One simple thing I think would make a big difference is to paint the fence white. Where is Tom Sawyer when you need him! :)

I wouldn't worry too much about the driveway. What don't you like about your yard? Is there something that is bothering you about it? To me it looks like a cute little place.

Thanks for all the great advice, it's great to see it through someone else's eyes. I love all the sugestions ! I didn't even think the pic was my house! I was undecided about the fence color,some said please don't go with the typical white fence, but most are white and very pretty! Thanks Yardvaark for great ideas! I never thouught about widening the steps, but I like that idea...along with the strip bed outside the fence, kinds of softens the whole thing. The porch is always hot till about noon, so I always thought trees in front of porch, but I thought it may not look good, so I'll have to block sun with either awnings, curtains or shutters, any ideas appreciated....Thanks I pinkmountain, i agree withyou also about the fence, I was told stain is better than paint, especially when a weedeater starts hitting it, so I'll have to try a couple of stains too, don't know that it'll be as nice looking as paint. You ask what I don't like about yard, it's the no privacy on porch, and all sun, it's blinding. Ihought about a tree on each side, but they would have to be in front of porch, and some say, don't hide house with trees, so IDK! Thanks again, I love this site!

I had a hot-as-Hades back patio at my last house, and I planted two small trees against it and in three+ years, it was quite pleasant out there. I'm not sure about good trees for AL, but a small magnolia maybe . . . The one you have seems too far away to give shade unless it is going to get really big someday, which it doesn't look like it will. Even a big tree, if you plant it far enough away, would work. Just off to the side so it doesn't hide your house. Also, you can get super cheap bamboo shades (big long ones) at Home Depot and the like and hang those for shade. Lots of folks in my old neighborhood did that with their front porches for shade and privacy. They are long and you can hang them from the porch ceiling and roll them up when not in use. It's not that your fence looks particularly bad but it is just such a contrast between the fence and the bright white trim on your house, it kinda gives the visual impression that the fence is worn in comparison, even if it is new. Another option would be to line the fence with some white flowered or varigated-leaved shrubs. Spirea and yellow twig dogwood come to mind, but I am unfamiliar with your zone so they might not be good. But if your main complaint is that the porch is hot, by all means plant a tree this fall. Get it growing! Just make sure you allow for the mature spread of the tree when you plant it, so that it doesn't end up growing against the porch and holding moisture there making it wear faster. And drop limbs on your porch roof, also speeding up wear and tear. All trees will drop some limbs, but some are more notorious than others. A good nursery should help you pick the right tree. Not a big box store! Even if you can get someone to help you, they are very often wrong and just make things up to make a sale.

Many people will "prefer" stain over paint, not because of an improved appearance, but because of the perception of less work. As stain deteriorates -- and it does -- since wood is showing through to begin with, it is not as obvious as paint would be if it chips off. Between the two I prefer paint because I think it generally looks better to begin with. Since I only use gloss paint, even though it is more expensive, it holds up well. The wood that is used -- usually pine -- does not have a grain pattern that looks all that good to me in the first place. As a decaying, sun-weathering product, it really loses appeal. If people really thought it looked great, they'd go paint & stain-free on the house trim. But no one ever does.

There are some things you can do with annual vines to shade the porch from too much sun. I've seen openings between posts completely filled up with with a panel of vines grown on a temporary network of cording, and while it changes the house to an altogether different look, it is not unhandsome, pending that the plants themselves are happy (not dying.) With annual vines, such a device can be removed/during the winter. Some vines have a tendency to cluster toward the upper part of a support. That may be enough to add a little extra shade. Heavenly blue morning glories could do something like this. If you wanted an entire opening covered, moonflower vine has a better chance of doing it well. A vine support is something that could be configured in a way that makes sense for your particular needs. There is also the possibility of creating a homemade wooden lattice structure (think Chinese screen) that adds semi-shade without using a vine and is a permanent decorative fixture to the porch. The possibilities and potential combinations of structure and vine (or no vine) are wide open.

Thanks IPinkmountain, I think you're right about a bigger tree, just not too close or too big. I live in south al. used to be zone 8, but now it's 9, crape myrtles grow here very well,that's what the tree is in front yard but it's very old & not in good shape, so we will remove it & plant one on both sides of yard & we'll get some shade from them. I have several in my back yard.Thanks again, I love to hear ideas from others!

Thanks Yardvaark for the great ideas, I really like the idea of annual vines! I also wondered about something permanent there, and the chinese screen would go well with the house I believe.I loved all the hardscaping,the only thing is outside the fence is the city's right of way, no hardscaping but we can do gravel,& I don't think they'll mind some flowers outside of fence,which I really like & we could do some large flagstone stepping stones maybe to car, nothing as bad as wet grass in nice shoes! If I can't do a double gate, is there something that I could do to my gate so it doesnt look so straight & boring? I am going to paint it white! The pic convinced me! I wish I had discovered you before my fence went up! Thanks so much.....

"... outside the fence is the city's right of way ..." Consider that this is the way it is all over the country and probably most of the world. Yet everyone's driveway comes all the way to the street. Driveways do not stop at the lot line because cities issue permits for them and allow them to extend into the public right of way. If it were not the case, there would be a lot of angry homeowners. Of course, cities may also have restrictions about what is on the other side of the property line and that may affect the permitting of a driveway. I cannot speak to the particulars allowed, or not, for your city.