I do not find it disconcerting in the least that the door is not centered. Having it off-center in the porch area is as common as air. It might seem more noticeable now because the house has an unfinished look and a certain "emptiness" about it, which will all change as you add landscaping and the finishing touches. The black shutters seem okay ... like black eyeliner making the window features look larger. But the black posts remind me of black lipstick or fingernail polish. They look ghoulish. So I'd paint those white and another thing that would make the porch seem stronger visually is the addition of filigree trim at the top (at both front and sides.) I've used this before and it makes a huges difference. The trim I'm speaking of is made to go at the top of cabinets so it's a ready-made, big-box item. Or you could make something if you're handy with simple carpentry. One more thing I'd do there is add full length shutters along each side of the door to expand its size and importance. (This, again, is along the lines of how eyeliner makes eyes look larger.) If the door seemed larger, the porch area it would seem less "empty" looking. If ready-made shutters won't clear the utilities, make a pair of simulated shutters that will. They don't have to match existing shutters. And I'd paint the door and door frame white, too. (The darker grey adds a gloomy, instead of cheery, touch, I think.) A bench or seat of some time below the porch window would be a nice touch, too. You stated that everything was now paved, so it's probably too late for my walk suggestion. However, if not, I'd create a walk that acts as a landing for the entire front of the porch so as to make entering it seem like a spacious, unconfined experience. It would also leave some space for planting at the left side of the garage. Since that's blank wall space, a pair of matching small trees could flank the garage. (Such trees would be made of shrubs that only get 9'-10' height so as to minimize maintenance. One would pick the shrub that adds the particular personality they are looking for.) The rest of the plant suggestions are more or less self explanatory as to heights you might consider and the placement of foliage masses. This post was edited by Yardvaark on Tue, May 28, 13 at 10:38

Thanks trovesofttrillums for posting a pic of my house.... The first pic is the front of my house that I am needing help lanscaping. Please remember...keep it very simple and inexpensive as possible...I am not able to take care of anything that needs much maintenance, due to health reasons. Thanks for all help...without a landscaper in the area, I do not know where to start. There will be a curved sidewalk from the front door to the drive....as soon as the dirt settles enough,

given the amount of slope in the yard, you'll probably want to connect the walk to the drive. Keep it away from the house far enough that it doesn't impinge foundation planting space. Add a lounging deck on to the front ONLY if your lifestyle and neighborhood warrant it. don't add it on thinking it will help the looks. You would have to put a step or two into the retaining wall as it is too large of a drop to be a single step. Also, if the wall were not reconfigured to accommodate a walk, it would be a VERY unfinished, awkward looking end result. For such a small, simple house, a pair of shrubs, one below each window could be the basis of a foundation planting. Annuals could flank each side of the steps. (In the rebuilding of them I hope you are talking wood for a railing and not the steps/stoop. Masonry is better looking, classier and more durable. If you have not already done so, the lilac should be turned into a multi-trunk tree. The giant shrub look, blocking so much of the view, is oppressive to the overall scene.

"I think it is unkind and unhelpful to poke fun at someone ..." Yes, while it wouldn't necessarily be, it could be unkind to poke fun at someone. But that wasn't what I was doing. There is a difference between adding levity to the discussion, and saying something actually mean and hurtful. As Wendy points out, sometimes the written word does not come across as the humor it was intended to be. But I was pretty sure it would here because the circumstance -- baking food to counteract carpet wear -- was so obviously ludicrous that no rational person would believe there to be any link whatsoever between the two. Apparently, I was wrong and at least one person can conceive this link. So I have to be duly charged with forgetting to add the smiley face or LOL, and make it blatantly obvious to everyone, that it was said in jest ... not poking fun at someone because of their circumstances. I was playfully making light of their reasoning about how to deal with those circumstances, in an attempt to get them to see that there is a disconnect between their problem and their projected solution. The flip side to this discussion is that there ARE people who literally have none, or barely any sense of humor. They can't hear a joke without thinking it is serious and that there is ill intent behind it. Addie, you might consider not looking so hard on the dark side of whatever is said. If something --- especially something that is wildly ludicrous -- is said, you might just ask yourself if it could possibly be intended as a joke. If it's possible, then you might just let it go, giving someone the benefit of the doubt. If you're 100% certain it's not a joke, then it might be worth commenting about. Other than that, it seems you're just as likely to wrong as right.