Until/up to/up till now + tense

1. He'll be home by now2-1 I've lived at home up till now. 2-2 Up to now he's been very quiet.2-3 Until now I have always lived alone.3. Until recently they were living in York.(All are example sentences from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)1-1 I know that 'by' means 'before or at a particular time', but then how can future form 'will' be used?1-2 What is the difference between 'be home' and 'get home'?('I didn't get home until two in the morning!')('He was glad to be home again.')1-3 Similarly, What is the difference between 'be back' and 'get back'?('He'll be back on Monday.')('He got back in the car and resumed driving')2-1 What does mean 'up until'?2-2 What is the difference among 'up until now', 'until now', 'up to now'?3. What does mean 'until recently' and how is it different from 'recently'?3-1 Is 'until recently' only used with the past simple or the past progressive(continuous)?Thanks/