SFGate

decoenthusiaste Excellent plan! Go for it and post your results!

A. Peltier Interiors Yes, good start. Its not that i dont like the symmetry of the trees, they are just too big for the house and spot. I would still put something smaller in their spot though. Putting a color or contrasting wood stain on your front door will also strengthen the symmetry and focal point, so great ide. Good luck!

judyg I get an Asian feel when I look at your house. I do like your doors, but I would like your opinion on this one, and the landscaping with the big pots. :>) The reason I chose this style of door, is the size of your front windows. Maybe the double doors will over power the house? Not sure, but something else for you to look at.

handymam I think those trees might have been lovely at one time, but now, overgrown for where they are. Before you just rip 'em out, ask a lanscaping place if they have any use for mature trees, or maybe you could move them somewhere else in your yard with a bit of professional help perhaps. And then find something great for the space theat woon't have to be replaced or trimmed so much. Great dwarf stuff out there now compared to years ago. if you search it out.

Love the big pots judyg!

I like the door replacement idea, I think it will make a big impact on your home. hope you show pics when you are done!

sacapuntaslapioz remove the overgrown, dated bushes in front of the foundation. it would be wonderful if you can relocate the trees. I would do a few evergreen, low, some grasses and catmint. Great

Debbi Daniels-Hicks Before I read the comments i immediately agreed; remove the trees and replace with LARGE Ceramic Pots they can even be changed with the seasons. Good Luck!

DIAspoton suggest you have the trees removed and post new phot on this thread so houzzers can see the house.
a couple of shots form different angles would also help to see it from the road and driveway.

househaunted I really like the photo judyg submitted. I wonder--looking at her photo--there are more delicate, yet fairly tall appearing trees near the door, behind the large pots--would it be possible to have an arborist prune and thin your current trees/shrubs to appear much less heavy and more delicate?

Susan Janvrin I believe those are Ligustrums and they are quite expensive, especially at that size. They are gorgeous too. See if a local tree dealer might like to buy them from you. They will have to take big equipment up to the trees to get them out.

If they were mine, I'd prune them way down and light them from underneath.

chaski Hold that chain saw!
I agree the trees don't look great as they are. But the problem is not the trees...it's the symmetry of their placement. Fortunately you can retain all the pluses such healthy trees provide to the landscape and do away with the unfortunate symmetry someone imposed on them. Symmetry to my mind is deadly. It's not symmetry one should strive for in landscape design or anything else for that matter. It's BALANCE.

Before you do anything you might regret, look at the lovely effect of the tree tops above the roof's ridgeline. Notice how their rounded tops soften the geometry of the house in shape + add lovely color. Imagine your house without that! And they add such a pleasing vertical counterbalance to your one-level horizontal structure.

So what to do....Please reconsider taking down BOTH trees. I agree they look problematic as a pair....but consider removing just one--I'd suggest the one on the right in the picture. Have the second tree play an important new role in your front yard. Relocate it if at all possible (great suggestion by handyman) to a spot farther to the right of where the picture taker was standing--and about half way between the house and the sidewalk/street to break up that empty expanse of grass and balance the other tree. Its new location would make a nice transition and make your house look less set back.

Seriously consider keeping at least one for your house will lose a lot of character minus both trees. You'll need to hire a professional to move one of the trees and it won't be inexpensive, but I think you won't regret the expense.

Trees add value to property. Think twice about chopping them down.
Hope this helps.

bluminsusan The door is an awesome idea. Taking out the tree's is going to be a tough job. You could cut them down but still have the roots to deal with. Why not try instead to thin them or make them look like larger bonsai since you like the Asian feel and up light them for a nice evening look.

libradesigneye I have to say that lifting (removes 1/3 of the foliage area on a tree) and lacing out (remove another 1/3 of all the trunks and branches - eliminating any crosspieces) will allow you to have a trellis and trees.
Consider the purpose of your /style of your trellis first. You have a house that is kind of a 60's modern, so you would want the trellis to also be built in an homage to modern. Search around for good images before you start so you know what kind of details you desire.

elianecostello I would clean them to grown taller, and have only the trunk right in front of the house. Would add the Pergola, allowing the trees to go through it. Add some smaller plants or potted plants in the bottom, add a beautiful and simple concrete squares patio with stones in the middle or chinese grass.
Leave the door, paint and a exciting color, bright, change lights on the front and even better hang an awesome chandelier just for looks....Nice 2 chairs...

