Still working on it. Where will people be walking? Would you be wanting to be out there in the front mowing your lawn? Do you need to add privacy? What about snow and run off? Do you have pets or children which need to be accommodated?

Thanks everyone for the awesome advice, on the HOA part looks like my lot is the first lot in the sub that is not part of it yay I did read the CC&Rs and pretty much it just says I must install landscaping as soon as possible and they encourage the planting of shrubs and trees but if they are planted they must not block views

FWIW, my first thought on seeing the style of house and the sandy slope from house to street is a mass planting of some kind of ornamental grass that just flows from the house to the street. Something like Stipa Tenuissima.

Yes, grasses. Go to library or buy used online, landscaping with grasses books. They'd work beautifully in your conditions and by limiting yourself to a narrow range of plants, the whole property would look unified and softened. You can have different heights, different colors, seasonal differences and it would solve most of your too tight problems. You could mix in some perennials. Google image "tall verbena and grasses."