This is off the cuff for sure, but: -- foundation plantings are not limited to yews and rhodos but can be just the idea of planting next to the foundation and disguising or blurring it. So a "foundation planting" could be anthing, and could be quite interesting and attractive, and there are lots of discussions about that on this forum. However, if you don't want the foundation "planted," for whatever reason, then you are more aimed at planting out at the sidewalk. Again off the cuff, if you have a small front yard you can get a nice sense of enclosure, without being oppressive, by plantint out toward the street and having a bit of negative space, or lawn, toward the house. Sometimes, from a "gardener" 's perspective, it can be nice to work in/on the garden from within it and not as exposed to the street. If you sit on the porch, you may get a better view of your garden if it's out a bit (with the short distances you described). You still have the option to plant "something" at the foundation if you want to, but perhaps small and more restrained, or bring lawn grass right up to it. If a fence, such as picket or iron, is in line with the style of house, then it's possible to place a low or open-style fence a bit in from the sidewalk and plant on both sides. The street side might contain more manageable plants, more evergreens--things that are less likely to run wild and make you worry about maintenance, especially if you are just learning about gardening, while on the house side you can experiment more, while still keeping the two "sides" compatible. The fence then also becomes a way to train roses or other appropriate plantings. If you determine you have the time and interest, you can always make the street side more riotous and cottage-like later. Then, as might be evident from the books listed above, another "look" is to look streetside in across sidewalk and bit of lawn to "bed" of plantings at the house. The actual measurements will be an important issue--15 feet from sidewalk to house doesn't make for much more than a strip of lawn or a small circle, and some people would consider planting the whole yard; but if done properly, a bit of lawn, assuming you can cut it, can look better and allow you better access to tending the garden(s) from both sides rather than having to wade through them. Hardscape can serve the same purpose. The smaller the yard, the more I favor planting out, since by definition you have to sacrifice a few feet of space at the foundation to avoid crowding or rot (not knowing what yours is like). When I hear "perennials" I hear months of dead/blank space, so remember that evergreen shrubs of some sort should be in the design as well. You would have lots of options, I would think. A final consideration is whether the best design would include small ornamental trees or shrubs for height (maybe only one or 2)--since these have to be placed a bit away from the house, they could then be incorporated into a planting bed. Or, the size of the yard and house may be better served by all low plantings.

Worthy, Yes, the one in your photo looks exactly like mine. Hmmm, so I have a gas fireplace unit. That solves the mystery of the out-of-place light switch that doesn’t work. I bet it was supposed to be for a blower but it was never hooked up. I honestly thought I could pop by the local big box hardware store and pick up glass doors, like all my neighbors. The previous homeowner did not leave us the gas fireplace installation instructions. Thanks for explaining the unit can be lowered and how it should be done. My husband has run gas lines for other projects but I don’t think it’s worth the time, energy and potential “legal installation” issue for a small visual change. I stopped by a local fireplace store after reading your comments. They let me know units like mine are custom built and stock glass doors would not work. I would need to replace the entire unit, as you mentioned, or get custom glass doors. Considering we only have about a dozen fires annually, the latter is the way we’ll go. Custom glass doors in my area, SE Kansas, cost about $375. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. It was right in front of me but I couldn’t figure it out. Jennifer

"This front is just a mess." That is your first impression. I suggest you live with it for a few months before doing anything. Surely you will change it, but you don't yet know what it's like to live with the existing garden. The experience of it may shift your understanding slightly. mad_gallica said "you have Sun Ra but you want Bach" -- maybe. But maybe you don't know what you have or what you want. Give it time to sink in. What's the rush. No film crew coming, is there? There are philosophies that result in what someone has carefully planned and built in what is now your front garden. It may not be your philosophy, and that's fine, but just "try it on" and spend some time in those "clothes." Then you will come to know not only what you don't want, but you will know WHY and you may even know what you DO want, and why. I don't see it as a maze, but someone in a big hurry undoubtedly sees it that way. In some gardens, indirect paths or spirals are made for meditation or for giving the inhabitant a few extra seconds in the day to smell the roses, or in other words, to appreciate the peaceful feeling a walk through greenery can bring. With combined families, whose garden is it, anyway? ;) Last comment -- when entering the house, you may find you never use the front door, but enter through the garage. If you entertain a lot, a meditation front garden may not be quite the thing. But don't be too hasty. Live with it for a time.

As others have posted, the first step is to find out what zoning requirements are. In most places, "granny flats" are small houses that are built on the same lot. Zoning laws in many places allow them even though technically they are multi-residential in a neighborhood zoned for single family or the total square footprint exceeds what is permitted on a specific lot. Now they are being permitted in some dense areas like Los Angeles as a way of increasing the supply of affordable rental units. . If the second lot is zoned for another home, why would you want to limit the house built there to the kind of small house that is built as a second home on one lot? It would not be appreciably more expensive to build a more standard home in accordance with zoning laws that are applicable and you would have significantly more flexibility in terms of what you do with the home. A "granny" or mother in law can live in a larger home but generally a family would want a more standard size home - e.g. 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms.