Just to make sure I got this right...Are you turning your front yard into a backyard?

It’s the side yard. And thanks for the judgement.

Are you raising up the garage floor to match the rest of the house? How much is that? If you do, you'll be able to add a full thickness of concrete, pavers or even a wood deck in that area. You can't taper concrete down to nothing.

I don't follow, and not being judgmental. If you are putting a pool there, won't you be removing the concrete driveway? If you want a temporary level patio until the pool is built, any pea gravel = NEVER, additional concrete topping = no.

It doesn't look like a steep slope, but if the "temporary" is a few years off it may be cost worthwhile to just lay sleepers on the driveway and decking on top of that.

I actually never thought about raising the garage floor and then adding a deck. I’m really into that idea! The pool will be to the left of the driveway. I do intend to do some pavers around the pool, so the wood would be a beautiful contrast. Another dilemma then, though. I wanted to replace the garage doors with another set of garage doors, but all glass. I wonder if that could still work with raising the floor (affordably). I’m not opposed to sliders. I do appreciate your thoughts. This is the biggest project I’ve undertaken. I’ve done a couple kitchen remodels before so I do trust myself. But this feels BIG. No chance you know of any good contractors in the Chico, CA area, is there?