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Interiors International, Inc. Your ideas sound great, I would add a few trees to the front yard also.

Living Space Landscapes Save the tree.

It appears you have a bonsai style tree on the corner that has reverted back to a cone shaped evergreen. It's not too late to have it pruned to maintain the beautiful Asian shape it once had. I'm sure you paid a lot for that tree and it would be a shame to give up on it. Regardless of what you do with the rest of the yard, please try to get the pine professionally pruned.

poorgirl Yes, we did pay alot for the tree, we had a large maple tree that we took out last year, it was creating big problems with the roots getting into the foundation and the pipes. The tree went crazy when it hit full sun. We are goiong to look at having it pruned to see if we can save the design. It's 10 years old and I have been prning it but as you can see it's lost its roundness.

I would like to add something at the drive way side , hedge or small bushes down the drive way or a flower bed or something. Any idea's?

Liz If you were going to stay there I would say get rid of both trees; I don't like having a tree that is taller than the house out front. But since you're not I would save $ and limb up the pine since it looks silly. Your ideas are good but keep it simple - who knows if your potential buyers will have the same taste as you. I like the landing idea - make it big enough for a bench near the front door, something welcoming to put things while you fumble for keys. Are you out of the elements while standing at the door? If not, maybe make a little porch area, although I like the lines of the house. I like the screen idea. A planting bed along the driveway. And a planting bed on the opposite front corner, in line with the screen, to make the front a room, but open to the street. Do I see a stump where the maple was? That would be a good place for a nice container with some eye catching plants.

poorgirl We are staying for the time being , the stump will be ground out this spring so it will be level. and the new garden would come out that far once we added on to the walkway.
If we add to the walkway both trees will have to be moved. We will have to have someone come in and move the Bonsai tree since its so big. If we can get it pruned properly we can move it down farther into a new garden that will be on that side. No we are not out of the elements at all, we live in Ontario house faces south so full sun during the day. Lots of snow on the front step all winter. If we build the privacy panel all the way down to the end of the walkway which might be 4-5' there would be room for maybe a small chair & table on the left of the door or a small bench and table with a planter on . Depends on if we can build the circular step.
This bungalow looks nothing like the nice traditional bungalows in the US, I can't believe they are called the same house . This house is so flat and straight.
If we put a garden running down the driveway, I would put a small retaining wall on both sides and along the garden .

Pamela Bateman Garden Design Do your guests park on the street? You should consider a wide path to the front door from the street. If you decide to make this path I would also remove a few feet of the lawn that is planted at the street. Then your guests can step out onto a hard surface and walk up a wide path to your front door. Look at 'entrance gardens' on Houzz photos. There are lots of ideas there and you will see how nice it is to have a path from the street leading directly to the front door.

Liz What Pamela said. But, I have never understood spending the money on grinding out stumps. They will rot soon enough, and in the meantime can make a nice spot for a decorative element of some type.

claudiann I think a backward c bed beginning where the curb ends to the left of the driveway up to the front door would look nice. How about adding black shutters to the window and paint the siding over the garage black.

poorgirl Normally people come up the drive way instead of across the grass, we thought about having a path down to about 1/2 way down the drive way and eliminating the current walkway, putting a flower bed in under the window and have a circular pad for the entrance, but if we extend the current pad an additional 4' and bring the gardens down past the stump, this should take up quite a bit of the front yard. The reason we are grinding the stump out is so that I can use the front lawn, this tree had a 26" dia, and the roots that are on the surface will also require grinding, some of the surface roots are 6" dia,.
I have never had front yard grass or a garden, the tree took everything,
We have a colour scheme of taupes for the window, garage door and soffits, the siding above the garage door will be the colour of the garage door, also we will have larger trim around the window& around the garage door, I dont really want shutters, there are some houses on the street that have shutters and I normally have urns on both sides of the door in the summer. I have been painting the front door different colours to see what we liked. I like the black with the taupe, we tried dark blue and didn't really like it.
If anyone has time, I would really appreciate seeing a mock up, im not that talented to do this myself.

