Good point, MG. That might be a sensible reason to go with a conifer, where you have a good idea of the ultimate height and especially the spread. Trouble is they tend to grow slowly. Idabean, you need to enlist your husband to move around the yard with a 12 foot 2x4 or something similar; lay out a tape measure on the ground and as he moves closer to the pole you jot down the distance from the pole and the estimated height of the tree that would provide adequate screening. You use the 12' 2x4 as reference, it makes it much easier to see if a 24' or 36' tree would be needed. You have to do this from several locations in your yard, and you may need to settle for planting something that will not actually screen the pole from every vantage point. The ultimate size of the tree does not need to hide the top of the pole, by the way - obscuring most of the pole will make it disappear from what your brain perceives, even though parts are still visible here and there.

Alright, so I ended up planting stuff less based on what I really wanted, but according to what I found on sale at the garden center (I'll probably eventually learn that you're better off buying what you want than just getting what you can get cheaper, but we'll see...). So, from the left, there's a "Sum and substance" hosta, a "Hollywood" heuchera, then three parts of a "Gold Standard" hosta (I divided the plant I bought, I think it was big enough to do so), with a "Black sea" hosta and a "Plum pudding" hosta. In back on the right, there's a small cinnamon fern. I think I should have switched the Plum pudding and the Hollywood based on where the morning sun hits (more on the right side than the left). I'm also not sure that the plants are far enough apart, so that the hosta plants don't end up hiding the heucheras. I'm guessing that the cinnamon fern will grow tall enough to provide a lot of privacy, but I read that it will need a fair bit of moisture and I don't know that there will be enough there. If it doesn't do well, I'll move it to another shady spot on my yard and try with a different breed. I really wish the garden center had offered wifi so I could have looked up the plants before buying them, because I didn't really know what I was getting. I hope none of the plants die if they are not well adapted to the area, and that I can just transplant them and start over if necessary. Still, it's a huge improvement on the previous weedy chaos! Still hoping I can get an epimedium (there was none at the garden center). I would also like sarcocca but I don't think it would be hardy enough for my area (I read zone 6 or higher)... And I might still go with a bamboo fence if I can do it without my husband noticing (if the fern doesn't get big enough). Thanks for your help!

thanks for the comments. I appreciate the quick response. It helps. I agree - they should be unemployed. In our previous house we had tile installed before we moved in. He took out all the 50 year old baseboards and trim and I had to replace slowly. I learned how to cope. that guy used spacers. It looked nice. However here...... We are currently suing, but that doesn't solve the problem with the appearance. (I won't name the company that was supposed to supervise). the current baseboard is 1 3/4" high and the walls are curved - so some of the baseboard has special rounded edges to go around the walls. Not sure if a quarter round would look ok in front of current baseboard. The current baseboard isn't wedged behind the grout. the house had carpet throughout before we had it removed and replaced with tile (so it should come out ok.... maybe). I added a photo. sorry I can't figure how to resize the photos. One of the photos is an example of uneven grout. the other shows the curved walls. Any suggestions?

I wouldn't go so far as redoing the roof - meaning new rafters and support structure, nor sliding the bay window over. Might as well build a second floor if going to that much trouble. First I would pick a consistent color, either the white of the window or off-white of the gable for all trim. Then I think its a matter of differentiating the bay from the gable end - they kind of blend together with the same siding. So like these examples: The middle white one the bay blends in vertically like yours, but its the same color. The blue and beige houses differentiate the bays from above them. So for yours, the eave bracket detailing is rather simple, so you shouldn't do a lot of busyness. Just adding trim to separate the gable, even carrying that as a frieze board across the top. Adding window head trim (maybe as prominent as a crosshead). Adding a water table trim along the bottom (maybe future full watertable of brick or something). I think I would avoid vertical trim on the bay, to accentuate the horizontalness and balance the skinny verticalness of the massing. I show a window as well, same size as the gable window, if that works in plan. Symmetry forced onto a facade is too contrived, just try for balance. For the porch, can't tell what's going on in this pic perspective but maybe you could just extend the roofline as a shed, maybe the same slope if it works.