to hire a hardscape designer is quite expensive

I have a decent sized budget

So then just how much money do you have allocated for this? Because that will quite directly determine the scope of what can be done.

$6500 is my current budget. Hardscape designers from what ive been quoted run from 1200-1500 which would be almost 1/4 of my budget.

" ive recently got shutters " Please, NO "shudders".

https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

my apologies, i dont mean outside shutters. just the indoor plantation shutters

Hire landscape designer - if not for a full design plan then at the very least a consultation and perhaps an abbreviated plan. Most charge by the hour and/or the scope of the project (and this one is tiny!) and are fully able to design any hardscaping. The cost for that small a design plan would be only a few hundred at most.

And they will be able to provide a realistic approximation of cost. I can tell you right now that any kind of hardscaping other than DIY is going to exceed that budget. And depending on materials used, a DIY project could exceed that as well. Your budget will barely put a dent into a project similar to your inspiration photos.

I actually do not see any possibility for shutters. let people tell you. I just did visual

I think we need to address a few sore thumbs that stick out to me.

1. those ever too small lights flanking the windows. seem rather useless and strange. I would remove those entirely and either cap them or go with a very small directional light or a ceramic light that can be painted the wall color.

2. the area to the left of the door where the blank wall is. have you ever thought to dress that area up?

3. make sure to incorporate landscape lighting, you can use the power from where the post light was.

4. What are you willing to take care of, for example, birds of paradise need maintenance at the left of the driveway, I know bc I have them and they grow like a weed and love to expand lol.

5. is there a front porch light and could it be moved?

I think expanding the porch and putting in a pergola would help a lot, otherwise, I love celerygirls additions.!

Interesting idea with pergola

thank you so much for all the ideas and images. when i had the house painted that wall where the windows are just looked two plain so i did add two side lights - But after choosing the lights i wanted, it did turn out to be too small. So yes, i will def replace those lights. I really like the wrap around idea that Celerygirl did. and dressing up that blank wall is a good idea as well!

also, because i already have a front porch, would the pergola just be added to it?

Also in the planter box im going to add some directional lights that point upwards towards the house. As far the actual plants, im looking for something that is for sure low maintenance

Look for century plants, they are drought tolerant and do not need a lot of care.

yes adding the pergola will add some depth, and also expanding the porch will help soak up some of that dead space by that blank wall. as to adding those lights.........you should have asked us hahahahhahhahahahaa j/k im not sure what to offer you on those, but Ill think more on it if you really do want them to be predominant.

Not sure if your actual door sits up a bit from the current concrete but if it does I would use that composite decking and go over it then extend out. dont cover it with pavers, mine just cracked and came loose, ............

I should’ve! Do you think just larger lights in general would look better?

like button seems broke, so 'like' to celerygirl!

dont just add up lights at the house do some path lights in the areas that need.

The outlets are high, so either something pretty long with a mounting plate that high or warehouse style

thank you for the images. im going to show couple of paver companies these images and hope it falls close to within my budget

Fully agree with the hire a landscape designer comment. We hired someone for our new build and it was absolutely worth it. She planned several garden areas for us that kept in mind my lack of a green thumb, where they were located on the lot and access to sun, as well as my interest in green all year. It was far less expensive than I thought it would be and excellent results.

AS,

If you dont mind me asking, how much did that run you? Did this person charge you a flat fee or was it hourly?

Ultimately i have my front yard and back yard to do, this year im only doing my front yard due to budget. so if i absolutely had to hire a designer, id probably get the person to do the front and back yard design.

So a couple of things for reference points because they likely matter. We are in Vancouver Canada so there could be regional price differences to be aware of.

Our house is a new build. The grass was already done and the garden spaces were allocated just not plants for them. So we really needed someone to figure out what it would all be filled with not plan all of the space in the yard.

Our fee for three front gardens and three back gardens was $275. This got us the to scale plans of the different gardens, a plant list, a care of each plant list and instructions overall.

I know someone who had the same person design their entire back yard from nothing to finished and it was $575.

We did not install all gardens at the same time and did one many months later. We are very happy overall with her choices etc.

Hope this helps

AS

thank you for the info!

Celery's pergola and trellis are perfect! I wonder if the windows are too far apart to do something like this, but with a more simple design. sorry about the huge photo! And maybe use the same wood to case both front windows. Look forward to seeing the finished project!

"im going to show couple of paver companies these images and hope it ..." It is not possible to use pictures such as those shown here to get meaningful bids. All a paver company could do is give a vague suggestion of what kind of a budget you might want to strive for. If you and they agreed to a price based on a picture, you couldn't have any idea of what you'd really end up with. Whatever you perceived as a shortcoming, they'd tell you that the budget didn't end up covering it. To get bids, you need a PLAN. To get a plan, you need someone to do the design work. Or, you can do it yourself, but you must actually do it ... get out the pencil and paper and draw.