bookwench While the double wood doors you chose look stunning, I agree with judyg that they look out of proportion with the front of your house--they're too big...or perhaps too solid. A door and a sidelight would look great with your house.

moenna I actually like the trees. However, they need to be quite severely trimmed and thinned. I think one tree would look odd, so I'd keep both.I have quickly painted you a possible pic. You could change the tan trims to white of course. I also think your home needs some coloured shrubs and maybe a reseeded lawn.
Mo

chaski Hold the pruning shears!
The trees look ludicrous trimmed and shaped as in the doctored picture. Gone is their graceful, natural canopy spread which visually balanced the rigid geometry of the house. They have lost their identity and no longer look like ligustrums (as a commentator identified them to be). Instead they look like a child's drawing of a tree in which all trees look generic in the shape of lollipops.
The house next door to ours has 2 magnificent 50 year old trees in the front yard: an awesome ginkgo with its weird and very characteristic branching, and a splendid pin oak with its unmistakable downward sloping branches and pointy top. The well-meaning new owner of the house had someone who knows ziltch about trimming trees butcher what were unarguably the 2 most beautiful trees in our town. Their branches were hacked (topped) with a chain saw that wouldn't stop and they were both left looking like round orange trees--like a kid's drawing. I felt terrible for the mutilated trees for they had forever lost their individual splendor and were forced to look like what they weren't--some guy's idea of what a tree should look like. So sad.
I hope this isn't your trees' fate.

moenna Please understand I had to paint this with my mouse. Obviously they wouldn't be perfectly rounded and would also be thinned. I am doing the best I am able, since I am lying down and working with a laptop I am not used to. It was just an 'idea'. Not to be made fun of. When I am up and about again one day, I hope to be able to provide better ideas in my pictures.
Mo

Kimberly Hill DON'T REMOVE THE TREES just for a change. . .
People are far too often quick to proclaim 'OVERGROWN' and rip out high quality plant material of significant value. Houses are big objects and require large plantings to anchored them in the landscape. In America we have become far too comfortable with underscale plantings that add little to nothing to the overall environment. I agree with previous posts the trees would benefit greatly from strategic and carefully sculpted trimming. I DON'T agree that symmetry is something "deadly". The human mind is inherently attracted to symmetry for its logical pleasing order. The house facade is structured symetrically without much interest in its current state - it all blends together. Playing up on the elements of the architecture, emphasizing the symmetry rather than fighting it, and then softening the 'architecture' of the space with more naturally grouped underplantings could be truly striking and make your house stand out like a classic beauty. These trees have significant value aesthetically, environmentally, and monetarily because of their size, PLEASE don't be so quick to remove them when there is no real need to do so to achieve improved curb appeal. It will take many years to get anything of size again and all houses require that balance with the landscape.

destime If you can move the trees, great, but they should to go- they're way too big for where they are. And you'll by happier with a simpler door. Those make too much of a statement, and that's all you would see. My new front door has 4 rectangular frosted glass panels, each separated by approximately 5" of wood. It's simple, lets light into my entry, and looks great on my 80's contemporary house.

chaski Moenna
No offense intended. How you rounded the trees is actually what some tree trimmers would make them look like--its that look which you quite accurately depicted that I'm cautioning their owner against.

moenna I know - like a Poodle top-knot. Not particularly attractive on trees.
Mo

Gabberts Design Studio Definitely remove trees and replace with nice shrubs. They are very overpowering.

gjuro73 Do not remove trees please...

CMR Interiors & Design Consultations Inc. I would take them out and put a birch tree or river birch out in the yard. I don't like anything blocking sunlight into the house.

quixie There is my brief critic, remove the trees to make the house look bigger. Don't add the pergola. The storm doors can stay. The side panels to the storm doors should go. Think On It and have fun.

tonkasmom Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions! We have decided to keep the trees, but have them "lifted and laced". We have an experienced arborist coming out early next week. Will update photo after completion of trimming.....then will go forward with door plans and new paint!

