Given the scope of your project - acreage, outbuildings, pool, various possible configurations for drive and parking pads - I think you will be best served by hiring a local designer for an onsite consultation at the minimum and ideally, the development of a master landscape plan.

We can offer some very generalized advice here (other than the above :-)) but without a site plan and more detailed input from you as to how you want to utilize all this space, most suggestions will be pretty meaningless.

I am not sure why folks seem so reluctant to take this very basic first step. Just as one would not be inclined to design their home without professional input, a proper professional landscape design/master plan is an extremely sensible and wise investment. And not all that much of a financial outlay.

Not reluctant to hire someone, but I have yet to have someone local recommended. There are plenty of "landscapers", but in regards to a designer in this area, they are few and far between.

"I would like an extended gravel pad and walk that goes to the existing parking pad or to a future front drive." Why "gravel"? It comes with sand and close to the house, it's endlessly tracked inside. Better to have solid, hard paving in the vicinity of house.

You might want to check with the listing of Houzz professionals for a local landscape designer - just enter your zip code. Or contact the APLD. Also, nurseries and garden centers often have referral listings of landscape professionals.....if they don't have one on staff (some do - many do not).

Also consider prevailing winds and grading. A pro's help is money wisely spent.

Yardvaark, agree, but manageable for us as we have dealt with gravel before. House sits on a dirt road, with dirt/gravel driveway that is fairly long so paving other than a pad and walk is not really an option. I'm not a huge fan of the look of a concrete slab set in the middle of a field around the house when the closest concrete is 2 miles or more away if that makes sense. It could certainly be paved at the parking site shown and a walk though.

I think you'll have to put options in the form of a simple plan. They can't be fully understood with the brief description.

Saying that gravel near house is "manageable" ... I don't know what that means. You are OK with sand in the house? You have a way of keeping it out? Also, "nearest concrete 2 miles away" ... what does that matter? What does "around a house mean"? Cannot "read" your objections.

What's your area? I occasionally do sales consulting with landscape companies around the country, I may know someone out your way.

btw your home is flipping GORGEOUS. I'm jealous of your eventual designer!

Revolutionary Gardens, I am located outside the perimeter of Atlanta, southwest.

Thank you very much on the compliment of the home. It has been a wild ride getting to this point, and I think I ran out of gas after the construction phase lol.

some ideas:

Dig Doug, thank you so much for the visual. For some reason, I have a hard time visualizing a master landscape plan at times. Funny you painted the house gray as I have wondered often how this home would look in another color.

Christopher, thank you for the considerations. Mainly the barn will be shop and storage. We do not typically put up our animals, and the barn will not be accessible from the pasture unless we open a gate up to get to it. We currently have 5 paddocks of about 4-5 acres in size that we are going to set up to do a rotational graze on. In regards to the pool, I have gone back and forth over how close it should be to the home. This lot really should have had a basement foundation, and where I located it is where it starts to level off some, but it could be placed closer with a retaining wall. I need to scratch my head over that some and try to visualize it.

We relocated the original drive, regrettably in my opinion, but everyone else says it looks better the way it is laid out now. A circular drive would be probably awkward with the way the drive comes in now, but the drive across the front to access the barn sets up perfectly for your idea of having the gravel pad make sense. I'm envisioning that the drive and parking pad have a good large stone base, and then a crusher run top coat. Alternatively, the walks and extended porch off of the front I had envisioned having a good base and top dressed with a smaller slate chip rock.

I did not paint the house gray. The photo I used had a shadowing effect on it.

Your home is beautiful! Is it from a southern living floor plan, by any chance? I feel like I looked at something similar when we were trying to decide what to build.

Looks like you're in a rural area. I am out in the country, so I get some of your issues.

- Yes, it'd be awesome to have a great concrete pad in front of your house, but it adds up and can be expensive, so everyone here does gravel, too.

- It's fairly common to have a shop/outbuilding near your house here, too. Not for animals, just for projects. I think my view on siting would partly depend on how you're going to use it. I've been to some outdoor parties where they use the shop as part of the party space. If you like to entertain and will use the shop that way, then I'd place it where it makes sense for that (maybe kinda close to your house, connected to your water and septic, etc.) Otherwise, my preference is for it to be far enough away that it doesn't take away from the view of your house. And, most DEFINITELY, make the shop look harmonious with your home. I've seen a beautiful, stone-faced home with a typical country metal-sided shop next to it, and it's jarring. Your home looks like it may have hardi siding or similar. I'd use the same siding for the shop.

