I know this kind of landscaping in new subdivisions is common, but there are things about it that drive me crazy! One -- and it's jumping off the page here -- is snakey bed lines that undulate without any cause or purpose. It's a look that will, if it already doesn't, look very "dated" at some point. Another is beds that close in around walks. This attempt at "protecting" the front walk usually ends up helping to obscure and sometimes barricade it. A lot of shrubs dotting the front walk/foundation planting area, too, usually end up meaning a lot of trimming maintenance. When you say "concrete curb" I have to wince. A lot of what I've seen looks not near as good as a flush, wide (at least 8") mowing strip.

I would rather see cleaner lines, simpler planting and fewer shrubs (or less variety) around the house. Hard to say what trees there are in the front, but it looks like it could be deficient there. Make the entrance walk spacious. If possible, keep walks away from the house in order to allow decent space for shrub plantings. (6' away min.)

Nothing nothing to add except that human nature dictates that people will immediately start walking across the bed on the left to get from the front yard to the back to avoid going right round the house. Might as well put a path in there from the start before the bed gets trampled. And it needs to be wide enough to get mowers, barrows etc through.

Agree with both of these comments. As to your $25K budget, the best thing you can do is have a basic but detailed landscape plan prepared according to your primary needs/desires and the anticipated budget then put it out for bids. Fluffing or additions can come later, when you have more $$ to flesh things out.

The only additional comment I would make is that installing concrete curbing to define planting beds is unnecessarily restrictive and will not easily allow for changes to bed shape........which are pretty much inevitable during the lifespan of a garden. They are also an unnecessary additional expense as defining bed lines can be addressed far less expensively and also with far more flexibility.

Thanks everyone, I really, really appreciate your advice! We are going to scrap the concrete curbing, eliminate the wavy lines and rethink the lawn/bed ratio of the yard. You guys were really helpful!

The grass, sprinkler system and edging alone could exceed $20,000. Cut down the area of grass as it looks about 50% of the property or around 8000SF.

Pay for a design and hire someone who knows costs and make sure the preliminary design is costed out before going to the final stage and getting actual bids or proposals. There are always options to make the design less expensive such as alternative materials, size of plants, area of grass and phasing the work. You may not be happy with a $25,000 landscape. Part of the process is finding out exactly what do you get for the money (your budget) but most homeowners do not know how much things cost unless they have been through the process. And it always ends up costing more than you think.