It's a very attractive house, and doesn't need a lot of fussy landscaping in the front; I'd suggest you stick to something simple. Because of the height of the entry steps, the elevation of the front lawn relative to the street level, and the height of the foundation, the overall effect is a little dizzying; this may mostly be the photo, but it's likely to be at least partly the way it would look in person. So, I think the major issue is to tie the height of the facade back to the ground level. One way to do that would be to add a tall-ish, but not too large, accent tree off the left front corner of the house. Something that stays fairly narrow and maxes out at about the height of the gutters (or the lower edge of the roof) might work. Maybe even an old-fashioned lilac, depending on the conditions (sun, soil, etc). This would also balance the much longer right edge of the house (which includes the below-grade garage) with the shorter left edge. Or, you might get more mileage out of two large, but not too wide- spreading, shrubs; one in front of the steps and one to the left of the basement window (placed so it will not block the window when it's full-grown). This would tie the rather high main floor windows back to the ground level (the bottom of the window would be a foot or so above the top of the shrub) and would give a hint of the feeling that you were climbing in the treetops when you were approaching the door - that might be nice! One comment on the other photos, although you're not asking for advice on the other areas. Many of the plantings seem to be too close to the house - a very common mistake, especially with new gardeners, and most especially in small yards. The plants will do much better, and you'll be much happier with the effect, if you leave a few feet between the foundation and the plants. Narrow beds give a skimpy look and make the yard appear smaller and cramped; a wider bed more than makes up for the extra space it takes and makes the yard appear larger. The difference between a 10' wide lawn and a 7' wide one isn't as apparent as the difference between a 2' wide bed and a 5' wide one. I hope you get what I'm trying to say; it's late and I might be babbling a bit! You could improve on the beds in the side yards by using an edging material, such as wooden "bender board", to give some definition to the edges. Your back yard is really nice - those mature trees provide a great buffer from neighbors. It looks like a very relaxed and comfortable oasis; I'd try to keep it simple back there too. And one last point - your lawn looks fine! If you really wanted a uniform green carpet, you could have the back yard rototilled and install sod. Because it's not a large space, it probably would not cost too much - although I haven't priced it out. Otherwise, a few seasons of following the ideas others have given about lawn care should do the trick. I use corn gluten every spring and it makes a world of difference. Keep us posted on your progress!

Yes! Tri-levels are tricky. It was our first detached home and I thought it was fantastic until we lived there for a few years and started adding babies to the mix (lots of carrying littles up and down stairs for a few years. )Your main level with the sunroom is much bigger than what we were dealing with though--your renovation is going to be great. Do you have any thoughts on the front facing kitchen? It'll keep your kitchen from being a thoroughfare in the center of the house and light exposure should be improved in all spaces.

cpartist no, hubby doesn't do any cooking, as he leaves the kitchen a complete disaster, uses a hundred dishes, and always manages to use the wrong pots or pans, so has been permanently banned from using it. You would think he wouldn't care what I wanted done with the kitchen, but he is definitely opinionated. He is sweet, though, and did the pantry as a surprise for me, because he thought it'd make me happy. That's what makes my situation so difficult, because I feel bad and a bit selfish for wanting to tear it out. Again, the u-shape is out, because he has set his feet against changing the pass-through. I also don't want to hear another rant about how much he paid for the header beams (apparently they're very expensive) and how he's not moving them ever. Maybe I could convince him to turn it into a doorway and close up the other doorway, but even with the pantry removed, I think it would leave less room for cabinets than I have now. Do you think that would be a good option nonetheless?

Some of this is a bit of hypersensitivity on your part. Some. Because once a couple of normal snafus happen, you look all the closer. Nothing is perfect, and looking at a paint job from 1” away will always find something. That hypersensitivity created from those snafus isn’t your fault, but be aware that you could be over reacting on the smaller stuff at this stage. I’d bet $1 that they are used to doing lower quality, less detailed, cheaper dollar figure projects and this higher grade project is a stretch for them as a company. If I lose so my $1 bet, and they weren’t the low budget bid among a few genuine luxury remodelers, they won’t continue with the higher grade projects when handling them like this. It all goes back to the Project Manager in charge of your project, and the Designer you hired to do the drawings and specifications. If they hired him away from building cheap production builds, he may not have the organizational abilities or eye for detail that someone who came through the ranks of a custom builder would. If you hired a Decorator or Home Designer rather than an accredited Interior Designer or Architect, then some of that issue lies there. Theres no way of knowing cause. And the blame game isn’t a good one to play this far along. You’re in the Solution Business now. No matter the source of the issues. You’ve got to rebuild that team spirit that you had at the beginning of the project. Everyone wants a success. Talk to your GC first. Don’t involve the PM or Designer yet. Talk over The List, and ask him who he wants on his team from your end to help it get done. If he diplomatically doesn’t mention the Designer’s input, you may have some small answers there. But, in the end, he knows it’s all on him. His PM isn’t truly performing. Maybe he is over extended. Who cares. It’s the Gc’s ownership in the end. And nothing makes a GC unhappier than an unhappy customer. He wants to make you happy. So, he will do what it takes to make that happen. Based on some of your comments, I’d want pictures of the windows at installation. A properly installed window or door should not allow water intrusion even if siding was not in place. The right flashing should keep that out. I would want the crawl space encapsulation revisited by removing the barrier in the “traffic paths” that will need to be accessed regularly. That will get the most wear and tear, and needs to be 100% debris free. The rest is poor protection of your home that the results can be whittled down. And that’s why I said they are above their usual experience and quality level. Every upscale contractor that I know protects the new work, or the existing that is staying, automatically. Vents blocked off. Ram board. Plastic sheeting dust barriers. Plywood over the tub, or the paint on plastic coating. That’s the cost of doing business at that level rather than Section 8 housing.