I will go out on a big limb and say the front yard plantings need more structure, more boldness, and more unity. I think that is akin to what karinl is saying as well (pardon me if not). laag is the unity king, and so I will get into trouble with it by myself, but since the front of your home has a variety of different backgrounds--the wall, the inset porch, including the little fence, the driveway with garage viewed beyond-- those backgrounds themselves do not tie anything together, and so something in the garden itself has to--the choice of shrubs, or a strong edging planting, or something. Then, the fine-leaved plants disappear into the current background, and the ones you have now don't have much shape, so to me it all seems to disappear. So some kind of small tree or shrub with a trunk, or some larger-leaved plants, might give some oomph. Some of these would need to be set farther away from the house and driveway--the narrow beds hugging those edges contributes to the problem of not having the room for something with some mass or visual oomph to it. Or, as in the container suggestion, there could be a way to get this kind of structure in a non-plant material, and that might even work better. That said, it isn't necessary or even desirable for the plantings to all be continuous from the L edge (as viewed from the front) across and down the driveway edge. It might actually be better to think of having separate planting pockets in 2-3 areas in which you can design for the height and depth of the plantings that look best at that part of the house; then you would either tie them together with a low groundcover, or mulch, or potentially even the lawn connecting them. (To me, it's not always wise to tell someone that their plantings have to be one big sweep, because for some people that will create maintenance issues of large areas to mulch and to weed, compared with the simpler process of mowing the lawn, as long the way the beds are edged does not itself create more maintenance, or the lawn invade more, or something. Because otherwise, it may be too hard for you to plant fully in that whole area in a way that is affordable and looks good. In fact, I'm not sure that planting along the edge of the driveway does much of what you need from a front-yard standpoint--except that it's a fine way to grow more flowers and plants--something that I can sympathize with. Since you naturally want to try to use plants you already have, an example, I think, could include that instead of having narrow rows of roses all along the way, you might use several in a mass planting. Someone else here will really have to help me more with these concepts. Because one thing I am saying is that it lacks unity, and at the same time I am saying that I don't think you can accomplish a good thing by planting just a row of homogeneous little shrubs all along those edges. I'm not able to combine these ideas into a "do this" instruction, however. Don't despair--clearly you are getting out there and arranging and planting and learning about what you like and don't like.

I agree you have a good start. Round out your beds so they swoop and widen with abandon. Don't stop or start them anywhere abruptly...stay away from Border beds...such as lining sidewalks and driveways with straight beds all the same width. Widen them out for no reason in various places..make your corners wide swoops. Your roses are beautiful. Just layer other plants with them. Think of textures and colors. Keep something in the mix always blooming. Use multi layers and heights to give the wow impact. Dont just think you must have taller in back, ect..sometimes put a stand of tall right in the middle of something.. Always buy in threes or more for impact and plant together. A plant of this and a plant of that takes years and years to add impact. Dont look to "row" plants...rather "drop" them in chunks. A cottage garden should look random...not "landscaped" I read a long time ago, that a successful garden will have many many "viewing points, stopping points". At each of those there should be a seating area...maybe just a bench, or even a single chair, sometimes a cafe table with two chairs..or a lawn swing, but a resting place to view and enjoy the garden. They should feel like little private niches surrounded by beauty, be it green or floral..Even if you never ever sit there, the placement of them plays with a views mind as they wander thru. Well worth the investment. Use some harsdscapes such a birdbaths, feeders, benches, arbors, oblisks, garden art. This are just my ideas, use what works for you and add your own. That is the nice thing about cottage..there are no rules or must haves.. Pretty start, keep sharing pics as you add.

If you are in "desperate need of a landscape plan", then you are in desperate need of a landscape designer :-) Many designers will prepare a plan for you to be able to follow on your own as a DIY project, hiring out only those areas that may need a professional hand. You are just not going to get much of a detailed response/plan online that you will be able to follow well......too much infomation is lacking. But you can check wth local nurseries for recommendations, try Angie's List or similar clearinghouse or if in the US, see if there is a local chapter of the Association of Professional Lanscape Designers (APLD). You can prepare a landscape plan on your own but the learning curve is very high. Hiring a designer is really a very modest investment but one that will streamline the process and is most likely to generate a successful result. The primary expense associated with landscaping is in the materials and the labor involved, not with the design.

Alfred, I have not read through all of your thread, but from my perspective, it seems like the tile is ok. Have you looked into having it professionally cleaned? A “green” type of cleaning maybe, if possible - I’m sure something like this should be available in CA. Then just do the pavers and maybe some edge plantings in unpaved area, and put up a gazebo. You could start with, or just permanently use, a portable gazebo - as I show in pic in my first comment. I would really not get jackhammers, etc. and try to do this yourself. If you want to make a major change in the future, I would recommend just saving up and hiring professionals. You will save yourself the wear and tear and probably get better results that way. I really think you can work with your tile as it is. If you want to change/vary the look, in some areas you could place some outdoor rugs.