For sure the trees are going to be relocated and the privacy panel is going to be built.
Everyone, thanks so much for your idea's and comments.

The Landscape Company Inc.. I would recommend a planting bed in the foreground (closer to the curb) to add some depth to the front yard...no large plantings, maybe just a mass of shrubs (3 to 5), and some perennials for colour. This will invite people at the curb, utilise more of your front yard, and give the effect that your yard is larger than it is. A nice clean stone or brick border along the driveway edges to clean the driveway up, and possibly some height on the other side of the driveway to balance the yard (a deciduous tree so that you don't crowd the driveway - possibly a Japanese Silk Lilac with some perennial planting at the base). These items will be inexpensive but will bring the yard to life.

bevballew I would paint the garage door and trim a color close to the brick color so they blend, the same color as the trim around the picture window. Paint front door black. Remove the two trees as they just stick out. Then do landscaping that you like according to the suggestions given.

poorgirl The landscape Co. I like the brick border, Im not understanding where the tree should go, unfortunately the picture doesnt show but there is a purple smoke bush on the left bottom corner of the front lawn in front of a cable box, but this also can be moved. A few of the neighbours have a garden at the end of the drive way near the curb and yes it does soften the look of the front,.
OK so right now, I have the extended concrete walkway with a border that will also be the same as the driveway border, the privacy panel, a small garden at the bottom of the driveway, removed the 2 trees, added a curved garden on the left and along the front similar to what I have?
I have added a small bench/table on the left of the door which will be enclosed by the privacy panel.
Im not seeing any height any where , do I need some?
Any idea's as to how high the privacy panel should go.? should it be attached to the house or left free standing.
I have attached a picture of the privacy panel we have in the backyard, is this to solid.?

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Go lawnless and create a curved path from entrance to curb :

poorgirl Wow, Sweet Caroline, nice garden, looks like alot of work, our yard is pretty big, there is a house around the corner that went grass free and they ended up pulling everything up and putting grass back in after a few years. I barely have enough time to weed and feed the small gardens I already have so I don't think I can do this.
Thank you very much for your thoughts .

The Landscape Company Inc.. I agree, going lawnless will add A LOT of maintenance, and be far too busy for the yard. Lawn is necessary to give some open-space depth to a property. Consider it like you would your interior living room...if you pack the room with furniture etc., it becomes cluttered, harder to clean, uncomfortable, and you've now spent all that money on too much stuff!
...by the tree I meant on the far side of the driveway (although I can't see what's there from this picture)...about 15' down from the corner of the garage. Some height on that side of the driveway balances out the property.

bevballew Going lawnless, no matter how many I have seen, looks messy and sticks out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood. Meant for the backyard. It is messy, messy, messy and I have never seen a nice front lawn as suggested. Keep with grass. You have a nice home!

Total Quality Home Builders, Inc. I think I would case your window in black to match your door. I really like the way it pops off the color brick. I would then look at painting your garage door a darker tan color and possibly adding some hardwood to it. You could also stamp and paint your driveway for added flair. I agree you should lose more lawn and add more garden. What a cute, blank canvas you have to work with! Good Luck!

poorgirl On the other side of the drive way is a fence. We extended the driveway right across to the fence. There is no room to put anything on that side, this year I am going to paint the fence the same colour as the fence in the back yard. The neighbour has a large tree near the drive way so that kind of hangs over our side. Yes, I agree, I feel like i'm missing something big in the front yard, I think once the walkway gets extended and the garden is closer to the middle of the lawn it will make a big difference.
Yes, bevballew, I'm not a person that can have to much in any space so I can't do the whole garden/lawn thing. Thanks for saying it but right now I think the house looks pretty bad, inside looks pretty good all custom ,just needs a few things for some curb appeal. We also have the backyard to do... to much to think about.
We ripped out a pool and now we have nothing but staring at the neighbours who are higher than we are.

