"That's just not in the budget for this round ..." It's no problem that something is not in the budget now, but it's pointless to avoid discussion of what might be fixed in the future, when there eventually will be money to take care of it. That's what planning is all about. It's a nice looking house, but the front walk is not well designed. Given that it's front-and-center (as they usually are) brings the entire house down a notch in quality. The good news is that it's small, so fixing it would not be an enormous expense in the larger scheme of things. (BTW, it's not just that it's too small. It's that its connection to the other slabs is at a sloppy angle.)

What you are calling the "wide circular area" does not exist for a tree. A better foundation planting would extend around the corner of the house, not stop short at it. A tree (redbud fine) off the corner of the house would help the look of the house, but there is simply not room for it the way the bed is currently laid out. Since you've also got pointless wiggles and a sliver of bed at the walk, it would be better to first reconfigure the entire planting bed.

All the hollies in front of the porch are wrong IMO and need to go. Whatever is directly in front of the porch should either be low, or wispy/airy (and still not too tall) if you're trying to develop a sense of privacy and separation. The front porch is not a great place to create actual privacy. That's better done in the back yard or inside the house.

Your houses' best feature is the full length porch. It should not be hidden behind shrubbery. I am sorry to say that the boxwoods cannot stay. It would be better to follow Yardvaarks image. I think it would be cute to plant dwarf Agapanthus where he drew the green strappy plants. It is only hardy to zone 8 and you did not mention your city so I don't know if it will work. If you want plant suggestions we need to know your growing zone.

1) Hollies will NOT bother the foundation.

2) I disagree the boxwood needs to go. It provides a small degree of privacy when sitting on the porch - otherwise you are in full view of anyone passing by - and it can be easily trimmed to keep in size or even to reduce size. And it provides at least a psychological (if not a physical) barrier to prevent anyone taking a misstep off the porch.

3) I agree about the bedlines and enlarging the left side area as Yard suggested to accommodate the tree.

4) The house is not symmetrical in its presentation so no need for the plantings to be symmetrical either.

5) I doubt the reasonableness of any plant selection because it looks 'cute'. Select based on appropriate size and growing conditions for that location and how it combines with other plants to be included.

6) You live in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

An approach to consider. The plants are:

1. Aurora Chamaecyparis

2. Goshiki Osmanthus (easy to keep short)

3. Soft Touch Holly

4. Autumn Joy Sedum

5. Forest Pansy Redbud

6 Liriope