Okay, let's see if I can catch up on all of your helpful posts! I met with a landscaper and we were pretty much on the same page but there were a few things that I didn�t agree with. Maybe I just have no clue what I'm doing and maybe his recommendations are truly better than the picture I have in my head! I'll be meeting with another designer on Monday to get his take on it. The first guy was free and we just talked about what the plan would be. The second guy charges $50, but will draw up a whole design. They also do driveways, which the first company does not do. The one thing that I really didn't like about the first guy was that I felt like I had seen all of his ideas in my neighborhood already. I don't want something crazy that doesn't fit the house or neighborhood, but I also don't want the same thing everyone else has. How do you get your house to stand out from the others but still "fit"? Just because everyone else has "x" number of garden beds and "x" amount of front yard grass doesn't mean I have to, right? I did read over our HOA docs and they simply state that no more than 20% of the yard can be raised garden beds or container gardens. I would really like to make maintaining the lawn easier and to shade the front a little more. He wasn't on board with that. As I said before our yard is quite short, only 25 ft deep from the sidewalk to the front brick. So that will definitely play a big part in the design. The front tree is a cherry tree (with fruit) and I have been told that it will grow large enough to provide cover for the front window, not too sure about the door. Every arborist and landscaper that I have talked to seem happy with that tree and tell me not to touch it. The shutters have actually done quite well with all of the sun and heat that they get exposed too. No warping or anything. Considering the roof color is a good point. I think the wrought iron color would look great. I still don�t know what I want to do with the door. I have been playing with pictures of the house for days now. I've cut and pasted so many different designs I'm stuck. I think that there are some styles and looks that definitely work, some that definitely don't work, and then there are the in-between ones. I don't mind having my house look a little different then the neighborhood. I have two tri-levels on each side of me and three true 2 story colonials across the street from me. From my mock-ups I think can get away with some different looks that neither of the other two styles could pull off. And that is why I'm stuck. Too many ideas. I think a designers eye is what I need. The other challenge I am having right now is prioritizing what to do with the house first. The inside still needs to be painted. I could use some new furniture too. If I did do painting I would want to update the lighting while the ceilings are getting a fresh coat. As far as the outside goes, we obviously need landscaping. But we could also use new gutters and soffits, possibly a new door, and new hardscaping. My husband would also like to close in the carport. There is just so much to do and I don't know where to start. The changes we have already made to the inside were easy because they were done out of necessity. Really none of these other things have to be done. I think that I would like to focus on the outside simply because I have a 4yr old and 1yr old that make it a little harder to maintain the inside versus the outside. And I can handle the inside myself. I obviously need professional help with the exterior. So, any ideas on how to prioritize my projects?

From your idea book for the front yard, it's clear you prefer a clean, modern, angular design. I suggest changing out the garage door for one with a grid of frosted glass panels. (Search images for "modern garage doors" and you'll see what I mean.) Consider stucco instead of siding. Maybe you can find more modern windows as well. Use the horizontal fence idea to screen the trash cans. Remove the existing driveway and pour fresh concrete scored into a very large grid pattern. Or, use large rectangles of concrete and lay river stones in between. (Again, search for images of "modern concrete driveway" and you will find lots of inspiration, including many with the curve you need.) I agree a modest pergola at the entry will signal where the door is. If you have room for a small trickling pot fountain under the pergola, so much the better. Remove the grass from the parking strip. Figure out where car doors will open if parked on the street -- set large rectangular floating pavers at that point, and plant the other areas with succulents. Top dress around the plants with either thick mulch or a layer of river rock (smooth, flat, rounded stones). Minimize your lawn area. I'd use the corner swath between the sidewalk and the drive for a very large succulent (examples: Agave attenuata, Euphorbia tirucalli "sticks on fire", Aloe petricola) and lower growers around it (Senecio mandraliscae, Graptoveria, etc.) along with some that produce flowers on tall stems (example: Clandrina spectabilis, Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, Anigozanthus falvidum), and maybe some tufted grasses (Muhlenbergia capillaris, Sporobolus aroides, one of the many Carex). If possible, repeat some of the same plants along the house below the windows (I can't tell in the shadows if there is soil for planting or not). Good luck! You can turn this plain Jane into a stunner -- all you need is money, a vision, and more money. Did I mention money? ;-) I hope you will follow up with progress photos.

so I have been staring at front doors all night, and one thing I found that I wanted to bounce off the brain trust here was that I think I like the look of the overall entryway being wider. There is a glimpse of that effect in the renderings above due to the addition of sidelights...but I think that the simplicity of not having sidelights, and instead getting width from a double front entry door has a pleasing look that while enhancing the curb appeal, still looks simple and understated (and in doing so blends with the house). here was one I tried to photoshop onto our house...let me know what you think. I didnt go out of my way to pick that door color, it was just a nice looking (and simpleish) double front door with white trim and a basic (but wider than my current) step so I gave it a shot... If anyone is up for some photoshopping, I am curious how a double front door setup like this would look with a gray door (similar to the single color maybe?) or a red/orange door like in the prior photos... If we go this route I will have to see if phantom screens work on a double opening :) appreciate the landscaping you have added into your renderings as well, and I definitely want to remove/replace what we have now...but we are a less is more kind of family I think when it comes to maintaining landscaping so I can't imagine installing (or keeping up with) that impressive spread you have in your picture celerygirl. Yardvark's suggestion is probalby more our speed..

Could you post a close up, straight on, of the immediate area of your door, standing back so we can see the utility boxes, etc.? If the boxes can’t be moved back towards your street...perhaps run a small white picket fence from the driveway to your lot line, and then turn it back towards your door, enclosing the boxes from view. Plant in front of the boxes...creating a pretty flowerbed, etc. Yes, the boxes will be visible to people entering the house, but not to those driving by. Just a thought. And, of course....a new garage door, for sure! One with windows. Perhaps something mid century? Patricia’s query, above, is a good one. What is the room with the two windows? Perhaps the door could be relocated there?