I agree with you the pillars are unfortunate. The replacement tiles will stand out no matter how close they come to matching so you're better off making sure they are clearly different so the gray one is better. Putting busy mosaic tiles could look nice but will interrupt the flow between rooms which I'm guessing is your problem with the columns in the first place. You will need to create a dextrous solution to tying into the 2x4 wall on the left side but I think it can be done tastefully- maybe beveling it back once you get past he end of that wall.

Sorry I am so late coming to your site - you are an inspiration to all, homeowners and advisers alike. For your planting advice, I suggest you call Merrifield Garden Center to see if they will come out your way. They currently have wonderful garden centers in Merrifield and Fairfax (both in Fairfax County) and a new one in Gainesville, but they may come further south to wherever you reside. (www.MerrifieldGardenCenter.com) Even if they don't send designers to your area, they are worth a trip to see their huge selection for a day of pleasure and inspiration, or to pick up some plants. Most of my clients are in the Fairfax and greater Washington area, but I am currently living out west below Front Royal, VA on the Shenandoah mountainside - wonderful views. cascio.offsite@gmail.com

And I would be planting trees – real trees not dwarf versions of trees and no more palms (unless you want to have palm tree themed garden – in which case a lot more palms are needed). I am not advocating planting forest giants but there are trees that will provide shade, shelter and a sense of scale that you won't get from yuccas and buxus and mondo grass and succulents alone. But before you start buying those trees you have a few decisions to make and a bit of analysis to do. 1. Orientation – you need to understand the basics of winter sun and summer sun, how much westerly sun you welcome and how much you need to shelter from it; where your prevailing winds blow from and whether this changes with the season also. So, once you've worked out where you want the sun to penetrate and at what time of the year, how to allow for wind, frost, whatever... you need to 2. Decide if you want a predominantly native garden, a range of deciduous trees or a completely eclectic selection (like the best 'English' gardens – which are planted out with plants from all over the world – Indian subcontinent, Asia, Africa, The Americas etc. Even some from Australia!). 3. Now the tricky bit – what do you love, i.e. which trees and plants make your heart really sing – and hopefully for more than two or three weeks of the year? Once you have that list which of those are likely to be happy in your climate, in your soil and with the amount of gardening attention (watering, feeding, pruning etc) that you're likely to enjoy lavishing on them. Your long list will by now be a much shorter (and more manageable list) but trees are what make a house look bedded in and part of a landscape rather than just sitting out in the open in a way that is both self-conscious and a bit awkward. Although, again I guess you could embrace the suburban awkwardness and go all Howard Arkley in which case keep it all small and suburban... But it is your garden and your house – make it look like what you want your house and garden to look and feel like! Good luck!

Hi , I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this , or whether it's even allowed , but a question here on Houzz today got me thinking about a house my parents built . I spent my childhood living there , so it is probably the most 'special' memory for me . The moderators can delete this if its not suitable , and anyone and everyone can add to it . . . . . . . . . . So it was 1973 in rural New Zealand , my parents were farmers and ambitious , they had bought their first farm about 5 years earlier , and had just bought the neighbouring property . They wanted to take on staff , and it was either build them a new house , or one for 'us' . I was just starting at school , and the old wooden farmhouse was nice -- the old slide up windows , wooden floors , nice verandas -- it was fun . They decided we would get the new house , and unbeknown to me then , they must have been mortgaged up to the eyeballs , but they got an architect , chose a nice slightly sloping spot ( the joys of many hectares to choose from -- or maybe the few facing the road with a view too ! ) , and a plan was put in place haha ! Being a sloping section , it was built on 3 split levels . I think that was fairly common then , but this was slightly different -- the top 3 bedrooms , one bathroom , one toilet , and office , had an 8ft ceiling height . The next 2 bedrooms and another bathroom and toilet , and the garages and storage ( which was basically a wing out the back ) had a 9ft stud . Then down 3 or 4 steps , and the lounge , kitchen , dining , washhouse , and family room had an 11 foot stud ! The lounge had a huge ( for the period ) glass window , from memory 9 ft tall and something like 14 ft wide . One piece of glass . Hopefully strenthened glass -- we never broke it in 20 odd years luckily ! With 4 opening windows down one side . Aluminium framed , like every window in the house . So we are talking 1973 , very high ceiling , large glass window . The entire house was in a weird ( but trendy at the time ) chocolate brown brick , but roughcast on the outside with these charcoal big flecks sticking out half an inch or so . And here was where it got more unusual -- the opposite side of the lounge ( opposite the huge window ) was done as a feature wall , in the same brick , inside ! So this huge 11 foot tall brick wall as a feature wall in the lounge ! Strange ? Well -- about 2ft 6" in front of that was another wall , in the same brick , about 2ft 6 tall -- yes , a planter ! The middle 3 foot or so of this planter had a 'ledge' , and our huge 25" TV ( or whatever was huge at the time ) was on this ledge , almost hiding amongst all the leafy plants , in pots , in this planter box ! I guess iconic 70's , just seems a bit naff now . And one weird thing ( knowing what I know now , it makes sense ) -- a long house on a sloping section , built on 3 split levels , but with a flat ceiling , would look weird wouldn't it ? Even with a large feature window , it'd look quite boring ? Umm , no . I didn't know it at the time , but this must be where architects come into their own . The 'rumpus room' ( it would be called a family room these days ) on the left hand end had a ranch slider , with a terrace out the front , and the ( tiled ) roof came 4 or 5 feet out from the front , to cover this terrace . And this room was maybe 20 foot deep , most of the rest of the house 30-35 feet . So this roofline was a foot or so lower , and 3 foot lower at the peak , than the rest . Then was the dining room , with the kitchen behind it . Set back 5 or 6 feet , so quite a deep terrace , with a 6foot square fixed window and the main entrance door . You could just about hold a conference of 30 people on that terrace , out of the rain haha . The kitchen was at the rear , and had windows on the side wall ( as it was quite a bit deeper than the 'rumpus room' ) and one of those glass things with angled glass on top and sides ( bay window ? ) at the rear . This 'section' , and the lounge ( with laundry and a seperate toilet and a sewing room and a hallway , all behind the brick feature wall ) , all had the same roof profile . Then the whole house 'stepped back' 3 foot , as well as 'stepping up' 2 foot , so it had a whole new roof profile . And then the 'top' part stepped up another foot , but slightly strangely , also forward 1 foot . So outside was 4 completely seperate roof profiles -- inside were 3 split levels , but the ceiling was completely flat ! From memory , it was about 2200 square foot ( which was big back then ) , and another 1000 or so garage and storage . I'm not sure if they were joking or not , but Mum and Dad used to say that the garage was put around the back , because if it had been added on the end , people would think we were rich haha ! I think the house was about 90 foot long , the garage would have added another 40 ! And for anyone wanting modern measurements , work it out yourself haha . Whats your story ?