Turning a 70s Guest House From ‘Utility Box’ to Welcoming Entry Court

The Scenario

A homeowner recently asked:

"The most important thing this house needs is true curb appeal. How can I improve?"

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

The Assessment

This place isn’t ugly; it’s just reading as a utility building instead of a guest house you actually want to walk up to because it suffers from The Tall Forehead Syndrome. You’ve got a tall, mostly blank white-brick wall and a skinny, dead-straight front walk aimed vaguely at the door—a combination that makes the exterior still think it’s a 1975 maintenance shed. Between the patchy, stressed lawn in full Texas-style sun and great live oaks acting as a ceiling, there is nothing happening at eye level to break up the dominant brick plane. Inside, it’s been updated; outside, it still lacks the middle-layer planting and articulation needed to define a true sense of arrival.

You’ve got:

• A tall, mostly blank white‑brick wall
• A skinny, dead‑straight front walk aimed vaguely at the door
• Patchy, stressed lawn in full Texas‑style sun
• Great live oaks acting as a ceiling, but nothing happening at eye level

Inside, it’s been updated. Outside, it still thinks it’s 1975 maintenance shed.

You don’t need faux stone or crazy masonry to fix this. You need a clear arrival, some vertical breaks in that big wall, and layered planting that actually likes your climate.

Let’s walk through how to pull that off.

The Trap: Why This Looks Like a Utility Box

There are three common mistakes here, and almost every 70s house has at least two of them:

1. Skinny, straight walkway
   That 3 ft strip of concrete is just wide enough for one person and screams service entrance. No flare, no landing, no sense of arrival.

2. No middle layer of planting
   You’ve got big trees (the ceiling) and lawn (the floor), but the walls are bare. Human eyes want something at 2–8 ft tall. Without it, the big brick plane just dominates.

3. Foundation buried—or almost
   People try to hide the stained foundation by piling soil or plants right up against it. Don’t do that. You rot out framing and invite termites.

When you combine all three, the building feels like the back of a warehouse, not the front of a home.

The fix is very straightforward: a real entry path, a defined planting bed, and one or two small trees to break up the façade.

The Solution (Deep Dive)

1. Fix the Walkway First

If people feel awkward walking up, the rest of the planting won’t save you.

You’ve got two good options:

Option A: Widen and Flare the Existing Walk

• Widen to at least 4 ft, 5 ft is better if you have the space. Two people should be able to walk side by side.
• Flare the last 6–8 ft to 6 ft wide at the base of the steps. This feels like a mini‑patio and visually says “you’ve arrived.”
• Keep it simple gray concrete with a broom finish. No fake stone stamps, no patchwork pavers.
• Add a clean edge where the concrete meets planting or gravel so it doesn’t look like a sidewalk repair.

Option B: New Gentle Curve From the Right

If you’re already thinking about new concrete:

• Start the walk a bit to the right of the current line and let it curve gently toward the front door. No tight S‑curves—just one smooth arc.
• Aim to arrive straight on at the doorway. Your body should be facing the door, not turning at the last second.
• Same deal: 4–5 ft wide with a 6 ft flare at the steps.

Curves break that “bowling alley” feel and give you natural planting pockets on both sides.

2. Create a Real Planting Bed (Without Burying the House)

That front wall needs a soft, layered foreground.

Rule #1: Keep the foundation exposed.
Maintain at least 12–18 inches of visible foundation below the brick all the way around. Don’t pile soil or mulch against it—water and termites love that.

Now, build a bed:

• Run a 5–7 ft deep planting bed across the full front, from the right corner almost to the big oaks on the left.
• Edge it cleanly with:
  • Steel edging
  • Brick on edge
  • Or just a crisp shovel cut if you’re on a budget
• Make the bed a soft curve, not a ruler‑straight strip.

Back Layer: Evergreen Structure (2–4 ft tall)

Closest to the house, you want plants that:

• Stay green year‑round
• Tolerate heat and some drought
• Don’t slam into the brick or cover windows if you add any later

Good options for your region (think central/south Texas, but always check your exact USDA plant hardiness zone):

• Dwarf yaupon holly – Tight, clean mounds, easy to shape. Don’t shear into cubes; let them stay soft.
• Rosemary (‘Arp’ or ‘Hill Hardy’) – Evergreen, fragrant, edible, and loves reflected heat off white brick.
• Lindheimer muhly or Gulf muhly – Native grasses with arching, airy plumes. Low water use and tons of movement.

