You have a lot of space, so I think you could set up a nice seating area with outdoor couches around a coffee table or a fire pit, and you would still have room for a table and chairs if you want to eat outside!

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Then I might put groupings of planters at the corner to provide a visual divider and some color and interest.

The first thing i would do is add a door from the house to the patio...this will not be cheap but it will never be convenient to use the patio without direct access from the house... the second vital feature for any outdoor space is a shade element....umbrellas are not enough except the hour or so the sun is directly overhead....lastly ....nice outdoor furniture will not hold up well with so much exposure to the weather ....if you want to just add landscaping and furniture i would look for the better quality plastic furniture options that are comfortable...foregoing cushions since there will be no protection against dirt...fading...and damage from the sun....

If you live in a climate of year round good weather...the above options could work...but the cost will be exorbitant...and you would need a good amount of easy access storage for the times you may not want to leave things out

I had the same thought -- what are you going to do with the furniture, umbrellas, planters, etc. during the cold months? You will have to put everything away or protect them with covers against the rain and snow. Even rainproof cushions are going to start getting moldy if exposed to the elements for a long time.

How many months are you going to use it?

Do you have mosquitos?

Outdoor living is a great concept but, unless you live in California, not so easy to execute all year round.

i am not a designer.. but i am a realist with opinions.. take for what its worth ...

first.. deck ... why??? ... you have lower windows a foot or two above grade .. and i doubt you want to deck above .. and there is no entrance there... so i dont understand why you would elevate ... jsut to walk up and down stairs every time you want to use the deck ...and where is the back door .. on the left of what i thought was the garage ... isnt that door at grade????

you might be better off renovating the brick.. since you already have them ... the cost of brick is a huge part of the cost of a patio ... and you are going to get rid of them?? .. it seems like you might be getting rid of brick worth more than the lumber that cfosts too much right now ????

second.. are kids in this equation ... is the the backyard rumpus room ... those are gorgeous concepts above.. but crikey.. not if you have kids zooming around at 80 miles an hour .... until they collapse .. near midnight ... lol

you have a huge bricked area.. use some potted plans for ehight ... removate those plant boxes at teh corners ...

and buy patio furniture in stages .. they eat up a lot of room fast .. its no use have a nice seating area.. if no one can move around the furniture on tiptoe thru the jusgle of furniture ...

first locate your barbie.. then move out from there as to various types of seating ...

finally ... is this your forever house ... dont put a million dollar deck out back.. only to find out.. you cant recoup the investment when you sell the house ... this looks more like a family house.. not a bachelor pad or dink house ... dual income no kids ... invest wisely ...

ken

ps: elevation is not good it you have drunken friends or stupid kids who fall off the decks .. lol .. so you are going to double your wood budget for railing.. which you dont need for a patio on the ground ...

pps: and dont line the patio with hybrid t thorned roses ... stupid guest kids think they can run through them when playing .. the dog was trainable.. they werent.. lol ... i dont know if i was more upset about the roses ... or the poor kid .. lol ... one thing for sure.. no other kids ran thru the roses again that night ... lol

Those are all fair points, the current brick patio has some sagging or uneven areas and lots of weeds grow in between the cracks. Our thoughts were if we are going to redo the patio, we should put a nice wooden one in. The back door (to the garage) is slightly above the current brick patio but we were only thinking the wooden deck would be matching the height of that door.

Maybe you have suggestions on our to keep down the weeds in the current state so it is more pleasing to the eye?

I do like the idea of building up the corners with planters. We just find the backyard is so flat, it needs some elevated interest! At least we think it does

Also, we live in Canada so the furniture would need to be put away or covered during the winter! Good thing for us to keep in mind

Andrea, I really like you current patio. Decks can be high maintenance (regular cleaning, sanding, sealing, staining, replacing weakened boards, etc.). You have enough room for a place to lounge, a place to cook and a dining area.

Live with your half-done patio for one season before you make major decisions, like structures, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, etc. Start with umbrellas for shade, until you determine where the permanent "rooms" will be. Then you can add a pergola, or some other permanent shade structure that will also be good for stringing lights.

