There's no need to have any lawn. By all means, widen the bed. It's hard for us to see what's there, but exuberant gardens rarely look 'busy'.

Is it normal in your climate to have such prominent cleanouts? They're totally flat where I live, but we don't have weather. If that height isn't required by code, I'd see about reducing it.

I think your builder basic landscaping (at least the hardscape) is pretty nice for a builder, and I see why you're hesitant to enlarge the bed. It's nicely proportioned. It works. But those pipes!

Try laying out a garden hose to model new bed lines. I'd start with widening the bed at the driveway and swooping it up to catch the pipes. Grass is overrated anyway. Where is the property line? Are all the rocks yours? Do you like rocks? Is this a low water area?

Just enlarging the bed would be the easy thing. If you want a more serious redo, I'm sure you'll get some serious suggestions!

I don't think it would be bad. I was hoping someone more talented would draw you a border shape but here is what I came up with.

Simple solution, fake rocks come in many sizes for covering those but yet giving easy access!

One could not know how to reshape the bed by looking at half of it, or seeing it at an angle from a distance. Return to where you took the first picture. Move in closer but where you can see the whole first floor of house and the lawn. (You'll be standing on the parkway or near edge of walk. OK to turn the camera to vertical format.) Take a panoramic picture by using that feature of the camera or by taking slightly overlapping pictures. Show every square in the of yard space that is between both drives. (We'll also be seeing your right neighbor's house in the background.)

Normally, the clean-out pipes are cut off flush to the ground surface. I don't know if there's anything about your area that requires different, but that's the reason you don't see them elsewhere. Do all the yards there have these things sticking up like that?

Thanks for all this helpful input so far. Stay tuned, I'm going to get some better images posted later today!

I have considered a no-lawn front yard but am not quite ready to take that leap.

Every home in my neighborhood has the pipes but the location varies significantly. Most are on the side yard... Cutting the pipes lower to the ground can be done and I'll probably end up doing that --. I just know the white caps will still be fairly noticeable.

@emmarene9, thanks for the suggestion - interesting idea for where to start the line.

One idea I wonder about is having a few large boulders delivered... gives that Colorado feel.

Be back in a bit with some more photos.

Hello! I have added quite a few more photos (at the top - in the original message of this thread). I hope these help give context? Thanks!

Your description of "builder-grade plants" reminded me of when I visited my friend's newly built home in a development. She was showing me her yard and pointed to a tree she liked and when I asked her what kind of tree it was, she replied "Assorted."

LOL.

The enmarene version is good because it connects the lawn to the porch and includes the tree and the white things within the bed. However it would be best to have the lawn retreat where the tree is instead of where the white things are. Because the tree is the main focal point and the white things should be obscured, Instead of having the lawn announce them by taking a big turn around them.

Like this idea of painting the pipe.

@Embothrium - good point about the focal point and the tree!