Question
Hi there -
My house is L shaped and we are converting the garage into a
family room and adding a new garage onto the front of the
house, which will make it more "U" shaped. We envisioned the
center area of the "U" to be a courtyard - since you walk up to
the front door between the left and right sides of the house
(inside the "U"). Now there is a problem - The foundation
contractor made the garage foundation not tall enough, so he
had to dig out about 1-1/2 feet of dirt up in the middle of the
"U". We thought we could just put a stone courtyard in, or
walkway - but now the framer just put up the new walls and they
look WAY TOO TALL. It looks like we are walking up to our door
with skyscrapers around us. We are past the point of tearing it
all down and starting over so we don't know what to do. We can't
just fill in the dirt to make the ground higher - because dirt can't
be higher than the cement foundation and rest against the
siding. So we don't know what to do - any ideas?

Answer
Sounds like you are still in the midst of construction.  So, now is the time to make plans to "fix" this situation.  

My opinion is that there are three things you can try -

One is to decrease the sense of walking inside of a canyon by "lowering the ceiling", by adding something between you and the soffit of the house.  This can be done by adding a structure, like an arbor, trellis, entry gate with an overhead element (lower than the top edge of the new garage) - OR a courtyard tree canopy.  There are several lovely examples on the web for the arbor/trellis option - too may to shoot you the links.  Go to Google.com (or the search engine of your choice) & type in "entry arbor" (or trellis, or gate, etc) in the "image" section - and PRESTO - lots of examples.  All kinds - wood, metal, stucco, brick.  Just match the style to your house exterior.  And, of course, the courtyard tree option takes longer to see the final results & it usually takes more room to pull off, successfully.

The #2 "trick" is using rows of plants to bring the roofline lower...taller plants in the back, medium in the middle, and finally, small plants at the entry pathway. Cuts down on the "echo" effect, too.

The last item is to create interest on the "ground plane", by using rich materials, like textured or stained concrete or unique pavers, and brighten up the front door with paint - to draw a person's eye down or to the entry, and not the courtyard area's roofline!  Sounds like you have a level change in this courtyard, too.  So adding stairs or steps will help accomplish this (most people look down to see where there feet are supposed to go!)

And yes, you can do BOTH, or all TREE of these in the same entry courtyard. And, since you are still under construction, the perception of the finished result is always tough to envision.  

Having endured a few building projects myself; I can tell you that the process plays tricks on your spatial perceptions.  The foundation is laid - it seems HUGE.  The roof and framing goes in & it seems cavernous.  The drywall and exterior goes up, it seems SMALLER & LARGER at the same time, and like a "moonscape" on the outside (which is where I think you are...  Finally, the landscaping goes in around the outside, and it seems o.k. again.  It抯 worth the process.  

Enjoy your new addition!!  -Marc