here is a picture of the front

Beautiful home! I hope u don't take offense when I say I think it would look so much better if u removed the fake shutters. It would take away some of the very dark coloring and allow the pretty windows to show. they are not functional so why have them? as far as the plantings, first and foremost have the cable and electrical wires on your property marked before u dig. then you could plant a curved planting from the cable box post to the plant at the corner of the garage (I would remove that plant) and leave a big enough space to pass thru to the side yard with a mower or wheelbarrow etc. that curved planting (mixed low shrubs) would hide the cable/elec boxes. The plants that are in front of the windows should be low, so as not to obscure the windows or box in the porch, a common mistake in landscaping. All 3 areas should be tied together with some plants that are used in all 3 areas. I think you need some lighter plants so white flowers or variegated foliage to me would be nice. The sloped area to the right maybe a small to medium tree, not in front of the house, but to the right a little and the canopy of the tree framing the right side of the house. Well that's enough said for now, please post your zone or city state so people can recommend actual plants. Congrats on a beautiful home!

My suggestion is to stop and consider your backyard and what uses you would like back there. Complete all basic grading, drainage, and hardscape in the back before you block access with construction in the front.

A design

Sorry, La-gal, I disagree with your comment about the shutters. Personally, I don't care for them being black, thinking it's a little ghoulish looking. But the fact that nearly 100% of shutters are not functional (in that they shut) doesn't mean that they don't serve a visual purpose as TRIM ... another non-actually-functioning, but very desirable thing. A better color would be, well, better.

Along those lines, I'd paint the post/columns white asap.

While looking at your house, Iam2, is it enjoyable to see all of that big, blank boring well of your left-hand neighbor's house? I don't think it is. A tree positioned so as to limit how much of that wall you see would be a good thing. (Good for you and good for your neighbor, who has the same problem, albeit not as bad.) Another thing it could do is put that utility box in the shade and make it much less noticeable. Painting that box a better color and putting some low groundcover around it would be enough to make it seem insignificant. Resist the temptation to surround it with shrubbery as then it will become much larger and that green shrub blob will seem without purpose and ugly in a different way.

I agree with La-gal about not boxing in the porch. It might be that planting at the base of the columns or something climbing the columns is enough. Consider small trees (but with raised canopies) to help get rid of the wide open, exposed feeling of the front yard.

I guess it's a personal thing. I changed my previous homes trim shutters, that obviously weren't large enough to close over the windows, to real cypress shutters, which looked so much better and came in handy for (most) storms. The house I'm in now has trim shutters, they don't really close, but they are the proper size so they look right. To me.
I totally agree with the rest of your post, esp the white columns and not putting shrubs around the elec box, which is what many people do.

Do you have a HOA telling you what and what you can not do? Sometimes HOA's control color choices on the houses in them, but your question is not "How do I change my house?" Your question is how to make a beautiful landscape, and what hard scape to add, right?

I think your home is beautiful, and I wish you could have taken the photos in spring to show what color is there. It does need color. You mentioned hard scape. How about some nice curved brick planters that pick up the bricks on the house? Fill them with low color... Roses, geraniums, anything with color.

I think you may be among those of us who do not appreciate the look of those electrical boxes. Is the electrical box on your property, or do you share it with the neighbor? If you share it, You could put a hedge or brick wall with vines on it between the two of you and that would block your view of that box, but you do have a two story, so you will always see that box, unless you plant a tree near it so you can't see it from upstairs. A crepe myrtle gives color plus canopy during most months.

I hate those boxes! Most people hedge them in.

Good luck!

Suzi

Thanks for the ideas, unfortunately I will not be changing the house.
It was just built and everything is new. I do appreciate the help with my question as far as landscape and hardcape goes... Especially from desert dance. I will probably go with the brick planter idea. To answer some questions... Hoa does require the house looks a certain way and the utility box is actually on my neighbors property except about an inch of it that's on my lot. I have gotten permission from him to do what I like since it's the first thing that I see as I drive up to my home. Again thanks for the landscape and hard scape ideas so far.