poorgirl Thanks Total quality, yes I could paint the trim black and darken the garage door, its to pinky right now . I would like to see if anyone can add the black around the window to see what it would look like first. We will paint the drive way in the tar stuff in the spring to blacken it up again. And yes....blank is the word..but being on Houzz is turning that around.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Totally disagree that a lawnless landscape is more maintenance. The amount of water, chemicals and maintenance for lawns is much more than one without. And I disagree that they are messy. If done right they are much more attractive and once established, enviornmentally friendly and less work. Here's an example of my own garden which looks good year 'round. If you don't want to get rid of all your grass, poor girl then at least cut out some flower beds for shrubs, small trees, perennials and annuals .

poorgirl I love your garden Sweet Caroline, I will be putting in some bigger gardens one at the bottom of the driveway and one going aross the top but with more curves than it already has.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Thanks, poorgirl. You said your space is large but it appears to be small in the picture. How big is it? I'd caution you to not put in too many beds in a small space as it will look too busy. Keep it simple if your front yard is small.

poorgirl It's 25' across from the driveway and approx. 30' long from the step to the curb. No they won't be to big, just a small circular one I think down by the end of the driveway on the left and one that will butt up to the extended walkway.
Ive never had sun in the front due to the large tree that was there so everything that was in the garden was for shade, so that all has to come out. Any idea as to what colours I should stick with . The one at the end of the drive way I think I will put in some ornamental grasses with a few perennials for colour. By the house Im lost.

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. Cute house-I love that so many are going smaller. Makes sense in the long run. I'd paint the front window to the right of the black door-there is a disconnect there. Get an update more modern looking garage door. Black as well and new numbers above the garage -modern numbers. Then follow with some of the above landscaping decisions. Also you need a new front porch more modern light: http://www.hinkleylighting.com/Products/product-family.aspx?cid=23&famid=481&fid=9

bevballew I know how you feel your house needs curb appeal. I had thought black on front door and either black or beige for garage door. I did agree new landscaping close to the house but to do the whole lawn is high, high maintenance. A little garden close to the street will be cute. Sweet Caroline garden says I believe to remove the lawn and his garden is pretty but when you look at Gardens like that from the street it looks messy. To me Gardens like that are pretty in a backyard because it is closer and in view to enjoy.

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. I like the current landscaping in front...maybe a few puffs of those grasses but the black on the garage and front window and the new sconce is key. It will be succinct -then look at the landscaping from there.

Liz here's some more ideas:

Urban Oasis Going lawnless doesn't mean that every square Inch needs to be filled with flowers. You can have paving, gravel, dg and ground covers. Almost all ground covers take less water than grass. You can also just reduce the amount of grass. I would definitely second the idea of building a walkway to the front door and making an entrance from the sidewalk or street. Also, add some interest to the front edge of your yard. A classic idea is to put a low fence set three feet back with a flower bed in front.

bevballew And all the things you indicate to add looks messy from the street, in my opinion. It is pretty close up but not from a distance. I have read in landscaping magazines that landscaping from a distance requires large landscape and the smaller gardens meant for close up enjoyment.

poorgirl Thanks everyone, I have attached 2 pictures with the black trim, Yes I also like the idea of having the path down the lawn stopping about 1/2 way , but I don't really want to loose the concrete walkway. Our neighbour around the corner has the path and they are right beside us on a corner lot, so I would like to do something a bit different if possible.
Please let me know what you all think about these pictures.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design How does that apply to this small frontyard design, bevballew ? With proper textures, shrubs, trees and hardscape a small garden can look great from the curb or street which is how most people view them. As to scale of course if you have an acre estate you need to use larger plantings .

bevballew I was referring to an area with no grass, going lawnless, for the entire front lawn to have landscape as you suggested. If you meant a garden bed near the house then I agree with your suggestion. Someone earlier was suggesting to get rid of the lawn and that is what I see as messy.

handymam poorgirl, I prefer the one on the right, but with the garage door painted to match the color of the door, or the same color as the brick , but a bit darker. The black door just grabs your eye away from the front door too much.

