Do you need all that parking? Because if you don't instead of replacing the asphalt with some other hard material, I'd replace what is not needed with grass and plantings.

Since you have to do the walkway, concrete pavers surrounded by river rock would look contemporary.

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What zone and part of the country are you?

Someone has suggested contacting a local nursery to get their ideas and maybe they can give you a rough layout.

Some local nurseries draw up free plans for you if you purchase some or all of your plants from them. With the wide eaves on your house, I would have wide beds with plants that are moved out from under the eaves. I like informal loose plants rather than tight rounded shrubs, but I don't know what your preferences are.

If you want a plan on paper, hire a qualified designer. Or do the research and study necessary to develop one yourself. I'd be leary about any nursery that gave away "free" designs.....there is that old but very true saying "you get what you pay for" :-) There is a defined skill set involved with landscape design that doesn't just happen without work, study and a lot of experience and a good designer does not give that way for free!! There is an ulterior motive involved with any "free" design and it is usually a nursery pushing a lot of very ordinary and often unnecessary plants.....they are making their money some way or another.

To answer some questions - I am in Pennsylvania. I don’t need all the parking on a daily basis, but it is nice to have when having a party and has come in handy due to all parking in this neighborhood having to be off-street.

I’d love to hire a qualified designer, but I don’t know where to start! I guess I’m looking for advice on that as much as anything else. Has anyone used a good one in the past they can recommend? And any idea on price range for something like that?

The only recognized/certified professional organization for landscape designers in the country - the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) - is based in Harrisburg, PA. The website has changed recently and it is no longer very user-friendly IMO, but you can access the PA-DE chapter via Facebook (apldpade) and request referrals for qualified designers in your area. And often, better independent nurseries and garden centers in your area will have a listing of landscape professionals, including designers, that they will refer to.......if they do not have one on staff (and beware of those offering services for free for the previously outlined reasons).

In the overall scheme of developing a new landscape, design fees tend to be one of the least costly line items :-) It is impossible to say how much a design master plan would cost, as it depends on the size and scope of the project and the skill and experience (and name) of the designer involved, but compared to the labor and materials involved in creating a new landscape, the expense is minimal.....usually from a few hundred dollars to as much as several thousand for larger, more complex project.

Just an FYI, but it is important to find a designer that has experience in the type of work you are looking for as well as one that you can communicate with easily and comfortably - working with a designer is a very interactive process!! Ask to see their portfolio of built work.

I guess it all depends upon where you live. We have local independent nurseries who have qualified designers on staff .. I’ve seen some of their works ( several homes in my area ) & it turned out beautiful. So I think it’s a mistake to automatically rule out their assistance.

Btw ... you’re lucky to have a nice blank slate to build upon, easier than having to remove huge overgrown mismatched plants & trees.

I didn't rule out nurseries as being a source.......I was just expressing using some caution when or if they offer "free" design services :-) Many nurseries here offer design services......but they are never free!! Or at least none of the good ones.

There is a lot more involved in a successful landscape design than just the plant selection, so nurseries that offer free design services in return for purchasing their plants may be omitting or overlooking a lot of other critical aspects.

the biggest feature i see of your yard is an acre of asphalt. i get that its useful sometimes... any chance to change the extra width on the right to pavers with grass in them? they wouldnt be harmed by the occasional car parked there and really change the look of your yard.

Could you return with better photos? The first picture helps with driveway issue, but it is too far away for dealing with foundation planting. For that, we don't need to see as much sky or lawn, but need to see farther right and farther left from a closer view point, lined up with the center of the house. While keeping at the camera location, pivot it and take slightly overlapping shots.

I will try and do that tonight if it’s not raining