Some shade trees would probably be a good idea.

Doesn't even look like weeds can grow in the area!

What area?

Water availability?

Sprinklers allowed?

For a lot that size it would be worth your while to hire a landscape designer / or / architect. That’s a BIG $ project, hardscape & landscape.

Meaningful help for a property of that size and currently that barren of plant life is really beyond the scope of an online forum of mostly amateur or hobby gardeners :-) F or best results, find a qualified local landscape designer to assist you with this project. They will be intimately familiar with local growing conditions and plant suitability and are also typically able to incorporate complimentary and functional hardscaping as well - paths, walkways, patios, decks and porches, etc.

a picture from far enough back facing the house from the street….to see the whole area would be a help… the first thing I would consider is adding some berms/ elevations.. this will offer smaller sections to treat differently …as flower beds… water features?…different size trees…even a little element of privacy?…also… more importantly add some curves with walkways and flower beds

We definitely can grow weeds. We are in Southern California, I realize that this would cost a big chunck of $ for the size of the property. I am looking at hiring a local landscape architcect. However was hoping to gain ideas online at possibilites. We do have city water available, and a well on property we could tap into. Thank you for any infor you can/do provide.

Adding a little projected porch feature is a good idea to break up the flat front of the house …and make the entry more of a focal point with added plantings

Can you enclose the front yard?

https://www.landscapingnetwork.com/texas/

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/14/4a/83/144a8372f6437a6312eb41a1ab4e3353.jpg

https://www.hgtv.com/design/packages/hgtv-ultimate-outdoor-awards/2019/curb-appeal/curb-appeal-contemporary-front-entrance

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Wow… a well is a real plus … have you tested the water for drink ability?..is the pump in good shape and functional? …and lastly is it hooked up for house use?

Are you in the IE? lol

hire someone local that specializes in Xeriscape. they will use plants native to that climate along w/hardscape. Summers are brutal here, so trying to keep things watered would be a losing proposition.

Look at mediterranean style landscapes or xeriscape that use a lot of succulents and low water plants. Do you have a well that is fed by spring?

find out what trees do best in your area. Trees placed in a proper location can end up shading the house and keeping it cooler.

Suspect the OP is located in SoCal - if so, a very xeric, drought tolerant landscape is going to be the primary order of business. The minimum of initial watering to get things established and then the need for maximum sustainability or reliance on whatever may choose to fall from the sky :-)

Hardscaping is going to be your friend, especially rocks of all sizes and something like decomposed granite to clothe any bare areas.

Here are a couple of articles to provide some inspiration:

https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/lush-colorful-and-water-wise-an-impossible-dream/

https://www.ladwp.cafriendlylandscaping.com/GWImage.php?index=2&source=gt

IE stands for Inland Empire. It's in So Cal.

Looking at the surrounding area, it looks like Riverside or furhter south, give or take. Very dry, very hot in the summers, a lot of wind, and gets pretty chilly in the winter.

I posted this house above but the porch didn't stand out like it does in this pic. I also like how the cement walls break up the yard.

https://www.hgtv.com/design/packages/hgtv-ultimate-outdoor-awards/2019/curb-appeal/curb-appeal-contemporary-front-entrance

Beth H: Not located in the IE… we are about 20 min east of San Diego. well has new pump, not sure if it is srping fed, or has been tested for drinkability. As of now I would assume its not. There is a lot to this propety that is unknown as we just moved in.

Bianca, ok, gotcha. same climate, more or less as the IE. you're just further south.

I've been out to Lake Cuymaca, which isn't too far from you.

I'd stick w/the xeriscape and hardscape.

Do you have any plans on painting the house or doing anything else w/it? I'd start w/a diff color for the stucco and trim. I'd also build out some sort of porch/patio that encompasses that entire inset area.

imagine the stucco painted this white, w/a darker trim color, modern, bold front door, and a cool walkway up to the porch (which you don't have now!)

This is just a quick photoshop of a more modern looking front.

This is the color you want. the After, w/the dark trim, wood accents. It's BM SeaPearl.

another option would be to modernize that inset portion and do a horizontal wood, board and batten or a slat wood.

I'm trying to piece together diff elements from other photos, so it may not look exact. this is just to give you an idea of what I mean.

In this one the stucco would be the white, dark trim along the roof fascia (and you'd have to paint the chimey) . This is a board and batten. you'd have the bump out, but this is what it would resemble if you did two colors

you could do the inset portion in the same as the stucco, but this just give some division to the front. a new door, and that all important, "hardscape walkway/path' and flower beds

Another one but this is a slimmer vertical slat wood application. (except you wouldn't have that window where the chimney is)

you see the slat wood on the inset portion? something like this. (you could do vertical board and batten too) This yard is a xeriscape design.

Another. do you see how the front door and the inset portion is done w/this slat wood? if you did something like this, or a board and batten it would make that front area really stand out.

I would then do some large pavers or concrete steps that form a path or walkway. This is where your landscape artist would come in.

similar to your front. I like the wood and added hardscape. notice the plants, modern door, and dark house color (if you are getting a new roof, do a gray shade)

BTW, remove that one light on the left. Looks odd. keep the one on the right, but replace w/something that the light is downward

Since you have such a large front yard, bring in hardscape (rocks, boulders, large pavers/flagstone, berms, etc) to break up the area and add interest.

Artifical turf is an option if you want a green grass look.

otherwise, I'd go for something like this

I'd most definetly hire a landscape designer to draw something up for you.

If you need some help w/home colors, let me know.

I definitely agree with @Beth H that changing the exterior color will add a ton of interest to the house. Being in Southern CA means being careful of what you plant. Using the photos here, get a consult with a few landscape architects.

I hope Beth’s photos inspired you. She’s great at this!

What outdoor space exists behind the house? Would you use the front space to hang out in, entertain, sit and read a book, or just an aesthetic framing of the house? Do you have a sidewalk, would people walk past, or just drive by? Do you want privacy?

If there is no land behind the house, I would create privacy on all sides of the front of the property and make a xeroscaped gorgeous courtyard garden with nooks for sitting, and a dining area. Don't know if you need that though.

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Looks like palm trees do OK there. I would start out with some palm trees for maximum shade and then figure out everything else from there.

LOL!! Palm trees provide minimal shade :-)

palm trees for shade? They're all over the place out here. absolutely no shade. at all. they grow tall and scraggly and attract rats and drop palm fruit all over the ground. horrible trees. they aren't even native here!