John - first, congratulations on selecting this excellent property. second - I would follow the wise advice from kentc, to live in the house for a while before making any major changes. I like the advice from NHB, and would like to see the hedge or continuous growth along the drive remain, just transplant some of those rounded mounds behind it in order to spoil the formality of the repetition. For anyone to help you with the backyard, they would need to know who will be living in the house, how you plan to entertain visitors, if you will be conducting business within these walls. What activities each member of the family hopes to perform in this new setting, with ample room for sport courts, swimming, exercise equipment, dining areas, cookouts, vegetable & herb gardens, small greenhouse, dog yard, horse barn. Take your time. Analyze first then plan. The master plan that you prepare will be implemented in stages over the years, based on the available budget and the children's age. For instance, a preschooler will need a sandbox and swing-set within view of the kitchen and the office or study. In a few years this will be replaced by a lawn area for lawn sports like badminton, volleyball, croquet, corn-hole and the like. You are ambitions and will do an excellent job, all in good time. You might add a finer gravel to solidify the existing stone drive, and add asphalt as budget permits. Keeping the slopes to 10 percent or less will allow comfortable walking and bicycling up the hillside. A couple stone columns down at the drive entrance would be appropriate, along with a post lamp and the house number and maybe you will add a nickname in the future. I refer to my home as Hill House as it is in the town of Round Hill, which I enjoy when my GPS says "you are arriving at Hill House". Happy New Year, John, you have a lot to be thankful for.

You have a lot going on with all the different roof lines and windows and columns. I think what's throwing me off is the two-tone white and brown. I think if all the white and brown was just one colour it might simplify your house visually and bring out the beautiful architecture. At first I thought to paint it all white but then I thought maybe a darker tone of your roof colour. Not sure. As for the ivy, yes, remove it. It covers your red brick and makes the bottom part of your house look squat. Remove it and the bottom red brick will visually be in more proportion. You have a lovely house, the roof line is really cool! Good luck!

Groveraxle's entrance LOOKS better because it suddenly looks like the entrance is accessible and inviting. The only thing I don't like, if the path of travel is to the left, is the grade ... where one would need to walk down and then back up in order to get from A to B. Hopefully, we'll get some pictures soon that explain the route. If the route truly does require a person to go down then up, it seems a retaining wall would be in order.

maifleur03, she presented the project as a flip for the sole purpose of netting a profit and therefore my questions are relevant. If there was no profit, or so low to not justify the venture it was a flop and a failure regardless how nice it looked. If it's a capital venture I'm not about to give out a participation attaboy without the facts. It is my business if I choose to ask, she can refuse to answer and her choice. In retrospect my activity here certainly isn't any of your business and I respectfully decline to comply with your request. A guy once told me I could take a part time job and earn more money and just go out and buy the vegetables I grow. I told him I do it as a hobby and not to make money, but if it was to make money I would of went broke the first year, so was the flip a hobby or to make money?