Does anyone use the walkway to the street? If not then maybe eliminate it as it looks like a bright gash across the lawn. Instead, do a path from the driveway to the front door that can meander around some curved, perhaps mounded garden area. I think the walls/planters do detract from the front of the house. But the biggest thing to me is the color. I'm not a fan of brown trim anyway, but it is especially stark against the light building, which gets really washed out in the bright FL sun. I think adding color to the scheme will help a lot. Adding color to the garden would help as well. Dad always filled his planters with bright red geraniums and they looked fabulous. There are a lot of colorful plants in FL that you could use...bushes that bloom all year, crotons with their colorful leaves. And one of my faves...bird of paradise. The mature trees are lovely. But the small ones in the planters are too small and lonely. The 2 "Xmas trees" in the front on the right are also too lonely and out of scale. They will grow, but especially until they do, some other plantings will soften the look. I agree about that back walkway being too narrow and definitely nothing I'd want to navigate with arms full or in heels. Pavers that don't meet and aren't level are just dangerous IMO, as is that trip hazard in the front...that little lip where the sidewalk meets the porch.

Thank you ladies : ) but these last images of the house are Jay's vision for his place. Awm, I especially appreciate your acknowledging my input and ideas, as the photoshopping is simply a design and communication tool. I always wonder if anyone notices, or appreciates more than the shopping! The creativity and challenges are where my heart is, aside from loving to help people solve their problems or achieve their vision. And, of course, I want to be good at that, too! I'm glad you always learn something. So do I! One always needs to learn more, and it makes the process all the more fun. So, thank you, again, for your compliments and encouragement on projects : ) It is very much appreciated.

The current front walk from the drive looks too narrow, and the garden beds both along the walk and to the left of the door are too narrow. If it is in the budget, plan to move the walkway to a minimum of 5 feet from the building and widen it. That will give you a more generous garden, remove the the skinny bed to the street side of the walkway, and give you a walk wide enough for comfort and not crowded by plants needing frequent trimming. Right now everything is in skinny rows. I would also remove the swing and plan to incorporate that space into the garden, either with a small water feature such as an overflowing jar, or some art, or some low plants. You don't want to hide or crowd the approach to the door. If you own enough property to the right of the drive, I would plant a small tree over there about half way between your drive and the neighbor's and midway between the fence and the sidewalk. Your large tree gives the yard character and will help reduce cooling costs. It will also influence what will grow to the left side of the door since it will provide shade and compete for moisture with whatever plants you put in. Before removing what is there remember that establishing new plants may need extra care. If you decide on a central front walk, be sure to avoid doing major damage to the tree's roots. You won't get the most useful specific plant suggestions without information on your growing zone and the amount of sun the area gets, particularly influenced by the direction the house faces which can be determined by finding the house on a map. A north facing house will have the front in full shade, while south facing will have both more sun and heated masonry adjacent to the gardens. You may want to ask on the Florida Gardening forum or visit a few good local nurseries for specific plant suggestions. Think about foliage color and texture as well as flowers, and be sure that some of the plants retain nice foliage during winter. i would plan on doing all the hardscaping and painting before working on the gardens themselves so that you aren't damaging the plants. My personal taste would be to keep the house in a relatively neutral pastel color such as sage green or gray with the trim a slight darker shade of the same color. Make your door brighter or lighter since it is recessed. I don't think the current color which looks like a pale olive green on my screen is a problem. Do you not like it?

Brick: I think your brick is very attractive; I would not paint it. I do think the railing would look better if painted black or dark green. Landscape: Your pictures are very dark--is that a Japanese maple in the front of the house in the flower bed? Those shrubs might look better if they were shaped. Flowering shrubs and annuals would be an improvement, too. Not the time of year, I know. Paging Dig Doug's Designs! He has terrific ideas. I am not sure how much room you have on the right side, but I think an arbor would look really nice over there or in the front of your house with some climbing roses or other vines like clematis. Windows: I am not a professional, but I think your mini blinds do not go with the style of your home. Sheers or lace curtains would seem to look better. If you can't open your windows because they are nailed shut, it's time to think about new windows. I know you hate your brick and think your house is unattractive, but I don't think it looks that bad. This is the time of year when flowers fade and leaves fall. In my area, it seems cloudy and/or rainy/snowy all the time. Can't wait to see what you do with the place. Good luck!