Mod Noob - List Creation Assist?

[XilaMonstrr]

Hey folks, I am new to playing with mods. I played Skyrim through once almost vanilla with a few minor mods added mid-game and now I'm looking forward to playing through again with tons of mods.

 

My big question in coming up with my list of mods is of course compatibility, as I'd like to avoid lengthy troubleshooting that for me takes all the fun out of it.

Yes I will make sure to investigate compatibility notes on every single mod, and will also avoid mods that are obvious duplicates.

What I'm wondering about mostly is mods that add new buildings and map areas and their compatibility with graphics mods.

I'm interested in adding a lot of new content this time around to cities, wilds and map areas but I'm also interested in improved graphics. I'm not sure how these will overlap.

Can I have a mod for realistic creatures and another that adds a bunch of new creatures?
How will graphics mods affect mods that add whole new areas to skyrim or expanded cities? I've seen that there could be conflicts between things such as improved lighting with mods for larger cities. What else should I keep an eye out for?
How much will the right load order fix such potential confilcts?

 

I can provide specific mod names if that's helpful, as I do have a rough draft list, but at this point I'm more interested in general tips to help me narrow down my list and figure out the best combination.

 

Thanks!