I'd make that strip between the driveway and the sidewalk walkable somehow- I'd put pavers or bricks or concrete or something there. A smooth walkway between the two areas is good when carrying groceries or just walking- you don't need to be wondering where to step in your front parking/walking zone. And mowing, edging, and weedeating a strip like that is ridiculous. I'd extend that surface to the space where the front entrance area/front porch should be because now there isn't one. It looks as if you step right out of the house onto lawn- there's not what we used to call a "goodnight" zone. I'd take that zone down to at least where the little crosswalk thing is. Then you could have some seating and nice large pots of things to soften the expanse of brick between the door and the window. I would change out that wrought iron support post to something more contemporary. If the tree is sentimental, perhaps it could be thinned so the house is still visible behind it instead of blob of green. Until we know the species I guess we can't decide on that. Then it's just a matter of edging the hardscape with a border of some sort- size and plants depending on your interest and time available. If you loooove gardening the border could become a bed encompassing the tree itself which would simplify mowing tremendously. Why are there no shutters on the one upstairs window? One of these things is not like the others, LOL.

Trying to make progress even though I'm using a temporary (for me) drawing program. My sketch is incomplete. We don't have a good idea of what the left or right front of the house looks due to being absent in the pictures or covered in shrubbery. Nevertheless this can cover some of the basic points. Sorry if I'm repeating myself or something someone else has already said but I don't want to re-read all. I would not bring planting bed alongside the walk toward the driveway. doing so will make the walk seem much smaller when in fact it would be better if it was wider. Too, it will add to maintenance and it will not look as good as if you had nicely edged turf there. A truth about turf is that it will not grow in too much shade. It's time to divide out those areas from the lawn where it won't grow and turn them into groundcover. I disagree with your idea of planting so many things -- 3 stripes of plants -- in front of the foundation. There simply isn't room and this busy scheme will not look near as good as a single plant in front of a given part of the foundation. Color fits flanking the entrance. A low evergreen shrub or groundcover could surround the bay windows and shrubs or low plantings could be farther away (this is the area we don't yet know.) We don't know what the condition of the lawn at the left side of front yard is either. If a tree is far enough away from the others and limbed up high enough that sufficient light gets below it, it's possible to grow grass. If otherwise, then it's not and that area should be sectioned for groundcover. A small (12'-15') multi-trunk tree (made of a large shrub) could be off the right corner of house.

Wow that looks great Yardvaark. I hope I can get it looking even close to that good. It is to bad about the neighbors roof ;). Made for a nice patio however the upkeep has made it generaly unsafe for public consumption at this point. I really like what you did with the extension for the walkway between driveway and house. I wonder if there is any way of achieving that look without a call to my concrete guy. Probably not if I want to keep the look uniform I suppose. As for the arborvitae along the right hand side of the house, I thought I didn't have room but upon closer inspection it may be something that I could make work. The gravel to the right of the truck and up the side of the house is parking and a walkway for our suite, so I don't want to make it too tight (moving furniture and such through there). I have attached a photo of the pathway up the side and maybe you can tell me if you think there is enough room for something like that. How big is the circumfurance usually on those The tree in the front is a nice idea as well as it would hide the power pole a little. The only concern I suppose would be finding one that wouldn't grow tall enough to affect the above powerlines. Do you have any suggestions for what I should be looking for that would provide coverage but not grow to tall?

Your renovated house looks nice, but can you post a photo from further away so we can see the whole front yard?