I agree with whoever said to edge the driveway. May I suggest a quarter circle of garden out by the curb? You could put a post in it away from the edge and put some decorative house numbers on it and a nice cap. I did this on both sides of my front walkway and people have complimented me on it. It would look good on both sides of the driveway, but I understand that there is no room on the other side. (Just throwing it out there for other people.)

Your home is lovely!

bevballew I don't care for the black around the window and I would go with matching the brick. I still prefer the garage painted a color that blends with or actually matches the brick.

bevballew The trim color needs to be darker than what you have and the area above the garage painted the same trim color as the rest. Just my opinion.

poorgirl Handymam, woud you be able to post a pic of this for me.? Yes I am going to do the circle garden at the bottom. I agree that there is to much black with the garage door being black. I was going to paint the window trim and the garage door the same colour which would have been a darker taupe and leave the front door black. But I think the window looks good in black. Yes I will edge the driveway, since its on a slope I need to edge it with brick edging or everything slides down . Liz, thank you I will read up on your link. No fence in the front, I think there is enough other stuff we could do without putting in a fence, but thank you.
thanks everyone, i think im getting there

handymam Poorgirl, alas, I am not handy with a computer. I will ask my son if he can do it for me when he gets home from school, lol!

Some new larger house numbers would be nice too, and fun to shop for!

I like the trim black too, by the way!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Bevballew you need to read up on the enviornmentally friendly trend today to lose the American obsession with the lawn. Poorgirl, here is a dooble I've made for you to consider - again, no lawn, low-maintenance and looks good year around.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Oops , I meant doodle . Since you intend to keep the current walkway this design just incorporates it, but embellishing it, if budget permits, with pavers on top the concrete base would add to the appeal.

poorgirl Wow sweet Caroline, thanks so much, I really like the path and the garden in front of the window, THis is very similar to our neighbours walkway. Unfortunately as great as this looks, Its not us, I like grass, think it's to much for me. I like the 2 large planters and the window planter, I can't plant another juniper again, the entire front was junipers that got out of hand I have them in the back yard and same thing unless they are pruned they go crazy. We wouldn't put pavers on the driveway, I would refresh it.
It looks great without the 2 trees. Wow I can't believe how much this changes the look. I would do a circular garden at the bottom where the round pavers are, I would still need to line the driveway with brick since we are loosing the soil , the driveway is lower than the lawn.
Thank you so much for your ideas and efforts.

poorgirl Sweet Caroline, We really like going from the cars to the house across the top, not having to go down to a path. Even though I like the look. Can we do both?
We park 4 cars so only having a path isn't practical for moving groceries ect. , most times there will be a car beside it.
I could still extend the concrete walkway and have a path. Have a garden inbetween the path and the concrete pad like you have on the right side and have a garden on the left side where the ornamental tree is. I have a purple burning bush that I could work with in that area. I could have the 2 planters beside the front door. I already have these.
We still really need to put up a privacy panel, the neighbour puts all his junk /garbage bins right beside his garage which you see at our front door. We have asked several times not to do it, but they still do, so up goes the fence . I like the idea of having a small sitting area there, even if we extended the concrete walkway to 6', I would be able to do this.
I would cover the concrete walkway with "Flex Rock". It's a roll on application.

