If you move the cars out of the way and take new pix, someone will probably do a mock up for you.

Why is the car parked at your doorstep rather than in the driveway?

Also, please take pictures that enlarge when we click on them, and take them from different angles. That one is too small to see much.

Why do you need a fence? Will you really use a porch that faces the street?

It would be helpful if you saved some ideas in your idea books, so we can see what appeals to you.

I agree that new pictures are needed ... but not taken from different angles. Instead, you need to remove the cars so that we can see what it is that you are asking us about (street appeal for the entrance), and then show the COMPLETE SCENE, not just the central section. With camera in hand, stand on the city walk at left side of drive. From that position take 3 slightly overlapping photos that pan from left to right lot lines. Before taking them, make sure the camera is set to take decent sized photos.

If I lived in the San Fernando Valley, I'd be pulling up the lawn and replacing it with drought-resistant landscaping. Skip the fencing. There are some beautiful examples of this. See below:

The enhanced entry walkway · More Info

The Colony House · More Info

Succulents in the front · More Info

Drought tolerant landscapes · More Info

Thanks all- I kept getting an error when I tried to add the new pics so reposted at https://www.houzz.com/discussions/help-with-hidden-front-door-and-curb-appeal-now-with-better-pics-dsvw-vd~5542434

That link goes to "page not found." You probably can't add photos to original post, but must add them in a subsequent comment.

Weird the link works fine for me...

Broken siding above the brick. Broken garage window trim. Cracked driveway with concrete patches and weeds. Trash cans on the driveway. One plant in front of the garage brick. No plants along the main house's brick. Untrimmed tree. Sorry-lookng flag. Horribly-ugly but unfixable solar panels.

The front door isn't the problem.

Susan, congratulations on your home purchase. I agree there are several items that should be addressed before you add a fence & porch, etc. If your goal is curb appeal I would work on a different driveway configuration. Right now all that catches the eye is the driveway.

Yes, i guess I should have mentioned the things already on the list. Redoing the siding and redoing the driveway are at the top but clearly obvious needs and being addressed. My husband is a builder. I'm looking for what to do after that. Lawrence - thank you for pointing out all of the "horribly ugly" things. Which we knew about when we purchased this fixer upper. I'm looking for help with how to improve/where to begin with landscape design and curb appeal. There are no plants because they were dead and we ripped them out so we could start fresh. That hibiscus was the only thing living besides the tree. So now that we've agreed that much work needs to be done - maybe someone has some helpful ideas?

First, check out California Friendly Landscaping. This will provide a huge source of inspiration on designing entry landscapes that are exceedingly attractive, low maintenance and well suited to CA environmental issues like prolonged drought and watering restrictions. And there are rebates /monetary incentives that may be appealing as well as a contest you can enter if inspired (previous years' contest winners are worth looking at).

Second, suggest you hire a landscape designer for at least an onsite consultation to get you started. They will have some ideas about reconfiguring that front layout to de-emphasize all that driveway, direct visitors to the entry and screen off or privatize the front yard to some degree......it seems unnecessarily open and exposed. It is not a huge financial investment, so I'd seriously consider using a designer to develop an entire plan for you to follow. If you can do all the work yourselves, that's where you will realize considerable savings.

If you're going to re-do the siding, consider making the garage window smaller, or splitting it into 2 windows. As it is now, it's the biggest window and it draws the eye because it looks like a picture window or living room window. You want people to look at the other side of your house.

As you see, a bit of simple landscaping will make a big difference. I don't know your climate well enough to make recommendations, but grasses might look good as a simple border. I'd suggest some greenery along the side where you now have paving. If it's not practical to remove a piece of the driveway, some big planters would look good. A pergola might look good near your doorway. It would give a "porch" feel without requiring anything to be attached to your roof.

Added some pics to my ideabook for inspo!

Ignore the criticism of the solar panels. Take pride in being part of the solution! What is tree? You will probably want more but not such they interfere with the solar collection.

They actually changed the entry of the garage door and moved it to face front.

Interesting idea. Since the house is getting new siding anyway, this might be feasible without too much extra cost. Although you'd probably want to remove and replace much of the paving.

There are homes in my neighborhood that are the same model, except some have the door to the side, and some have it to the front. I guess that 2 car-garages are approximately square.

The side-facing ones have more driveway parking space for cars, and the kids like to use it for hockey play, basketball and tricycles. The front-facing ones often have a fence or informal hedge across, to make a courtyard at the front door. A courtyard, with a path to the front door, would definitely solve the problem of "where's the front door".

Thank you kiminpl! That's exactly what I was thinking for that corner section and your plant suggestions are really helpful. Thanks to everyone else for their input as well

some ideas:

Doug can even make an outhouse look great with landscaping; not that your home is one, but he's really talented at designing pretty curb appeal.

The feat here is in growing a tree just high enough to conceal the solar panels without blocking the sun from hitting them! Good luck threading that needle!

Just pick a tree that won't grow taller than 20 ft & your solar panels will not be obscured.

Antique cobblestones would work wonderfully with Doug's mockup.

Here are some examples from our collection:

Antique Reclaimed Cobblestone · More Info

Antique Salt and Pepper Cobblestone · More Info

Antique European Blend Cobblestone · More Info

Why do you need a fence? Will you really use a porch that faces the street?

It would be helpful if you saved some ideas in your idea books, so we can see what appeals to you.