ASVInteriors yay! Happy trees: happy home. :-)

Susan Jacobs So glad to hear you're lifting and lacing! I think you are going to be very happy. I h=just did that with a tree I absolutely hate in my backyard. Really wanted to remove it. A healthy trimming was all it needed!! And removing it was going to be SOOOo difficult! And expensive! If you're still unhappy, you can always remove it.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design As a tree loving expert my advice is to save your money on trimming those trees planted too close to the house. A tree that has to be constantly trimmed is planted in the wrong place. Constant trimming can also weaken a tree and introduce disease. Without those trees your house could make a great contemporary statement with some updating of painting and landscaping. I would unify the facade by covering the brick sections with the existing vertical siding . A contemporary landscape with low-growing evergreens, ornamental grasses, perennials and stones would compliment your home. Here's an example of some great color schemes and landscape :

elianecostello wow is almost impossible to compare this house to theirs. Its totally modern an d beautiful. love the grass in the front. Bur don't have any differents heights

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Just an example of color scheme, not style, elanecostello. If you were to unify your facade with the vertical siding you could use a medium tan on the body, sage green on the trim and mustard yellow for details, for instance. A new darker roof would also be great.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Here's a more subdued color scheme with a house that has similar siding as yours :

Kitty Michel Glad to hear you are keeping the trees, I think they are a wonderful feature framing your entry. Maybe add some lighting to them to really add that designer finish.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Here's a doodle I did of my ideas for your home's exterior - body a sage or olive, roof brown, trim mustard. If you can have those trees transplanted ( since they are not huge you could possibly have someone dig them up and plant them on either side of your home for a better balance in the landscape ) . Landscape is contemporary in keeping with the architecture .

Patricia Harper is there anything less attractive than a brown roof? ugh! big mistake

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Yes Patricia Harper there is : a light beigy pink like the current one. A chocolate brown roof goes well with contemporary colors like olive green , tan or mustard.

andrea1266 Perhaps, if budget allows, add a small, peaked roof overhanging front with porch and pillars. Front needs more focal, this would do it!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Guess Frank Lloyd Wright didn't think brown roofs were a big mistake :

Patricia Harper So sorry I did not mean to offend anyone w roof comment. I just find it locks one in to certain palettes.

Kurt Bednar I agree the trees are way out of scale and too close to the house. However as soon as you remove the trees you will have another problem with the long unbroken front elevation... I had a similar issue on one of my remodel projects. in order to break up the long roof plane I added a covered porch and stone ribonb giving it much needed character and focal point.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Wow, beautiful Kurt Bednar, but the ultra modern contemporary look is about simplilcity .

Kurt Bednar This study was not about ultra modern contemporary "less is more" (Mies van der Rohe) architectural style...It was more about bringing it back to its classic mid century ranch roots (which can be seen though out the neighborhood) and original plan. The previous owners turned it into a polished marble palace with a lot of bad choppy additions, and poor finish choices, including cheep windows etc. Their main objective was to stay on a tight budget and bring back its traditional lines to fit in with the scale and character of the neighborhood.

Sweet Caroline Garden Design I meant the ultra modern contemporary look in my design idea for Tonkasmom , not your study, Kurt. I like your project.

Susan Jacobs Wow, I guess you're really asking for it when you put up photos of your home for all to criticize. If you don't mean to

Susan Jacobs ...offend, than don't say anything offensive.

Kamran Isaac Design Trim the trees down into topiaries into boxes and up light them...They make such a beautiful statement! Two chippendale planters with two boxwood round topiaries. Pea gravel as a ground cover. Up light the adjoining area and boom you're done!

newpass I would hesitate to lose the amount of light that these doors bring in, have you considered keeping the clear storm doors and going for a glass door that works with your internal decorating scheme. I agree with the posts that the two trees have overgrown the space they are in and need to be donated elsewhere. One final note, this front yard appears to have zero purpose for the homeowner, however some moderately priced wood panels could provide screening and then allow the homeowner to develop a Japanese garden, sculpture garden, seating area, game area, or any number of other useful/beautiful spaces that could be enjoyed by the home owner and his/her guests.

vandaa Keep the tree on the left as you look at the photo./ Thin it out and a lot. Do not shape them because it makes it too formal. To the right a tree/bush that is thin and colorful and maybe some grasses et.

11ennesa Keep the tree's! They'll look beautiful with your doors! Check this house out, it looks great and very welcoming!

Stage Coach Design Have you ever thought of putting in larger windows?