Run these in drifts, not soldiers: groups of 3–5, repeating a couple of species along the wall.

Front Layer: Looser Perennials (18–30" tall)

In front of the evergreens, mix in native perennials so it doesn’t look like a hedge.

Think:

• Salvia greggii (autumn sage) – Blooms forever, hummingbirds love it.
• Blackfoot daisy – Low, mounding, white flowers, tough as nails.
• Four-nerve daisy, lantana, or mealycup sage – More color, all drought‑tolerant.

If you’re in the U.S., you can plug your ZIP code into the Audubon native plants database for a solid list of climate‑appropriate natives.

Cover everything with 2–3 inches of shredded hardwood mulch (but keep it a couple inches off the brick). Mulch keeps weeds down and soil temps saner—backed up by state extension services like the University of Maryland’s mulch best practices.

3. Add 1–2 Small Ornamental Trees to Break the Wall

The big oaks are great, but they’re high up. You need something at eye level to interrupt that long white wall.

One on each side of the entry works well:

• Texas mountain laurel near the entry corner

  • Evergreen, 12–15 ft max in most yards.
  • Purple, grape‑scented blooms in spring.
  • Stays narrow enough not to eat the façade.

• Desert willow or Mexican plum toward the far right corner

  • Light, airy canopy that tosses shade without making the house feel buried.
  • Flowers add interest without a ton of leaf mess.

Plant these 6–8 ft away from the wall so they have room to grow and their roots don’t fight the foundation.

4. The Wood Screen: Define an Entry Court, Don’t Board Up the House

A wood “curtain” can look fantastic—or like you’re hiding something illegal. The trick is placement and scale.

Don’t run boards across the whole front. Instead:

• Build a 6–8 ft wide, 6 ft tall horizontal‑slat screen just off the house near the entry.
• Set it 3–4 ft in front of the door, parallel or slightly angled, to form a mini entry court.
• Use a warm‑stained cedar or similar to contrast the white brick.
• Mount modern house numbers and a wall sconce on the screen so it becomes the visual “front door” from the street.

You still get light and air. You gain privacy and a sense of ceremony.

If you ever decide to add windows later, the planting and screen still work—they’ll just frame the new glass.

5. Deal With the Lawn Honestly

That front yard lawn looks tired under the oaks. You’ve got two choices:

• Commit to lawn:

  • Aerate compacted soil.
  • Topdress with compost once a year (see the EPA’s home composting guide if you’re DIY‑minded).
  • Overseed or re‑sod with a grass that tolerates your shade/sun split.

• Shrink the lawn:

  • Expand your planting beds under the trees.
  • Use shade‑tolerant natives, groundcovers, or a gravel seating area so you’re not fighting nature.

I’m a fan of less lawn, more planting, especially in hot climates where water’s not free.

If you’re dealing with weeds in existing gravel paths or pads, take a look at Weeds in Your Gravel Walk: Why They Keep Coming Back and How to Fix It for Good before you add more rock.

Visualizing the Result Before You Pour Concrete

Concrete, wood, and trees are expensive to move once they’re in. This is where our Exterior Design App is your safety net.

Here’s how I’d use it on a project like this:

1. Upload a photo of the front exactly like the one you shared.
2. Sketch the new walk at 4–5 ft wide, test a straight‑plus‑flare vs. the gentle curve from the right.
3. Drop in rough plant masses instead of obsessing over species: evergreen mounds at the back, airy grasses and perennials in front.
4. Add two small trees and move them until the façade feels balanced with the oaks.
5. Test a few wood screen positions and heights to see where it best defines the entry without blocking the architecture.

You’ll know in 20 minutes whether the curve, the screen, and the planting depth all feel right. Better to redraw lines on a screen now than cut out a brand‑new walk later.

If you like this kind of “fix the front” thinking, the project in Flat, Beige, and Boiling: How We Turned This Rock Yard Into a Welcoming Desert Front Entry is a good example of using simple paths and layered planting to rescue a dead‑looking front yard.