Like you, I dislike the paver yard. My first thought was to remove most of it and add some plants. Remove the lattice and the timber outlining the bed. You may have to dig the soil down a few inches. I'd plant fern there. I'm not an artist so view this for ideas only. It is not how I think it would look after, No matter what you do, I think you should hire an arborist to remove some of the lower branches on the Redwoods. While they are beautiful, the shade is so dense that almost nothing can grow near the house. Which direction does the front door face? Then I reread your post. I see that you get little rain. The previous owner may have done the paving to solve the problem of watering the lawn. It is also likely that due to the deep shade closest to the trees no grass could grow. Considering all that I made a new image. This one is even more crude than the first one. Consider the ideas. Longer windows due to the need for indoor light. I am thinking that one window is above the sink in which case it cannot be changed. Perhaps it would be enough to paint that section of siding in a grayish off white. I also think a veneer of whitish brick would look nice. Larger pots for the plants near entrance and move them to the side so they do not hide the posts. Use light colored planters. Under the pots place an indoor/outdoor rug. It would need to extend wider than the posts. You could coordinate with the color of the pots. Plant light colored annuals in season. Impatiens will grow in quite a bit of shade. So will fibrous Begonias. For the shrub I would choose a variegated plant to increase the look of sunlight. I do not show the wall in a white as I do not know how to do that. I also cannot simulate brick. It looks like you cannot have wider porch lights but you could make them longer. This light is for interior so I am not suggesting this exact one. Lighter metal finish would also help due to the dark from the overhang. I think you should hire a landscape designer to make a plan for removing some of the pavers. You could do the work yourself. Get a real landscape designer. Not the guy from the mow & blow crew. If the trees are in fact Redwoods then they have an interesting root system. You should learn about that. Where is this house located?

Low growing (3’ high at maturity) evergreens in the background on both sides will give your foundation planting some structure year round, will not obstruct the windows, and will provide some privacy and a boundary for the porch area. Japanese maple should be more centered in the bed on the right, so it gets rain and more sunlight. Fill in with several groups of perennials that contrast in color, texture, and seasonal interest. Not sure what is to the left of the house, but the landscaping should continue around the left side of the house, with something taller on the corner, perhaps a dogwood or magnolia. Don’t plant tall deciduous trees next to your house...you’ll be cleaning out gutters every fall season. Choose the right plant for the area...one that will fit the space at maturity, a sun loving plant if the area is facing south/west, a shade loving plant if the area is facing north or east.

Yes. Locate the fence at least three feet in.

West-facing in Georgia? I would want shade. (Choose trees that won't damage pavement, since you will be planting quite close to it. The 'Princeton' American elm won't, and it is resistant to Dutch elm disease.) Then, because I don't like either mowing around trees or mulch circles around them, I would convert the lawn to ground cover (pachysandra? vinca if not adjacent to natural areas?). I would add a brick walk bordered in light stone or concrete from sidewalk to steps, so visitors don't have to edge past parked cars to reach a walkway. (Would have made the walk wider, but I see what looks like a utility access cover in the way.) I would remove the stone mulch as inappropriate for the traditional style of the house, add an "anchor" evergreen shrub with a well-defined shape on each side of the entrance, and a larger, looser evergreen (rhododendron? mountain laurel?) at the left corner, with lower evergreens under the windows and something lower still (azaleas?) in front of the foundation beds. The goal would be a simple, traditional landscape in keeping with the traditional-style house, so it looks like it's been there forever. Like this?