- I actually like that your driveway doesn't go in front of your house. It seems like the issue is that you have a lot of space in front of your house and just need something that defines a "yard" from the rest of the space. My guess is you'll entertain around the pool or maybe even the party barn (that's how I think of it after typing the above), so I'm guessing it doesn't need to be a big area.
What about a small landscaped space like this, with a gravel boundary around it, then back to your regular grass field (or, even better, meadow landscaping as suggested to me on my post)?

Good morning Mo142. Actually the original inspiration was from a Nicholas Lee house plan. Our original plan was to build on a basement, but due to costs I regrettably went to a slab foundation and changed the roof line some for storage and mechanicals.

You are absolutely correct, we are in a rural setting with approximately 20 acres in pasture and 15 in hardwoods. We have always owned horses, and are looking into doing sheep in a rotational grazing system. As you mention the concrete is nice, but it certainly adds up in this large of a site plan, and isn't in the budget either. Building in a rural area has it's own costs associated with it that others may not deal with as you may know.

You said it perfectly in that we need something to define the yard and home from the rest of the many acres of field. I loved the meadow design suggested to you, and have pondered if we may use the front pasture (between home and main road) in this manner.

In regards to the barn, we have discussed the possibility of using it as an entertainment space in the back along with a future pool. I am going to try and attached some sketches I have worked on thus far. The area shown in blue of course is a gravel base with a slate chip top dressing. The brown borders I have shown I am envisioning using cross ties similar to pictures shown. The parking pad and drive and turn around would all just be a crusher run gravel mix.

I have shown (2) potential barn locations with one being more conducive to entertaining and the other being an "easier" location for grading and for the drive.

Do you think the drive in the front is a bad idea? If I put it in the back, it goes around a long path leaving a lot of grass outside of pasture that is more yard that would require more maintenance than a rotary cutter.

OK, my computer mockup skills are seriously lacking, but here's a rough suggestion. What if you move the barn closer to your garage and then just have a drive that goes up to your garage and barn at the same time? The barn would be lined up like your house; I just couldn't figure out how to rotate it in the pic.

To answer your question, I don't think it's bad to put the drive in front of your house, but my thinking is: (i) the longer the drive, the more you have to maintain (weeds, rain washouts, etc.--because gravel is cheaper but involves more maintenance than concrete) and (ii) the more you extend your drive, the less privacy you have around your house. I like having spaces that are protected from people driving by, people driving on the road, etc. If you could put the barn where I indicated, I think the area between the barn/pool/house would be where you do your entertaining and you could make it really cool with fire pit, etc. I'd use the part of the barn that is outside but under cover as a dining area with twinkly lights, etc.

Mo142, I had considered trying to find an area on that side of the home for the drive and barn, but the grade just does not work for us there without significant grading and purchased dirt, and even then it likely would not work or look right. Also, we have a large window unit on the back side of the home that we faced in that direction as it looks down into a hardwood bottom down the hill that is one of our favorite views that a barn would likely block the view of.

You are keeping my wheels turning though so greatly appreciate!

In the arrangement of buildings and circulation, you would be better served showing the Google Earth photo of the main open area of the property with the house and drive (as it exists now, from the public road) located on it. Off to the side, include the footprint of the barn, pool & decking and any other buildings or major proposed features at the same scale. The proposed features do not need to be exact correct shapes but reasonable approximations of shape and size.

very good point Yardvaark. I was thinking the very same thing for Mo142. I am having a little trouble doing an overlay due to computer ignorance, but does this make sense showing from same vantage point?

It looks like 3 different drives have been contemplated. Can you explain why each and rate your favoritism toward? Is the white scratch-out something to be, or something to go away?

There is only one drive in currently, and then the one I had previously cut around the back of the home to access a future barn. However, the one in the rear requires a much larger back yard (more grass mowing) than is desired. If I ran the drive in front, then the back one would likely get eliminated. The one I am now debating around the front ties in well to the extended pad on the front porch (or I think so at least).

The other dirt line shown in the map is for underground power. I'm unsure which 3rd you are referring to unless you mean that one.

Oh, and the white out is my address.