Bargain Backer We have a nice selection of gardening supplies that could help to design your front.
http://www.bargainbacker.com/Garden_c_7.html

Sweet Caroline Garden Design The trees in the photo above are further away from the house and are a different variety than the ones the homeowners have. From the photo it appears that Tonkasmom's trees are right up against the foundation. Thining out a tree and constantly trimming it is very bad for the tree itself .I worked at the largest garden center in Chicago in the tree and shrub section and we always advised to plant the right tree in the right place. If a treeis in the wrong place - right up against a foundation - it can cause problems if its roots gets in to the sewer system or it could crack a foundation as it matures. Best to try transplanting the trees which don't looks too mature at this point.

dogger keep the one on the left, and trim it down. Remove the one on the right.

tsudhonimh Glad you are keeping the trees - ask the arborist what you have to do to keep them in good shape. Light pruning every couple of years is something a homeowner can do and keep them under control.

If the arborist says "no can do", ask them what to plant and where.


And on to the rest of the "curb appeal" ...

1 - Widen the walk so it's as wide as the double doors, and make a mini-patio area as wide as the front porch extending out past the trees. Builders always wimp out on sidewalks and entry areas.

2 - Remove that dated Charlie Chaplin moustache of pruned bushes.

3 - Make wider foundation plantings of evergreens, perennials and things that flower ... whatever will thrive in your area without needing pruning. I'd bring the right side planting all the way out to the walkway

Jean Tuck First project for me for 2 reasons is remove those trees. But be careful as they may have grown such that they damage foundation walls and expensive repair, just prepare for that as reason 2 is they will make your curb appeal reno be better to envision.

pgaither You already have 2 mature trees. It is not an ideal situation. But why not first try and work with them. You have nothing to lose. Would you consider decreasing the scale of them by raising the canopy above the roofline and reducing them in width as well? You can do this yourself easily. Live with it through the season and if you are not convinced they can be relocated in the fall.

hoggbutt Go for it. That will look awesome.

Vidic Landscape Design & Construction, LLC I would also create a more interesting walkway with a natural look paver or natural stone.

patricia beharry Take the advice of everyone who said the trees must go. All your ideas are right on the button. Good luck

quixie I'm curious to see what the trees will look like. I don't know about the process you described, and thus would have never though of it. When it's done post a photo. I suspect I will have new thoughts on the doors and Pergola once I see the new composition. Sorry, my comments are brief. Good Luck! I look forward to seeing your next photo post!

tonkasmom I will post the pictures of the newly trimmed ligustrums. They have been planted since 1970, so I'm sure those roots are deep. Thank you again for all the comments! Will post back in a couple of weeks!

lake1114 I think the trees over power the house. They are too tall and draw the eye up over the house. If you keep the trees, I agree that they need a great deal of trimming, you should plant some color around the foundation to help ground the house and off set the height of the existing trees. I would also remove the storm doors and paint the existing doors a nice bold accent color to bring your eye to the front doors. Right now, my eye has difficulty finding the doors. All I can see is tree!

sevans3 I would give some thought to keeping the trees, thin them out so you see some of the limbs. Your double doors can become a single in the middle with sidelights. I agree on balance for the landscaping but remember a little surprise is always fun!

sevans3 Using up lighting under the trees would be dramatic at night!

norma208 I like the idea of keeping both trees and doing the lifting and lacing... excellent idea and they will look gorgeous! Even though the trees are symmetrical to the door, the landscaping around them doesn't have to be symmetrical, but balanced. Example: After the trees are lifted and laced, on the tree area on the right create a sitting bench area within the landscape with stepping stones and permanent ground level plantings and some multi-height large pots for seasonal plantings. Have a rounded sidewalk to curve gently around this sitting/plant area would be lovely! The landscaping for the tree on the left can follow the line of the house with interesting and complimentary plantings that balance the sitting area on the right. Can't wait to see your photos!

susanlevine22 I think you should just hug the trees, they are probably feeling pretty bad about themselves right about now.

moenna Funny, Susan. I did a test, many years ago. I had two identical trees, which I planted on my back lawn. I watered and fed, each the same. One tree, I hugged and talked to a lot. I used to think kind thoughts when watering it. The other I did nothing to, except water. Interestingly, the tree I spent time with, talked to and hugged, really flourished. It grew better and bigger and obviously was doing a great deal better than the other. Don't know if I really proved anything, but sort of proved it to myself.
Mo

lucky925 Glad to hear you're keeping the trees. These days, the planet needs all the oxygen producing plants it can get not to mention all the life that it sustains. Here in SF, I saw a house with a beautiful blue tile roof! It was gorgeous! The house was painted white with black trim and lots of green plants. Whatever roof choice you make, please try to avoid black shingles as black roofs and black roads are big contributors to global warming. Good luck with your home.

trolauemicol Those trees look like they are too close to the foundation. While it's nice to save mature trees, if they are going to cause structural damage to your foundation, or if they are growing into the side of the eavestrough, you're going to have bigger problems down the road than worrying about what door looks best or pots. Just my opinion.

