Replace the small gate with a big one with 7 foot bold eye-catching posts on each side of the path. Your big house deserves an impressive entry gate.

I can see why it might confuse people, since most people fence in their back yard and not the front!

Cheapest solution would be to have a few nice quality signs made up. Put one one next to driveway just before parking pad, then one mounted at garage pillars, one on right that says "guest go left" and one near gate that says "Welcome. Guests this way".

Yes, it's tricky. We have a wrap around porch with 2 gates off deck in the back. I think the previous owners also had dogs, and added the front fence to keep the dogs in an area by the house. Without a front fence, the dogs would be able to leave the front porch, which is fine when we are with them, but not ideal otherwise. If we didn't have dogs, we'd probably remove the front fence.

Post a sign on the garage door wall nearest to the front walkway that says "Entrance" with an arrow pointing in the right direction. I'm sure there are sign painters in your area who could make and install a nice one for you. Take inspiration from the signage used at resorts and hotels.

Here's some more involved solutions, and/or's:

1. Move a portion of the fence. The dogs won't miss the small grassy area lost. People will at least physically see the front door at the time they reach the gate.

2. Add a parking area separate from the driveway.

3. Add a short stucco/stone wall matching the house to separate public from private.

I was going to ask what 3onthetree mentioned above-have you considered reconfiguring the fence so the pathway is more visible/accessible? Also, could visitors be concerned about entering the fenced area because of the dogs?

I would move the fenced area for your dogs to the back of your home.

A sign on the front of the garage

As a dog owner, I know the value of just opening the door and letting them out!

At least put a little arbor thingy or arch over the gate with a sign that reads WELCOME. And make the back way look unfriendly.

Currently you really don't have a front door to find.

You want the dogs in a fenced area where guests or delivery people won’t leave the gate open, allowing them to bolt.

Fence looks like most dogs could get through it, and it appears to be pretty utilitarian for a front yard fence. My friend installed a electronic underground fence and in two weeks her dogs and the neighbors' dogs figured out exactly where it was buried. They never left their respective yards, but would sometimes "visit" lying on either side of the "fence." Still working 15 years later. Dogs have long memories; related to elephants, I presume! I've lately become a "cat person" and of course fences mean nothing to felines!

I like @3onthetree idea of moving fence & gate back to the corner of garage. Seems like a win win - guests see the front door when they walk that far on walkway & dogs can still be outside on front porch with you but still contained inside a fenced yard. What breed are we talking about here - Great Danes or little terriers?

We have a huge dog run with a doggie door that goes out there but it in in our back yard . We have a Pyrenees and that fence you have would just be a challege he would embrace.You do have a nice entry why not open that up for humans with a nice arbour calling attention to the walkway and without dogs barking and running to the fence.

Because guest parking is so far from the front door, it will help to give stronger visual cues to guide people as soon as they get out of their car. You said the small sidewalk off the driveway is often obstructed so they don't see it, and asked for suggestions that don't break the bank.

Instead of focusing mainly on the gate and fence which are around the corner, consider dressing up the grassy area between the gate and the grouping of large trees by the driveway. You can lay flagstone, much like you did with the fire pit area, and place lots of beautiful visual cues that it's the entry point - a welcoming bench, fountain, flowering pots, your address, etc., all which face the "parking lot". You may want to trim the trees so it's more visible. Add more subtle visual cues in phases - lush plantings and landscape lights to guide people on the path to the gate, and maybe a small retaining wall. In the meantime, a wreath or hanging planter on the gate along with other good ideas mentioned above should help.

If you JUST bought a new home on 20 acres, I would think through who your visitors will be and how often they will visit. (You don’t have to disclose that here.)

Some of us prefer to have few visitors. Many of my neighbors have gates to block people from driving onto the property. In general, no one around here with a large-ish property expects people to drive onto the property without an invitation.

I get deliveries multiple times a week from fedex and ups. At least with fedex, you can create an account online and provide special instructions. Not sure about UPS and USPS. Any appliance or freight delivery services will schedule with you and ask for any special instructions.

If family and friends are visiting you, you can text instructions to them, and they’ll get used to the routine.

If you are having a lot of guests you don’t know, then you can think through the experience you want them to have. Signage is one option. Hardscaping is another. There are other options too.

If dog containment is an issue, be sure to think through all of that if the dogs are left outside unsupervised. Where I am, there is a lot of wildlife and my dogs could easily take off after a scent. Fencing may not be enough for some dogs. Some dogs are territorial and may not like delivery people. There could be liabilities. There could be snakes that could harm the dogs. Think through all this before you decide to let your dogs have access to unannounced guests.

Living on a large property is a lot different than living in a suburb on a 5000-10,000 sf lot.

It’s possible that after you settle in for a year or two, your visitors might be predictable and accustomed to your property.

Adjust the property to meet YOUR needs, and not those of your guests, unless you plan to hold a lot of events with first-time guests.

If you bought the property for privacy, enjoy it! Privacy is addictive. But if people are coming and going all the time, even your ”backyard” may not be as private as it would be in a suburb, because it is not necessarily protected by a fence and the house.

Regarding the wrap-around porch, a gate might be awkward on your porch, especially if you don’t have a place to anchor it or balusters all around. You might be able to find a way to do it.

I am building a gate on my porch so that the dogs can hang out there. I have a wood house with balusters all around the porch. The gates will be built like the railings/balusters, and they will close in front of the door at the entry to the porch. There is about a 7’ opening, so each gate will be around 3.5’. There is room to open each gate and secure it to adjacent railings. I am using 2x lumber, stain and hardware from Lowes. The hardware has a weight limit. If I ever want to remove it, I just unscrew it from the posts. It will only be closed when the dogs are out there.

If you cannot find a way to build a gate, or a good place to put it, you can look at dog run products and dog pens. These seem fragile to me. I’m not sure how you would secure them.

Personally, I like the way your house is set up now. If the front door is that important, maybe you could build an alternate entrance.

A family I know has a similar arrangement to yours. Their entire property is fenced and gated. Visitors enter the house through the garage or dog gate. I’m not even sure where their front door is. I’ve never used it. The arrangement works fine for them. It just depends on your lifestyle.