Well, to be blunt, I'm guessing that what you're suggesting will make the house look more generic, not less. That's mainly because you're talking about only foundation planting vs. anything else on the property, but also because there doesn't strike me as being anything unusual about the foundation planting you have in mind (not, by the way, that I know anything about foundation plantings in Kentucky; just guessing here). Not that there's really anything wrong with generic. It takes a lot less energy than "special" does. There isn't actually anything wrong with the plan you've proposed (except I don't like the central placement of the hydrangea, but that's minor). Mind you, I'm also not clear on whether, if this is not in fact a photo of your house, you have those little boxwoods or yews there, or whether the sum total of your proposed foundation planting is the plants you've mentioned. If the latter, then I do think you need some more substantial evergreen plants. Given the north? facing exposure, I'd think you're not going to get the greatest performance out of plants placed at the foundation in any case, plus I don't see that this house needs foundation planting necessarily. One of the neat things about its generic look is that it is exactly that - neat - and unless the garden has real substance, it's just going to look like distractions messing up the clean lines. Something about this scene makes me want to put rocks in it - I dunno whether big boulders or just a rock-edged bed - and I think I would want to garden further out in the yard, not just at the foundation. That's really just an opinion; I don't have any real reason for that except perhaps it reflects my taste in gardening. Or maybe it's to balance the driveway. For the planting question, if by "weed mat" you mean landscaping fabric, I would pull it up. If it's something biodegradable that will break down in time, then I would leave it. Finally, is that a light on the opposite side of the mailbox? What a great idea! KarinL

The presentation from your architect is not well done. It suffers from stiff fussy computer fill patterns that obscure the nature of the house and distract your eye from the important issues. I never show a client a black & white computer elevation with all the materials shown. Cleaned up and noted they are useful to the builder. The roof of a house will not only appears shorter when viewed from the ground, it will appear to be a solid color with subtle texture rather than what is shown in these drawings. The roof is far less important in the elevation than the wall claddings. So tell your architect to delete the shingle pattern on the roof so you can see the wall cladding and to add some color even if the colors are not known; it doesn't matter. You need to clearly distinguish between the materials. And put a window of some kind in the blank gable pediments so they look tacked on. And make the corner boards and frieze board larger, and drop the high pants stone work down to the foundation where it can anchor the house to the ground instead of looking like the house is sinking into the foundation. Add a "water table" at the bottom of the siding to establish the floor line. This house has some classical elements so follow though with that theme and build a correct cornice return, omit returns at the stone element and offset the column capitals at the ends of the porch (the beam should align with the column below). The columns appear a bit spindly so try making them wider. They seem too short to be tapered. Reduce the number of window panes and use sub-sills under the windows instead of "picture frame" trim. The window in the stone wall should be recessed with brick molding trim and a masonry sill. Some kind of a lintel might help too. This is just a quick study of what an architect might use to show you the design of your house. If he/she prefers to draw with a computer and you are willing to pay for the extra time, a better program would be SketchUp. As for materials, I don't think a horizontal stone pattern is at all appropriate.

Congratulations on your first home! Make sure you test colors on a movable board before you have the exterior painted - the colors look different from the monitor and will look different in various times of the day or evening. Blue is very hard to get right, but looks fabulous when it is done right. I will see if I can find a couple of blue siding homes as insp pics so you can have a place to start your color tests. One comment about your shutters: remove the shutters on the front right double window and add shutter hardware to the other two sets of shutters so they look functional even if they aren't, it will add lots of personality to your home. They need to be sized right (half the size of the window for each shutter). Here is a link to a brief article written by an architect for you Shutters vs Shudders ^See how the each shutter is half the size of the window in width and each has hinges and shutter dogs. I have no idea if these are functional or just look functional, and that is the point:)

“Nice landscaping . . . Does anyone have any suggestions?” Jean, on Sunday 12/30, Yardvaark made a request for a set of photos taken closer in from just inside the yard, from one spot opposite the front door, that spans across the whole yard from one side bound to the other. Can you add that so we see the whole span of the front yard? Landscaping isn’t just in front of the house and this photo is a bit too far away for useful landscaping suggestions. For instance, is there a bed between the house and the steps to the left of the door and if so, how deep is it front to back? How is the drive positioned?