Another view

Final view from front

girl,
If you are tearing down the exsisting home, all together, all the trees and shrubs will have to go.
You are going to damage everything anyway, but boy, thats alot of work, getting rid of everything.
Try to keep as many shrubs as possible, if they aren't in the way of the trucks. They will unfortunately probably be run over and damaged in any case, there are going to be many big trucks in and out for a long time.
Wait til the new house is finished, and the trees that are there now are removed.
Then post a new pic for suggestions on what trees and shrubs would look nice.
Remember, even if you don't see damage right away, if the trucks and machinery are over the roots of a tree on a constant basis, it will kill the tree.
You are better off cutting down and removing as many of the big trees as you can before they start demolition. It will make it easier for the workmen anyway.

Appreciate your advice. We definitely want to decide the fate of these trees sooner than later since it might require getting an arborist report and possibly permits from the city.

I think curb appeal is over rated. Why design your landscape for strangers passing by on the street? I think privacy and the view from inside your house is more important. Most people don't make a decision on buying a house on the view from the street.
Curb appeal was invented by Real Estate people for selling a house. Are you going to sell your new house right away?
To be seen from the street means you usually have a lot of space wasted on a water hungry lawn.
Mike

I think curb appeal is over rated. Why design your landscape for strangers passing by on the street? I think privacy and the view from inside your house is more important. Most people don't make a decision on buying a house on the view from the street.
Curb appeal was invented by Real Estate people for selling a house. Are you going to sell your new house right away?
To be seen from the street means you usually have a lot of space wasted on a water hungry lawn.
Mike

devils advocate here ....

new house = new landscape... budget for it.. and do it right ....

get rid of it all.. landscape in regard to the new house ...

we go thru this rather often.. usually in regard to peeps building in a forest or treed lot.. all this .. 'i want to save them all' logic ... only to have a vast majority of the stock die.. due to.. and because of the construction ...

tree roots.. can be twice as large as the canopy seen ... usually in a flat configuration ... in the top foot of soil ... in no way.. do they have a sense of humor about construction equipment ... driving over the root zone ... compacting the soil.. etc ...

trees die in tree years ... and even if they appear to make i thru the process ... they seem to eventually succumb to it all ... especially on such a small lot ...

you are going to need a rather large backhoe get in there... and multiple large trash bins ... i am talking semi sized ... to tear out and remove the old house... especially if there is a basement ... and they are going to need to move around ...

i just dont see where they are going to position themselves to do the job ... but on that front lawn area ...

gardeners understand.. that plants come and go ... things die.. or go into decline ... we get rid of them ... with the full understanding that that is the cycle of life ... personally it doesnt bother me on any level ... as i usually end up planting two for every one i remove ...

i SUSPECT .. you on the other hand.. are coming at it from an emotional level.. and want to save them all ... and that isnt going to work ... IMHO ... you are going to complicate your build.. and you are going to end up.. stressing yourself all out.. over what amounts to a tangent to your ultimate goal ... a new house ...

get the permits... clear the lot.. build.. then landscape.. consistent with your new house...

the old plantings are old.. overgrown ... and not prime stock ... frankly.. i dont see much there.. worth saving ...

there.. i showed you the box you are now in.. and gave you a picture of the reality outside of it ...

i wish you luck with your new home ... dont let these plants get in the way of that dream ...

devils advocate 'out' .. roger wilco ... ???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Ken makes a good point. All that demolition and construction equipment needs room. You may have to include a new driveway in the budget also.
Mike

@markbotann: You make a good point about trees providing privacy for the house and considering how the view from the inside is. No, I'm not going to sell the house right away; in fact I hope to live there for at least 30 years...but I do appreciate the curb appeal of the house myself. :) And yes, we will definitely want a new driveway.

Seems like everyone is saying the construction will destroy everything anyway, so we will go ahead and remove the trees. We are required by the city to plant at a new 24" box tree for each tree we remove (or pay $250 each), so I need to ask when we need to decide on those trees by. It doesn't really make sense to plant them while there's construction...although perhaps in the backyard it would be okay?

I don't like the existing bushes in front at all, so those are definitely going, but probably not until we finish the plans because they are neatly hiding all the dry, bare dirt behind them.

Is the magnolia tree right next to the front of the house also doomed?

I totally agree with mikebotann's original post. I see having the front of the house concealed as a selling point. Way more privacy. Depending on what direction the house is facing, it may dramatically increase energy efficiency...I know more then one house that became miserable in the summer when they took down the trees. And trees increase property values, according to some. Anyway, if you just bought the house you shouldn't be thinking about curb appeal...who knows what will be in style 10 years from now when you sell it?

I kind of disagree philosophically with ken_adrian. Ken is very good with plants, is a collector who loves to collect dwarf conifers, and has five acres to play with. Knocking down one grove of trees is a chance for him to have fun buying new conifers and doing more landscaping. With five acres he'll always have a patch of trees that is unaffected. Your results may vary. What usually happens is no one has the patience to replace slow growing trees or maintain the formal plantings, and you end up with a couple rootbound Bartlet Pears, Arborvitae or Leyland Cypress, or worse, a sterile empty lawn.