I have to question if the planter wall you are contemplating is a good thing, and think probably not. Your budget it not all that high. It would be better to focus on the most important things first, and let superfluous things come later. Personally, I think the planter wall would work against you. In effect, as viewed from the street, it's barrier. Instead of communicating a welcoming path -- in effect, an invitation -- to the front entrance, the wall would hide the approach. I think you should be doing the opposite ... widening and deepening the steps and creating an expanded landing at their base. It sends the message that entering the house is easy and the path is unobstructed. Thus, it is welcoming.

As a hardscape installation comes before a planting installation, a hardscape design comes before a planting design. There's not much point in thinking about planting until the hardscape is determined. I suggest you focus on steps and landing as the starting point, and let everything else go until those are resolved. All of the hardscape walls and curbs in the inspiration pictures, as Gardengal says, is going to exceed your budget, possibly substantially. It would be better to build a nice, welcoming set of steps and spacious landing, and have some money left over for planting, than to get involved in a project that wipes out the budget before it is half finished.

(BTW, unless they are intentionally compartmentalizing space, wall and curbs that don't actually retain earth look fake or purposeless, and that does not look good ... in spite of that some people being oblivious to that fact.)

If you go with wide casement windows, what you are going to do for the rest ones? They are not much.

here are some ways to bring balance

As mentioned previously most of the examples you chose of layouts you want to emulate are paired with bigger, more important and contemporary looking houses - in addition to staying within existing budget Yaardvark mockup on the other hand is in keeping with size and style of your house. Unlike the modernistic, large boarded arbor that was suggested. The big, sweeping half circle walkway might be a bit much also.

Might be right to go with smaller circle

But circle size matters, bigger mulch and pavers areas-less grass.It is important in CA.

following

Celery girl, I’m really digging the last picture you put up. Dressing up that blank wall with a trellis I think will really look nice.

Adding that pergola will def be an additional cost but In the picture looks really nice. I’m doing more research on a designer, and I’m going to show them these pictures as an inspiration. Sounds like I’m def going to have to up my budget...

I meant to say trim the windows (front and picture window) with the same wood as the pergola. That would make the front look more cohesive. Can I just say, Celerygirl, you are an amazing designer and photoshopper!

Thank you guys, I am doing it for fun! :-))

circle size matters, bigger mulch and pavers areas-less grass.It is important in CA

Taking big bites out of lawns makes them look partly eaten ("the bit left over"). The existing lawn has a comparatively uniform shape, any size reduction should be designed so that the lawn still looks "whole" afterward.

That would make the front look more cohesive

Yes - the way it is now the pergola wouldn't "go" with the house at all.

I like the pergola I like what it does for the house IMO going with a traditional black rail and a few plants is pretty much the basic smashic..............

some ideas:

I always appreciate dig Doug's renderings, but I still feel like that front door area is lacking without something.........

Porch close up:

Wow! Thank you so mich Doug!! I wish you were local! I love the pictures

DOUG!!! ty looks so dang cozy!

Is there anyway you draw up something like looks like this? Something more simple?

PM me.

Some kind of ?

Celery girl, that looks awesome! Thank you! That plus the pergola would look pretty good..

Dennis -

Unless I missed it, you didn't say what direction the front of your house faces, and how much sun it got, that is, if it's sun is obstruction by tall buildings on the other side of the street.

The other very, very important thing for you to think about, of which other Houzzers might not be aware is that Southern California goes through extreme water shortages pretty much every single year, and many areas are told to not water their lawn or do it only minimally for parts of the year.

That should really inform how you think about landscaping.

Admittedly, I do understand if you despise cacti and other succulents.

But you might want to seriously think about eschewing live grass in favor of artificial turf.

There are marvelous artificial turfs now that would fool anyone, certainly from standing height, and you obviously don't need to water it and think of all the $$ you save in gardener's fees, and none of those those pesky varmints rolling up the sod, either.!

You can can still have specifically carved out flower beds, and trees and bushes with planned irrigation for those specific areas.

Your area abounds with very experienced landscape architects.

You want someone who has an artistic eye, and who knows hardscape and who is very familiar with the plants that do well in your area, and is familiar with the exigencies of life in SoCal and in your microclimate and can speak frankly with you about what you want to get out of your garden and how much work you are willing to put in to it.

Do you sit outdoors in the front or the back?

Do you want fragrant flowers on a trellis where you sit there or will a fragrance annoy the heck out of you?

Will you sit outside in the morning or night, so do you need flowers that bloom in the am or bloom in the evening with colors that will be seen sell in twilight and at night?

Do you want an herb garden for cooking?

Do you want vegetables?

Do you want several rose bushes so you can fill your house with roses, or other flowers so you can always have bouquets?

Of course Dig Doug's designs look fantabulous as always, but note that his designs show significant hardscape changes to the front of the house.

You might want to think about saving up some money for the hardscape work.

If you get rid of the grass and put in artificial turf, you will end up saving a fortune of money on your water bill that you can put toward hardscape.

If you have never owned a house before, you would not believe how much the water bill will be, and when you add in watering the lawn, holy moly!

Oh.. , I