More pictures:

Bump?

grow grass, this is too much weeding! I love the trees! Don't get rid of the soaker hoses, use them in the really sunny areas.

We just installed the soaker hoses and ripped out the scraggly grass remains last fall...everything you see in the redwood mulch/limestone stones is what we did. I hate mowing and it's really too dry for grass here. I like weeding (very zen), so it's a good match. :)

It does need a bunch more greenery, though...

Are you leaning towards any colors for the house ?

I like purple... :)
But really, I can't decide. Like traditional colors, love craftsman styling. Don't want to force a house to be something it's not, though.
I saw a similar house down the street that had a nice muted dark green with black shutters, but not sure if it matches our brick or if its timeless enough.

Ok...think what I'm wanting help with is a cohesive look, and ways to ginish what I've started for more "pop". :)

1984 split level. Needs new front door, with lites.

As far as our style, clean but classic? Love old antiques, but used in clean ways? Natural materials. No shabby Chic. Dream house would have been craftsman bungalow restored; not looking to foist that on this house, but it explains it well, I think.

Maybe? It's similar (not as blue) as the grey currently there.

Does it match all the limestone in the yard? The brick has tones of the limestone, so it does match. There's lots of yellows and golds in the particular limestone used for the path...

Or. Does the limestone even need to match the paint? The backyard will have a bunch of limestone, too...so the whole house will be surrounded by it.

Soft rose color for the house?

Not really a pink or pastels person...I can see how that would look great with the brick, but I like earthy tones better.

The kitchen and bathroom counters are/were dust rose...the house would approve!

Any thoughts on the landscaping in the front? Do I need more stone "stuff" up there, or just more plants?

Rockin' fine...I totally viewed that pic earlier and it was grey grey grey... I just looked at it again on a different monitor and it is a gorgeous light green. So weird. I like it better now. :). Plus light is better for solar gain...

Yeah the gray you see is probably the Seattle overcast skies . Yes the color is a lighter green

Amazing what a monitor does for color.

Would it be too much to do dark purple shutters instead of black?

Dark purple would work as well but I would make the siding color a midtone color

I'm going to have to play with some paint programs on colors. :)

I planted day lilies in the big planter up front, and in the front berm...

Can you make a long shot with the house centered in the middle and showing both sides. Also are you going for a woodland look with all those trees in the front ?

Go to your local expert, be it university or farm extension, to find plants that are native to your area. They will be both easier to care for and more sturdy than plants that grow in areas with more rainfall and less sun. It might help you to hire a landscape architect to help you with your layout and plant choices.

I like these colors and think they would be compatible with your house and taste :

Ill try for a more straight on shot...there really isn't a second side, though. The first and second pics pretty much are it!

This is a house we bought two years ago; the trees are existing. I like trees, so they will stay, even though yhry are aspens. Woodlands would be a fine look!

There's a lot of great native plants here...unfortunately I killed the first couple over the winter. :(

That's a nice paint job, too! I'm liking green. :)

I like the garden in that one as well. Going more like that up front, I think, once it's planted up?

Light colors would do it I think. And for the landscaping ...hm would go for a forest look definitely. As much trees as you can. Bus also, just to save you some time, something I also do, I am looking for advice on many other places simultaneously, the best place where you can ask an expertise and find one would be www.lifestyleprofessional.net. There are so many landscape designers you can find there

We just had to remove the biggest tree, an aging aspen. (You can see the stump). We are debating another tree near the stump...maybe a self polibating semi dwarf fruit tree? (We've got those in the back, too).

One more tree? :) or, enough trees already?

Enough already.

I know...I'm just going through withdrawal from the 17 trees on my old house's property. (Standard city lot...it was a LOT of trees!)

New, full front if the house pictures! (And trees are starting to leaf...)
We are at the top of a culdesac, so the second view is actually how most people see our house...not straight on. The garage door is paneled, not flat.

I planted a bunch of day lilies and two blackberries I got on clearance...

Any more thoughts on what I've done so far and what it could use as far as lanscaping? :)

Thanks!

Don't like the tree nearest the garage-it hides the house. In fact , way too many trees for such a small space. That white path is way too stark and needs toning down or removing. Stepping stones would be better.

Thanks so much! The trees nearest the garage are actually 4 trees in a line bordering the driveway (aspens, like the one next to the door.) They really do hide the house, don't they! I like the afternoon shade from them, though (they are on the west side); they really keep the front yard cool in the summer afternoons. Would trimming them help?

The path is very washed out in the latest picture; it's color is best represented by the very first picture on this thread, at the top. Golds and creams. Still too light? We can darken the breeze between; would that help? W went with an almost the same color, but could do red, brown, or charcoal instead. It will stay (we built it and love it), but I'm willing to do things to make it fit in. What else would make it fit in? Would running a swath of crushed granite on each side of it to widen it help?

A limestone patio in the colors of the planter will be going in next to the house, too. Will that help or hurt the path?

