Ask on the Tree Forum; you'll get more knowledgeable responders.

You should tell us where you are (planting zone). I would strongly advise against Sweetgum. It suckers like crazy and if you try to remove it, it will come back in multiple places from the roots. I love the Ginko (Male). We have one and it's leaves shimmer in the wind.

Here's a link to the tree forum which as Laceyvail said is likely to get you good advice.

I am familiar with all these trees (as any good designer should be if they are commonly planted in their area!!). Sweet gum (Liquidambar) only suckers from the cut stump after removal attempts, not when an established tree. But most will produce spiky seed balls that can be annoying. What do you mean when you say "medium" sized tree? And how far away from the structure are these to be planted? Do you care about fall color? Is litter a concern?

Some of the trees on your list become quite large. In general, I like smaller trees toward the house and larger trees set away from it. I suspect you have more leeway as to where they go so long as they're in your front yard. I would not let a builder make that decision for me! After you answer Gardengal's questions, it'll be easier to help you.

To a large extent, growing grass or other plants below the tree will be a factor of making sure it's lower limbs are removed so that sufficient light can get below the canopy.

By medium sized tree I meant we don't want a towering tree that's several stories high. We see those and the first thing we wonder is if it could fall on the house. Something to scale to a two story home. The trees would be around 30 feet from the home structure. Fall color would be nice but is not necessarily a priority. Litter is probably not too big a deal as these will not be too near the driveway or walk up to the house, but less litter the better, I think?

Hope that's enough to work with...

It's basically a list of shade trees, all of which get fairly large. The hornbeam is probably the smallest of the lot. The yellowood might be one of the next ones up in size. Both are nice. There may be specific cultivars of some of the others that stay smaller but I can't help you with that. Maybe someone on trees forum will know. Or maybe someone else here.

Yes, I agree with Yard that all of the trees listed are considered large growing shade trees and virtually all have an ability to get quite large - 40'+ and some a lot more than that - in time. Although many will take decades to achieve that stated size. But you can often find specific cultivars of most trees that will remain somewhat more compact than the straight species. However, planting the tree 30' away from the house mitigates a lot of your concerns. And if a healthy tree to start and properly planted and given appropriate aftercare, the chances of a tree falling on your house are quite slim. Typically, that only happens if the tree is very old and beginning to decline or if there are structural or planting issues that compromise the tree's establishment.

I like both the hornbeam and the ginkgo...great, pretty much trouble-free trees but with no outstanding fall color (just a golden yellow). Most oaks will provide good fall color and have a root system that accommodates underplanting well. Both the black gum and the red maple will offer excellent fall color and are extremely tolerant of less than ideal planting conditions as well.

I second that the danger of tree falling on house is very low ... likely for someone else who will own your home later on, too. Good idea to plant these trees farther from the house ... as street trees. Love the Ginkgo but I think it has fantastic fall color. A gorgeous clear yellow that is like a giant yellow light on everything around. No drawn out leaf clean up either. They all fall off suddenly over a couple of days. (Male clone only, though.)

Thanks for the suggestions, Hornbeam was one we were considering. Acer Rubrum is what's was originally planned and we heard the shallow roots would make underplanting or even grass difficult, so good to know about oaks as well. I think I may post this in the tree forum as some have suggested.

I have a gingko and love it but it can be start out as a very slow grower. After a ~3 years, mine finally started to put on some height but it's still on the slow side. The hornbeam has a lovely shape.