Flowers in those flower boxes would be a good start, and then I'd tear out the conctrete or whatever the surface is next to the house and extend the driveway further out, closer to the camera, to make up for lost driveway space. The down spout must be removed from he driveway. The steps up to the house seem to be a confused assembly of different materials and should be reformed into a cohesive entry stairway, with plantings flanking it, or pots of greenery/flowers on it. The garage seems to be a different color from the house and if that is the came, I would change it echo the colors of the house. In the foreground of the photo is an opportunity for some beautiful landscaping. You have your work cut out for you, but nothing that you couldn't do over the next 3 months!

Put in a few French drains where you dig a ditch and fill it with crushed rock to help the water drain. In low spots put in some drains [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tuf-Tite-16-in-2-Hole-Drain-Sump-with-Grate-and-Seals-2HDS-4/203463511] with pipe running to the French drain. You might also need to bring in 10 yards of top soil along with some sand to raise your yard a bit as you're probably right at the water table level. We've had to do all this as we live in the Pacific Northwest in a reclaimed marsh [a nice word for a swamp] where we hit the water table if we dig down 3". We had to put down about 10 yards of top soil along with some sand to raise our back yard. We also dug a French drain along the back to connect to the associations drainage pipes through the neighborhood. My husband has put in at least 3 of the drains in strategic locations around the yard to help drain off the excess water. Our yard isn't perfect, but it isn't the swamp it was the first couple of years we were here. We have to apply moss killer every spring or it takes over the yard. My husband also puts down lime to soften the soil, and help the water drain easier. He and a friend rent an aerator every summer and do both our yards to help with the drainage as well.

Hi i'm having serious drainage issues with the bottom of the garden ..there is a path sloped down to a big concert shed with absolutely no drainage ..as we have a dog we often need to hose the area down any time we do water pools down around entrance to the shed. im think of digging up part of the path and putting in a french drain type with stones and grate on top ..Would this make sense..The oil tank is on the bottom of that path too so id have to be careful of the piping ...Has anyone any better ideas ??

I’ve had my oak counter tops 16 yrs and my kids have gone from toddlers to young adults in that time. I would have smashed every glass in the house with quartz, although I have it around the sink insert as wood would have been a disaster there. Keep the counter tops looking good with a light rub down with a cloth with oil every so often, especially if it looks as if it’s getting dry. We’ve rarely had scratches as it’s reasonably resilient, and only once did I have to gently rub a scratch out with fine sand paper. I use a small brush to clear up crumbs and that limits the number of times I’m wiping it down with a wet cloth throughout the day. Have plenty of mats at hand for hot cups and plates and clear up any spillages reasonably quickly - the oil will protect the surface to a degree but if a spill such as coffee or red wine is left it will eventually soak in and may be a problem to sand out. I was advised against a clear glaze painted on to the wood and I am glad now that I didn’t have it done. Hope this helps.