Oh, I think I see what you mean...you are talking only about the furthest tree in the line of trees. That one could possibly go without making me sad...it's branches get in the way of the walkway. What would I do with the space instead? (It's actually two trees there...there is currently a large phlox at the base of them.)

I'm feeling sad because we are already down one tree on our propry...just going to have to plant some in the backyard!

Here's the original inspiration picture for the front yard...we went with mulch at the last minute due to heat concerns...
http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/lessons-from-a-lawn-free-makeover-00400000041824/

Bump? :)
I appreciate all the help so far...definitely going green on the house.

New front door..want windows in it...?

Have you considered EasyTurf? Our grass looks and feels like the real thing, without the hassle of watering, mowing, fertilizing, weeding, etc ... our drainage is unmatched, which is key to a natural or synthetic lawn. Check us out at www.easyturf.com, and let me know if you have any questions ... I'd be happy to help.
Cheers!
George

http://www.houzz.com/projects/82914/Beautiful-Front-Yard

Actually have considered fake grass, but I really like a garden look. :) we decided we couldn't afford it in the back so planted a small bit of grass there instead.

I also live in the Colorado front range and with the watering restrictions of another dry year (even with weekly snow storms in April), the trend is for less grass. So I get what you are trying to achieve. Smart idea to go with drip irrigation - we've used it for over 30 years! My amateur opinion is that the garden needs more evergreens or plants with winter interest. Ornamental grasses are also great for this. Not sure where you are in the front range but there are several garden tours coming up in the next couple months which can provide some inspiration.

Russian sage is an awesome plant for your type of climate. It is drought proof, deer proof, cold hardy and when planted in large drifts it is a beautiful billowy plant with gray foliage and light purple flowers. I grew it in E. Oregon in the mountains and it was one of the few plants that thrived in the hot, dry summers and cold windy winters. I had a soaker hose on it but my renter never watered it last summer and it survived fine, just not as lush as when I watered it regularly. I also think your landscape needs some dwarf type evergreens to give it structure and color year round. I was thinking your trim and shutters in plum would look nice with a warmer mid tone body color, you might even find the right shade of pumpkin, I know it sounds gross but there was a room on Houzz I saw that was really nice with plums and warm oranges. I don't know how to post the pics or I would find them for you. Have fun with the place, it has lots of potential and you have lots of ideas, it will be dynamite no doubt!

Shrubs. You need shrubs.

You are all right..I do need more shrubs. Where should they go? I can't even visualize them!

I'm good at getting general ideas and even general hard scraping...bad at the finishing. Even worse at winter interest, though it looks so much better when it's there!!!

Walking path needs to be wide enough so that 2 people can walk comfortably side by side. I suggest curving it both ways where it connects w sidewalk that way you can enter it from either direction. Get a landscape book from the library or book store for your specific region before picking any plants, shrubs, flowers etc. I learned the hard way that if you plant the wrong regions planst they won't do well.
Taller shrubs by the house w thorns - think about barbarry bushes, are great if you want to keep people out. If you get shade try the hosta family. Try staying w/in 3 colors for plants, that way your yardscape won't look to busy.
Drought hardy plants are the best. You will still need to water, but your bill won't wipe out your income.
Plant taller to smaller that way you can see it from any direction.
Don't get rid of your tree, just trim it - cut all branches off that are below 6'. This way you have provided much needed shade to the house, but have allowed people to see the entryway from the street.
Paint the house a cream color or pale shade, pick a color that is slightly darker for the trim, and paint the stutters painted a dark brown or black. This will allow your landscape to pop! I suggest driving around your favorite subdivisions and looking at their paint colors to see which one pops for you. Don't go too far off the color palate for your area it may make you house harder to sell. Also, don't paint ur house the same color as your neighbors, you want it to be a bit different.
Think evergreens for some areas or it will look blah in the winter. And yes, Add some grass area back in, it doesn't have to be a larde area, but it will look better if you do.
If you'd like more ideas/help from me, just say the word and I'll give you more info.

Definitely trimming those trees up; I ran it by dh and he agreed. I'd never thought of that...great idea!

Where should I plant the evergreens? My first idea is running down the right side, by the landscape timbers...not sure that's the best, though.

Hi Zennifer,
First of all you need to measure and post the size of ur front yard areas to give me a rough idea of it's actual size. Then you need to tell me exactly how much you actually want to fill in the spaces. Do you want space between plants, shrubs, etc. or do you want it all filled in? Also, have you thought about hardscape areas at all? boulders, benches, etc.
If you want specific help from me, is there any way you could send me email address to make it easier to help? It's just easier for me to figure out exactly what u need/want if I can get more info (ie, size of lot, what region of country, what ur tastes are...) if not, I can still help this way a bit but it's much harder.
Whatever you do, don't plant anything without getting the soil tested to see the acidity or alkiline levels of your space. That way you can add nutrients to the soil as you plant so that you're not planting good plants in bad soil. You will just be throwing your money away. Just google local area of places that test soil. A good place shouldn't charge you that much, probably less than $10-15. And they will tell you exactly how to give them a good sample of soil.
Glad u decided not to cut trees down that would have been a waste.