I love your door choice though and I think a mix of junipers or cedars along with some Japanese maples (space them out please and give your plants room to grow... Trust me I made some badddd decisions with landscaping) and maybe some ornamental grasses??? (Depends on your zone i guess). Can't wait to see what you do!!!

lisianthus Take out the trees, there is nothing great about them. If you could add a gabled roof over your doorway, it would bring interest to the entry and break up the horizontal lines of the house.

Mae Williams Those trees are too prominent and look like pom poms... I would find a japanese maple that will be 2/3's of the ht.

lisianthus I'm thinking something along the lines of these gables at the front entrance: http://www.modularone.net/w2/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Oakdale-Gable-Porch-e1325886003245.jpg or http://renewaldesignbuild.com/portfolio/images/curb-appeal/curb-appeal7/big_tn.jpg http://www.howtodiyright.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/frontelevation.jpg
Not sure if houzz lets me put links to other sites. It's hard to find photos of normal homes on houzz, they are all humongous mansions, lol.

Susan Jacobs The trees look particularly prominent because the trees in the back do not have their leaves yet. It will be interesting to see how they look, trimmed, etc., when the rest of your trees fill in...

soberg If these are indeed Ligustrum, they thrive on heavy pruning and grow relatively fast. Very pretty trees, hope your solution works as clearly the spots chosen were not ideal.

lisianthus If it's any help, here is a rough approximation of your house without the trees. Sometimes it really helps to visualize the possibilities. I had to guess what was behind the trees though, so not sure if it's precisely accurate.

chaski 16 Likes so far re my earlier comment vs chopping down the trees. It shows that many people cared enough to vote for keeping the trees and to make their own pleas to keep the trees.

The house died without the trees as seen in the attached doctored image. Sooo glad you decided to keep them and to have a professional arborist prune them properly. I don't think you'll regret your decision.

lisianthus Here's another pshop, I added the doors from your photo and a pergola, as you were saying you were interested in (I wasn't sure what shape/style of pergola you were going for so just grabbed one off the internet). I always find a picture is worth a thousand imaginings :-) Hope this helps.

tonkasmom Just heard back from arborists on my trees - they need to come out!!! : ( Roots are already starting to grow under the foundation. If I do not put in the pergola, what type of trees do you recommend, if any???

sevans3 We have a 15 foot crepe myrtle and had a guy come with a big cone shaped piece of equipment and move it to another place in the yard. Very glad we did!!!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design Hate to say I told you so....but I did :-) Anyhoo glad to hear the trees are coming out. I once saw an ad for a house for sale and it was just one gigantic tree. Guess you were suppose to imagine what the house looked like, LOL. I would also research the pergola addition a bit more. I think the one in the pic above looks too heavy. Either painting out the brick or covering them with matching siding would do the most to unify your home's architecture. Here's a sample of a lighter looking pergola. I'm also not crazy about the landscape above -looks like a typical one that developers put in and is too traditional for your contemporary home. Just sayin'.

tonkasmom Thanks - a lighter pergola - like this - was what I had in mind!

Sweet Caroline Garden Design You're welcome, tonkasmom. If you decide against the pergola, don't really think you need any trees in the very front of the house. Consider putting some nice small blooming trees on the sides of the house if you feel you need some height there. Don't know what gardening zone you're in or whether you have sun or shade, but google ornamental trees for your zone and try to get one that blooms or has some interesting texture or leaf color you like but that is not a problem as far as size and root structure.

tonkasmom Thanks - will do!

thedarlingsbecca Is there a design identification problem here? The house is a ranch, mid-'50s or whatever. Some of the ideas are for Oriental looks, which I love, but not for this house. If I'm wrong, my apologies!

Susan Jacobs Isn't it nice when you don't have to make a decision, because you have no choice! No more debating about the trees! Yay! When are they coming out?