Thanks so much for everyone's time in posting. I think my response is going to be longer than my initial post! The lemon treemaybe I should take a picture from the sidewalk. The picture I posted was taken from my neighbors deck as the "before" of our roof. I think the tree looks taller from the sidewalk. And we like it covering the window. We can see out, but people on the sidewalk cant see in. All the yellow lemons are really very pretty from the inside, almost like Christmas ornaments! We dont spend much time out front because we have a large, gorgeous backyard. We get shade from several other trees. Matter of fact, I am always concerned about having too much shade to grow some of the plants I want. I really do feel very strongly about the natives. I volunteer on an annual native plant tour. I raise butterflies in the backyard. The front garden needs to be drought tolerant, deer resistant and butterfly friendly. I could probably accomplish that with Mediterranean, but the natives are important to me. Mediterranean plants are in very heavy use in our microclimate. Maybe Im having a Mediterranean backlash like I had a purple backlash several years ago. I guess part of wanting a "strong design element" in front is based on the fact that with natives, the front yard isnt going to be in bloom all year. I want it to be interesting to look at. Also, I spend a lot of time maintaining our backyard and really cant come up with a whole lot more time to spend on the front every week. I have driven around looking at front yards and I like the ones that look like the owners spent some time on the design rather than just an accidental collection of plants. But I dont want a highly formal design. I tend to be a plant collector in the backyard, so I want to have something a little more restrained in the front. I have seen dry streambeds done well and not so well. So I understand your concerns. I'll put that in the "don't do that" file. I should probably explore berms, but I dont know if they look any more natural than dry streambeds. One of the main plants I know I want is the vine maple and I want it to be well planted and integrated into the design. With our backyard, we could divide it into sections and work on it a little at the time. The front yard seems to need a cohesive plan. I will have to have some dirt hauled in, so if I am going to add any dirt, I probably want to do that before putting down the new flagstones. I'm not really seeing this as increasing the hardscape unless you are talking about the streambed as hardscape. We are basically going to redo the existing front walk and then where it going from the front walk to the driveway. Yes, the fence would go all the way to the drive. I was almost embarrassed to post that picture. The fence has been taken down in sections as weve had the work done on the driveway and the roof. Weve got to get rid of a ton of red rock and black plastic. Im under no illusions that this is going to be easy, but I want to make sure I dont get to a step and realize that Ive done something out of order or something that created another problem. Later, I am going to bust up the concrete between the sidewalk and street to get rid of those diamond shaped planters that have been so hard to deal with, but that is further down the road and I can easily separate that from the main project. Ill give more consideration to a post and rail fence painted white rather than a split rail left natural. My partner found a round stone patio with a bench in one of the library books I brought home. If I could find a bench that really spoke to me, I may go in that direction. Oh no! Now I'm feeling unfocused again and that makes me afraid that this project is going to keep stretching out... Yes, the chimney is quite the focal point! There are several like it in our neighborhood.

wear a wrist brace when stripping and sanding! I have restored another old hold and hurt my wrist years ago, it has flared its ugly head again! I have been to a hand doctor, CT scans and such.. and basically, I have an overuse injury, I've worn away the cartilage! It's finally feeling better after a cortisone shot, but I still wear the brace and it is helping! Back to stripping.. I should be more careful, but I'm not as careful as I should be wearing masks and such... but try at times! What I have found is that in my kitchen and baths (4) they used this green, sticky primer and when I tested for read, it was positive with-in a split second. The other rooms did not have the same green primer, and when I tested, it "kinda" turned red.. so I'm not sure how much the lead really is in the other areas. Every square inch of wood in our house (trim, doors) is cypress. It's a pretty wood, and it looks like it has always been painted from day one, as I see no varnish, and I happen to love painted wood, not stained, so I'll be repainting by choice. 90% of my house TRIM is now stripped after 3 weeks of working everyday! (using a heat gun) I will still need to tackle all the doors, and for some reason, the paint on the doors is much more difficult to remove! Had to strip some areas of the walls too, too thick and peeling! From Sunrise - work in progress From Sunrise - work in progress From Sunrise - work in progress From Sunrise - work in progress

IâÂÂll try to get a photo of the door. HandyMac, Is there such a thing as a non toxic stripper? And one thing I wanted to mention. I was not necessarily wanting to strip it down to bare wood. There has to be probably 3 or 4 layers of paint on there, but it was my understanding that if you cover lead paint with non lead paint that seals it in there and unless it chips off later, you are no longer exposed to it. So the door is not chipping at all, I was going to just very lightly rough it up to hold paint and put another top layer on it. I definitely was not considering sanding this door down to bare wood. I am the person who would not even use glue but stick the toothpicks in the hole with a new screw. [g] ItâÂÂs worked perfectly before. lol I agree, you are right, of course, an experienced person here to look at it will be needed. I am just trying to get a broad idea of which direction to go. And to understand what people are talking about when they come out. And I do agree that it is difficult to find a person that is qualified. Many say they are but you find out in the end, they werenâÂÂt. I donâÂÂt think I am going to be considering steel doors. IâÂÂm pretty attached to wood doors. And the door faces East, and with the outer entry the sun is a minor factor. Trebruchet, Thanks for another point of view and for the link. IâÂÂm mulling it all over. MissingNoFingers - I didnâÂÂt think I had an heirloom door here. ItâÂÂs a cape with a pretty average, small front door. But it is solid wood paneled door and I think the price for those start at about $800. Thanks for the illustration, very helpful. Does the fact I was only planning on giving it a quick once over to paint it make a difference? Could I paint without sanding, since it isnâÂÂt peeling or chipping?

Johnmari, Thank you for sharing about the many variations on white. Now I'm a little worried. We really don't have $ to go for custom treatments. If I go with the white, maybe I should order, try one, and then understand I may have to return? Yes. Absolutely. That was JM's point and what I assumed (and shouldn't have) you already knew. You need to have a plan to check the color before you commit. Or, as Annz said, there are many other resources out there at about the same price point as JCP where you can obtain samples before you buy. My Lowe's for instance has a nice supply of take home color samples for blinds and plantation shutters. You mention a mix of mission and contemporary - again, either would work. Someone made the point the wood tones do not reflect as much light into the space -- that is accurate. If you have abundant natural light, might not be such a concern. But if you're having trouble deciding between the two, that factor is something to consider. Exterior - Again, either can work. It's a matter of your deciding which choice, white or wood, is going to fit best with the design and look you're marching towards interior as well as exterior. Maybe make a spreadsheet and list the pros and cons of each color choice to help you see which one 'fits' best at least on paper.