OK, now I'm going to be difficult. Since you can't move the barn on the garage side, I vote having the drive in front but move the barn back to even with the house or further back. Unless the house and barn are far apart, I wouldn't want the barn to be more forward than the house. It might make the barn look more prominent than the house.

I would not recommend using railroad ties as edging. In the hot sun the creosote can and will off gas. It doesn't smell nice and you have all the tie edging closest to the house in the foundation beds it looks like. Consider using off the rack paver blocks.

I'm not liking all the straight lines in your computer layouts either. Hopefully that is just easier to do on the computer and for locating the main features purposes and not the final design. Paver blocks will allow more flexibility on multiple levels for that than railroad ties and you will be placing them in a gravel bed. Perfect.

You seem to prefer keeping the barn to the right of the house and back a bit from the street view. The google earth view shows a road already placed to that location. A drive across the front of the house connecting to the existing road and barn will give you a circular driveway. I really think you would find that a handy feature on this property and with your lifestyle.

I really liked the front garden mo142 posted. It has many features worth copying for a front extended pad gravel garden connected to a gravel drive and could still curve with the flow of the land and paver blocks if needed. A garden like that can be done formal or more relaxed.

MO142, you are not difficult at all, and all of your input is greatly appreciated. I believe we have similar situations (although your site is to die for!), and similar goals in some ways. I believe I follow you on the barn location. Are you saying something between the two locations shown now? I believe that is a great compromise. Some points on the barn and lot. The barn in either location elevation wise for the floor will be approximately 5-6 ft lower than the home. The roof line will also not be as steep of a pitch as the main home, so it will end up being significantly lower elevation than the home when looking from the road. Also, when you approach the home, you drive in down the road coming from the side opposite where the barn is shown now (dead end road, so only one option).

Christopher, when you responded I was reading up on that very thing about the rail road ties. I like the look because it is a little less formal and more "farmy", however, I also know they are very heavy, not easily moved for any maintenance work, and pretty labor intensive to set and look right (that's if you can get ones in very good condition). Do you have another suggestion? We want something that has a beefier look, and that does well in the straight lines. I understand your concern over the straight lines. We had previously shaped beds with some sweeps and contours around the house, and they just never felt or looked right. I did consult with a landscape designer, and their opinion before I brought it up was that this house and site just worked with straight lines which is what I've always thought. Not the norm I understand.

I also love the garden MO142 posted. I have a hard time envisioning it on my site, but I think once we get the hardscape and layout done I may have a better vision so I am definitely saving this for my inspiration.

There is nothing wrong with straight lines per se. That may be the best choice for a design or simply your preference. The garden mo142 posted pretty much calls for straight line geometry. Your home site just doesn't say straight lines to me.

Paver blocks come in a range of sizes and colors. It would not be hard to match the beefiness of railroad ties with block. It would be more formal and less farmy though and that is not necessarily a bad thing if your front garden ends up having a formal layout.

Paver blocks will let you do straight or curved and will be much more forgiving of grade/elevation changes around the house than ties.

See the note on the drawing about the 3rd drive access point.

Why is the present drive at the greater distance from the house? Why not closer in?

Are you trying to gain privacy from the road, maintain greatest convenience to it, or ambivalent about it? The garage is a separate building from the house and from the barn? Any chance they could be combined into a single building? It they could, it seems like it would simplify the site planning.

I'm with Christopher on the airport-like-rigidness of the proposed layouts. It might work for some areas, but the overall flow seems unfriendly to circulation, and somewhat "artificial" aesthetically, relative to the undulating land surface.

Based on the picture, you'd be using RR ties to create a mowing strip. I'm against their use on account of lack of longevity, off-gassing and their predisposition to be useful only for creating straight lines. We probably differ, but for me, they are too rustic in comparison to the house, which has no rustic finish on it anywhere (which is good!) I think you'd be much better off with concrete pavers or brick as they are long lasting, flexible of design, easier to install and attractive.

Following is first-stab attempt at figuring layout ... for getting-in-the-ball-park ... not as an expectation of having details worked out.

It would be good to mark north on the Google image.