The whole idea that you knock down everything every time you do any home improvement work or anything gets a little sick or damaged leads to landscaping heavily biased toward tiny fast growing plants, devoid of shade and slow growing trees. This kind of landscaping is A LOT of work to maintain and provides little privacy or shade.

Yes, you will probably lose most of the plants. I think it's worth trying to preserve a few of the older or slower growing trees. Builders will usually knock down WAY more in the way of trees then they have to if you don't tell them to try to preserve trees. If you change your mind you can always remove more trees later, but the older and bigger trees take years or a lot of money to replace. Mark the dirt-line on the trees and check after to see if any need to be digged out.

As far as wooded lots...I've seen the results when people managed to preserving the old trees when building. It can be done, and in my opinion the resulting wooded look is way better then most manicured lawns or formal landscaping...but that's a personal aesthetic decision. I live in an urbanized area, and tend to see the goal as preserving islands of nature amidst the asphalt rather then keeping nature in check.

EDIT: Oh, you don't necessarily have to put the new house in the exact same spot as the old one. Lots of people forget this. Think about soil drainage, water flow, hills, wind direction, and views. House siting is an issue that lots of people blow off, but it can be the difference between a house with a flooded basement and a house with a great view...and it's something difficult to change after the house is built. And in this case, where you decide to put the house could determine which trees have to come down.

This post was edited by edlincoln on...

1. How close is the magnolia to the home?
2. What species of Magnolia is it? (can you post a close up of the foliage and the trunk)

Why do I ask? There are Magnolias that can get 60' wide, probably as wide as your lot, with surface roots that can buckle your driveway and disturb the home's foundation or slab. As it grows, you could end up with a tree mashed up against the front of your house. If it's too close to the home, it needs to come out eventually anyway. Now is the right time to do it, if you are going to do a clean slate (I would).

However if it is the type of magnolia that gets to a more modest size, and it's at least 15 feet from the home, then you could possibly leave it, if you really like it. Will you be able to protect it during demolition and construction?

Like most everyone else, I'd say remove it all (excepting perhaps the magnolia) and start with a clean slate.

I'll take a good photo next time I'm there. Wow, they can get 60' wide. The lot is actually 101' wide and 108.8' deep so not as small as you think :)

But the magnolia is literally a few (3?) feet from the house at most.

This post was edited by girlguineapig on Fri, Aug 29, 14 at 14:13

I'm a complete garden newbie. What's a dirt line?

@edlincoln: The lot isn't that big (though big for the area), so the new house won't really be in a much different spot - front setback will pretty much be the minimum possible so we can get as much backyard as possible. The lot is also as flat as can be. :)

Your palm tree looks fine. That just the way cabbage palm trees grow,

Your palm appears to be a windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), and is fairly tall (old) example of one at that. It has some value (I don't know how much in CA) but here in NC, 8 ft windmills are sold for as much as $450 including delivery and installation, adding $50 per foot of height after that. They are fairly "easy" to move and successfully transplant, so if you think you would want it in a different spot later on, it is very possible. You could try to sell it (not saying you should expect to get retail price for it), or at least consider offering it for free to somebody who would like to undertake moving it before you put the chainsaw to it. They get a little shabby in full sun without ample water but yours appears to be healthy from the far away pic.

I think you're write about it being a windmill palm. Wow, that's so interesting that it's movable and perhaps worth something. My fiance doesn't really like it though - he thinks the neighbor's palm tree is much prettier (will post it in the next post)

Our neighbor's palm tree.

This post was edited by girlguineapig on Fri, Aug 29, 14 at 15:47

Your neighbour's palm is a different species so yours will never look the same. Also they have cut off the dead branches which is a constant job on palms.

I am speaking from a position of total ignorance as to your climate and tastes. But over here the look you have going there would be totally desirable. Your mature, full, private and interesting garden looks a million times preferable to the neighbour's characterless suburban desert imo. I'd choose yours any day. We strive deliberately to hide elements in our gardens, even the smallest ones, so as to engage the eye and the imagination. Exposing the whole thing at once just makes for an utterly boring view. And I totally agree with others on liking privacy and an element of secrecy. How much nicer would it be sitting or pottering in your front garden without the entire neighbourhood being able to see what you are up to?

As to 'kerb appeal' - for some of us seeing a lush and interesting garden is far more appealing than viewing yet another house.

You can get great advice from people on this forum but all sorts of conflicting opinions. Having been a Landscape Contractor in California I will throw in my opinion. Have a professional do a design for you. Either Contractor or even Landscape Architect.

You are going to spend $ to have your house designed aren't you? Why not spend $ on having your yard designed as well. A local person knows what plant material will fit all of your needs and can design a pleasing outdoor space for you.

Get 3 bids for designs and work with your choice of design. The lowest bid may not be the best choice for you. Please get referrals to choose your bidders.