For a minute, let's forget that you created some variations of a landscape design for your yard. Could anyone else, seeing the information you've posted about the existing site, actually create a good, relevant landscape design for you? I don't think they could based on so little information. If we don't have enough information to create it, we don't have enough information to evaluate your plan. We can't see existing grass, so talk of expanding it seems vague. We can't see views outside of the site confines that one might wish to screen or enhance. We can't know much about how pedestrian traffic might flow to other parts of the yard, wherever it does. We only see a part of your yard with blinders on. Doing it this way might end up that you create lovely spot, but that it doesn't flow for the rest of the yard.

The things you say you are trying to do with the plan are stated in the form of solutions, but we are not in a position to know if these are things you actually should do, because the analysis (and inventory) is missing. It would be better if you start with overall objectives such as sun vs. shade, screen or enhance views, sq. ft. of patio needed, etc. and mention any major constraints. For pictures, it's much easier for us to understand the space if you square the camera to the lot lines or house faces and show complete, end-to-end views (which might require pivoting the camera to capture flanking space.)

I think most of us tend to project ourselves into the project in order to evaluate its goodness. For me, I'm struck by how far you wish to place the grill from the kitchen. Maybe my grilling is more disorganized, but I seem to go back and forth from the grill to the kitchen a lot during the process. It would drive me nuts to go up and down the stairs and to the far side of the patio in order to tend the grill. It would be so much more convenient to have it be close to the kitchen. If you are a completely different kind of griller, it might not matter.

Unless you are planning on staying in that house forever, I would also think about resale values. That deck sure doesn't look too large....in fact, it looks a bit restricted afa space and function are concerned. IMO, it needs to be larger but better integrated into the whole or eliminate the entire deck in favor of a generous landing and steps to the garden. But don't make it smaller - it will be useless :-))

And FWIW, a gate on private property can function or not. Blocked or locked gates are extremely common. My landlady has her front gate locked due to her mental dog trying to escape at every possibility, so there is no public access to her front door or entry!! She has relocated the doorbell to outside the gate and greets visitors or deliveries by opening the garage door. Awkward and not the slightest bit inviting but it works for her and is not illegal :-) (and she is an 85 y.o. sweetie so we all indulge her.......but her rescue dog is truly nuts!!)

Yardvaark- Thanks for your detailed reply! I am more than happy to give you more information!

My biggest constraint is just the size and shape of the space. It is narrow and the current layout is not making it very inviting / usable. All other issues are secondary to improving the flow, but since they are still worth mentioning I will answer your questions.

Sun vs shade: We would probably appreciate more shade - that's one reason I have added a pergola in my design. But we actually do get a lot of shade from the back fence and surrounding structures, and I actually enjoy some sun, so I don't want to go overboard trying to get more shade.

Existing grass: The funny thing is that I specifically picked a photo that would show the grass in addition to the patio, but I guess the grass area is so small that you missed it. I probably should have added annotations (or more photos). Here is a better view of the just the grass. You can see the awful shrubbery that eats into the grass area and makes it feel very claustrophobic. The whole area, shrubbery included, is about 15' wide.

External views: For the most part we are trying to block the views. But I also don't want to eat into my space, so want to avoid anything huge like the above shrubbery. I'd rather have the bad views and more usable / better flowing space. Here are some views of what you can see from the current deck:

[See how the stairs lead to a dead space? I hate this.]

Other parts of the yard: I have left out the two sides of my house, but I will give you more details. On the left side there is a very narrow alley that holds the trash cans and has a gate to our driveway. There is nothing to be done in that alley. On the right side, where you can see an AC unit in my design, there is a little space that I am using for vegetable gardening. The fence is at an angle, so it get's very narrow and then comes to a dead end. Here is a photo that shows it better. I do need to have good access to this part of the yard, but I was hoping to have some separation (like the pergola) because my vegetable gardens tend to be untidy.

Sq feet of patio needed: Not sure about this. I need enough for a table and I'd like to fit a pergola over the table. I would also like to keep a big enough strip so kids can push their toys around (these plastic wheels don't work well in grass). My total sq ft is so limited, so I think I'm just trying to get as much as possible out of the space. But I also want grass, so just trying to make this all fit together somehow.

Grill: You are right to point this out, and I do want the grill as close to the kitchen as possible. But I don't think you are supposed to put it against the wall of the house, are you? So that's why I had it against the fence. Currently we have it on the deck, but I think that is also technically a fire hazard because it is under a roof. Definitely open to other suggestions. I had thought about doing a built-in grill, but my husband says he wants flexibility to move it, so that idea is out.

gardengal48 - Really appreciate your comments on the deck! In fact, my first attempts at designing this were to *increase* the size of the deck. But when I do that it ends up creating a very narrow passage between the deck and the back fence. And it effectively cuts the yard into 2 halves. Once I saw it on paper I decided it was bad for flow. So in the current ideas I reduced it to more of a landing, just as you said. To give you more idea of scale, the current deck is 5' by 17' and my new design would reduce it to 3' by 9'. (The reason I did 9' wide is because there is a sliding glass door, so it has to be wide enough for that.) The whole distance from the wall of the house to the back fence is 22', so I just don't have a lot of space to work with.

I thought it might help if I add some photos oh my design (C) from similar angles as the photos.

Here is the new grass area. I added a new bench. I expect it will have some sort of legs rather than be a huge block, but my drawing skills are limited.

Here is the new view from the deck/landing. I like seeing the pergola and trees better than the street corner. (Compare this to the photo of the deck view that is mostly blocked by my grill).

This one is a similar angle to the last photo I posted.

This one is a similar angle to the very first photo that I posted in the original post.

Update: I did another quick "before" sketch, so now you can compare this to my design from the overhead view.

When you say "right" or "left," "back fence," etc., keep in mind that we don't know what to reference your orientation to. I am still confused as to exactly where the aforementioned alley and some other things are. Do you have a 2-D base plan that shows existing conditions? It would be the easiest way for us to understand the yard layout, what you're working with, and be the easiest view on which to provide feedback. Hopefully the house would have a square orientation to the drawing "paper." (All the current views have the house at a slight angle.)

I am making another attempt to give you the info you need. Sorry for being confusing. :(

Here is an overhead 2D drawing with the house squared. Sorry the dimensions are written upside down, but I'd already written them and then I wanted this drawing to be oriented the same way as my 3D drawings.

And here is the overhead view from Google Earth. Sorry this is not squared, but that's just how it is in Google Earth. I based my 3D sketches off this view and that is why I kept squaring the back fence instead of the house. This photo also includes the areas around my house since you were interested in that. You will notice that the front yard is bigger than the backyard, but I am not looking to do any revisions there at this time. The current fence is staying in place and no part of the front yard is visible from the back yard, so I am not trying to maintain a consistent look. Maybe in a few years I will have the budget to redo the front yard and then I can worry about making it match the style of the back. Also worth noting that the deck is completely under the roof, so you can't see here.

By the way, if anyone just wants to bash how horrible the current layout is, I would welcome that.

Thank you for taking the time to make this drawing and suggestions!

I had not considered extending the deck in that direction, so that is an interesting possibility.

And I didn't know that there is a chance that they can resurface the concrete! I will definitely consult an expert on that one. I actually have quite a few questions for the concrete people.

Thanks again for your time!