"Are you saying something between the two locations shown now?" Yes, that's it. :)

As for an alternative to RR ties to outline your gravel pad, we've looked into having a low concrete boundary (curb) poured. We went as far as getting a quote. It's far cheaper than having the whole pad done in concrete and is a way to define the area, hold in the gravel and keep weeds out. We haven't pulled the trigger because, well, we really haven't figured out landscaping yet. I'm also concerned that it may look out of place in a rural setting if it ends up looking like an actual curb you'd find on a city street...but could be cool if done right.

ohhhhhh, Yardvaark, you ask wonderful questions....

that's the original drive that my idiot self moved to have a long sweeping drive and more privacy and was based on at the time that the county was going to pave the road and move the road way to straighten it some that got squashed

now my stubborn self is finding excuses not to move gravel yet again, but now you have me debating this decision yet again bc it makes perfect sense

it makes the fence make more sense, it makes the drive across the front make more sense, can't you see that I am trying to make an argument against you so I don't look like an idiot for moving it and the gravel and messing up the natural contours???? shoot me lol

I like what you have shown in the drawing other than how huge the front yard becomes again w/ out taking it in as pasture. Do you see any problem doing this but bringing it all in closer from the road like shown?

Designing is like investing in the stock market in that doesn't matter what happened yesterday but only matters what happens tomorrow and in the future. An investment mistake doesn't get better by being preserved. The questions is always, "What's the best way forward from here?" Sometimes mistakes can be too costly to fix and one might opt to live with them. But if there is a fix and it is reasonable and it makes life better, then it should be considered. Sometimes there are cheaper ways to fix things than one realizes so they should not shut down options until all are exhausted. I would not worry that seemingly a mistake might have been made with driveway placement. I'd just look at options from here on out and maybe a future brainstorm will result in a palatable solution.

What matters is that the site planning and hardscaping are arranged and organized such that they function smoothly and look good and whatever those solutions turn out to be, planting will adapt. Planting is a bit like upholstering. It's going to conform to what underlies and precedes it as fabric will conform to the structure and cushions of a couch. Therefore, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point about the size of the lawn. I think you'll have opportunities to make it as you wish so long as you arrange buildings and drive in a way that is efficient and sensible.

"Do you see any problem doing this but bringing it all in closer from the road like shown?" In a word, yes. It looks neither sensible or efficient. If there was going to be a drive paralleling the road and close to it, it's redundant and not efficient. The drive is getting far enough away from the entrance that it's beginning to warrant its own separate entrance and skipping the connecting drive. It would be helpful for you to justify the outbuilding positioning in that last pic so I could understand what's driving the decision. Also, answer about whether the barn/garage can be a single building or must be two ... or if the garage already is part of the house. I'm confused about that. Also, justify the seemingly huge parking lot. Why must there be such a large area for parking near the home?

One big reason for large parking areas in the country with horses and a barn is trailers behind trucks that need to get supplies all around the property which is why I want my circular driveway using the roads they already have. The large parking area that should be by the barn is completely missing.

I actually like that the driveway was moved away from making a straight shot to the front door. It gives more mystery to the arrival and allows that whole front section to become one coherent whole and made to become part of the scenery looking in and out. The sharp, straight line, hard turns shown for the roads won't work in real life so I am ignoring that in the rendering.

P.S. keep in mind I have not given a single thought to cost because I am spending your money.

I see now that my comment about the drive/road redundancy is not valid as this is some distance from the road.

Good morning all. More wonderful feedback to wake up to this morning to digest and mull over. I wanted to hit on a few points and inquiries from the above from both Yardvaark and Christopher.

Yard, great point on the investing for the future and moving forward doing things the correct way and that make the most sense rather than fighting lost money. Heard loud and clear, and now trying to decide what is the best course of action either way.

Regarding your comment on the drive location and distance from the home, to put this in perspective, it is approximately 175-200 ft from the road until the fence at the closest point in front of the home. I should take some pictures this weekend from different perspectives to get everyones input/opinion. I'll plan to do that. The outbuilding positioning is generated by many things. One of these being grading and the slope of the land. This is all row crop land with multiple hills and terraces. The other is proximity to house, and potentially the future pool location if it is indeed used as an entertainment location.

There is not a garage on or attached to the home. In the future, we may look at doing some freestanding unit to park under where the pad is located. The pad is shown larger than it actually would be, but to Christopher's point will be larger than most folks because many times I will pull in directly with a trailer and not unhook at the barn. We prefer a barn being something altogether seperate and larger than what a garage next to the house would be.

Christopher and Yard, you are correct in that the straight lines are't not entirely realistic. Unfortunately, I'm a 2D guy, and downloaded this software to do the 3D renderings about a week ago so I haven't figured out any tricks on it yet.