Everyone, thanks so much for your help.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design First of all, Poorgirl, don't think that all junipers are alike. The Japanese rock garden juniper is a prized shrub that doesn't get above 1-2 ', requires little water and spreads very slowly to form a beautiful groundcover. Google it. If you like grass so much research a kind of grass for your area that grows slowly to a low height and doesn't need a lot of mowing. Here's my designer's secret tip for an inexpensive quick and beautiful barrier between you and the neighbor. Go to one of the big box stores and buy as many tall wrought iron trellis that you need to cover the area ( they are not expensive and are very strong ) and you just push them into the ground. Plant either a hardy climbing Canadian rose or a fast growing flowering vine. I did this for a client and they loved it. You can thank me later :-)

nevadan Leave as it is and start saving money. What house needs is a higher roofline, and this costs money for trusses and new roof. The larger attic space will help insulate the house and will pay for itself in the long run. Add solar panels to your new south-facing roof.

poorgirl Sweet Caroline, I will check on these, the ones we have had looked small and stayed in their shape then went crazy after 5 years. I was thinking if my husband built a privacy panel I would do that, with a vine, I would rather not have the bee issue at the front door, but I would put something on it, I would probably put planters on it. We pulled out 8 year old vines in the back yard that we had on wall trellis's, even with trimming every week they were just to big and heavy. We had them back light with small clear lights, they were beautiful, they covered 2 brick walls, but they grew so big . So heavy that they were breaking the trellis. Alot of work to keep up on the trimming, every weekend I would have to trim them. They turned red in the fall. We had so many complements on them.

bevballew Sweet Caroline. I appreciate what you are saying because I am very concerned for our environment. My understanding of these posts is that the person asking for comments and Opinions. everybody has different taste and the world would be boring if everybody picked the same thing. So I gave my comments and opinions. I am not criticizing your work and what you did was beautiful but...I find a large area covered with all kinds of planting as...it is....not for me. I trust that is all right with you. I see people in my neighborhood do it and I find them messy when things get out of hand. I am sorry if you don't like the fact people like a lawn. I think it is pretty. I don't put chemicals on my lawn and I use organic fertilizer infrequently. It is easier to control weeds and besides a simple weekly cut there is no work. Your suggestion...with ground over, which I have, weeds come through and some weeds are chronic and impossible to get rid of unless you dig deep to remove. I never meant to criticize but simply state what I feel. What you posted looked very nice!

Eagle Luxury Properties You have some great ideas! I encourage you to paint your door in a bright hue for added interest and unexpected pop of color. Also adding more trees and colorful flowers to your garden will instantly brighten up your lawn!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Thanks, bevballew, I didn't mean to imply that your opinion wasn't important and you are entitled to it. As a landscape designer and avid gardener I just want people to be as enviornmentally friendly as possible. A nice lawn in the backyard where it is put to use for entertaining, playing, etc. is great but in our front yards it seems a waste to me. It's great that you don't use chemicals but in areas like where I live water is precious and lawns take up to nearly half of the home's water supply. I didn't take your opinion as criticism and I hope you don't take mine as it as well. I am happy to see the trend toward growing vegetable gardens in the front yard once again, much as our ancestors did . Even vegetables gardens can look good, believe it or not.

bevballew Thanks for writing. I agree with you and your points are valid and well taken. I have a daughter who is into gardens working on one in Australia as part of her masters and I agree we need to be having our own gardens because of all the chemicals and garbage they are putting in our foods, including genetically produced food. I started growing vegetables in pots because it is easier especially due to animals. I have tons of rabbits, birds and squirrels in my yard and I love it so I also wanted to grow some veggies. You are right it would be nice to use front lawns more productively. Sad part so many people do not properly take care of them. Thanks for discussing this. Glad you are around encouraging a new way of healthy living. We need to address these issues because big business won't unless it hurts them in the pocketbook. In inner city Detroit they are starting gardens. It is a good thing!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design You're so welcome, bevballew. Grew up on a farm where we produced almost everything we ate - without chemicals. Went to the grocery store once a month for bulk items like flour, sugar and cornmeal. No wonder my grandparents lived to be in their 90's and 100's !

bevballew Amen. Glad you are out there doing these gardens. We need more! Best of luck to you! Thanks for the dialogue!