Welcome to the world of ponding! About the lilies, I've kept lilies in 18 - 19 inches of water and they do just fine. In fact, my hardies thrived at that depth. I've also seen tropicals kept at that depth, and they did fine too. They must be pretty adaptable. That's way too shallow and too small for koi, but I think you can keep a few goldfish or mosquito fish if you help shade the water for them in the deeper end to keep it cooler. The lily pads will do a good job of that. A pot with something tall that has broad leaves like taro or lotus placed on the south or west end of the pond would also be a good idea. I was going to say that water hyacinth will do well there, but I'm thinking that they may be illegal in Arizona. They do an excellent job of shading the water if they're legal there. Parrots feather is another option. Pretty much any sun-loving marginal should do well in your pond. Do you have a filter or aeration? Oxygen levels are lower in extremely warm water, so don't overstock your fish. You might also need to add an airstone when temps start getting close to 100.

An entry porch would look very good on this house. It would relieve the flatness of the fascade (similar to how the bay windows relieve the flatness) and would just improve the character. If that is not an option for you then, as other posters have said, get new, larger fixtures and place them closer to the door. In addition to that I would remove some of the shrubs to have a clearer view of the front.

You have a home with prominent garages and a very dark roof, so you want to paint the body Hale Navy and keep the trim white in a wooded setting. Are you sure? That high contrast is going to make your garage doors sing out loud. I think I would keep the exterior a light neutral with white trim and a bright front door and landscaping that draws the eye to the front door.

We did a major reno and addition last year with limited space and several very large trees. The front portico below was added about 6ft from the base of a giant water oak tree. We also added a back porch with footers about 6ft from a walnut tree. Construction finished about 1yr ago, trees were all trimmed by an arborist in the fall and got a clean bill of health. The arborist said one of the advantages of trees this size is that they are so well established (probably predate the original house) and the root systems are very deep. It looks like you’re expanding the driveway - might be good to ask the arborists about that too. We’ve been discouraged from expanding our parking due to the trees. Good luck!