I usually wait until the end of summer to get outdoor rugs, pottery, etc. Sales!

I know you are getting lots of negatives .....but decks on the ground will rot in almost any climate ....and the brIck you have now will last forever...you just have to clean it and re- install it properly... a labor intensive DIY ...but doable...it should be re-installed on a leveled bed of sand ..for drainage ....and sprayed with a weed killer and any other product to remove the moss ,etc... labor intensive but very little expense...an easy addition for height and interest is a pergola...properly placed it could be covered in the winter to create a sheltered place for outdoor furniture...the corner planters would be pretty and would be a perfect spot for annual flowers for colorful flowers all summer long .....as they will never out grow the planters or develop roots that could cause damage to the planters...big plastic pots could be used if you don’t want to build the planters from stone....a visit to a good garden supply will offer all the weed killers and products to clean things up....hopefully you will choose organic products so children ...pets..and the environment ...will be protected from harmful poisons

I think it could be really great. I don't live in sunny California (rainy PNW) but I spend a lot of time in my garden and always have.

I purchased all of my outdoor furniture used on Craig's List so nothing is precious. It stays out all year, under cover during the winter. I just give it a scrub with soap and water in the Spring then hose it down. The umbrella, cushions and pillows are stored in the basement from late Fall thru late Spring. During the summer they are subject to sun and rain, but oh well -- stick with Sunbrella or similar fabric. Tuesday Morning often has inexpensive outdoor stuff in spring, or as others have recommended, shop Fall sales. Estate sales are also great places for outdoor treasures (head directly to the garage, basement and backyard while all the other shoppers are searching the house).

You might be able to get by with leveling parts of your patio rather than tearing out the entire thing. You'll have maintenance with both a deck and a brick patio, just different issues. Decks are great but patios are more charming and avoid elevation issues.

Invest in a few large pots where you can grow colorful annuals during the mild weather months. Dump the annuals in the Fall and store the pots indoors. If the pots are frost-proof you can grow dwarf evergreen shrubs for year-round interest. Consider adding some low-growing shrubs along parts of the patio perimeter for a sense of enclosure and visual interest. And maybe a patio-sized tree or two, too.

You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy your backyard. Those big, beautiful trees and large patio are a good start -- get online and start hunting for bargains! Good luck and have fun.

Another really good resource for good quality but used outdoor furniture ....is high end consignment stores...usually found in expensive communities...rich people replace things of good quality before they are even a little worn...

Wood price is not coming down anytime soon. Now what? Do a patio IMO. Always better than a deck.

Your patio (even though it's in need of some care) is already worth more than any deck. To fix it yourself you'll need:

• gloves
• a string level and a couple stakes
• a regular level
• a trowel
• a rubber mallet
• shovel, rake
• wheelbarrow
• sand for underneath
• polymeric sand for fill in between bricks once everything is level again

If your bricks are in good shape (not spalting), a power washer is the fastest way to weed given that you'll be re-sanding the patio at the end. Otherwise, a weed torch is an easy way to go.

Once the patio is clean and dry, figure out where the low spots are. You don't want to rebuild your whole patio if you don't have to! You just want to raise the sunken areas.

Decide what level is the level you want. Mark that brick for reference. When you are fixing the bumps and sags, you'll string a level line from your reference brick across the area you are working on. All the bricks you reset need to match the level line.

Lift an area of bricks and add (or remove) sand underneath as needed. Try to get it well tamped down (a tamper can help buts it's probably not worth buying if you don't have one already). Set a brick in place and tap it with the mallet to seat it. If it's too low, remove and add more sand. Make sure it's level and matches your guide string. Repeat, moving your guide string along as you go.

Once all the bricks are reset to your satisfaction, spread polymeric sand over the space and use a push broom to help it get into the joints. this will help with weeds.

Fixing a patio is worth the time and work. It's tedious but you can sit while you do it. (If you choose to kneel, make sure you have knee pads!) And you don't have to do it all in one go.

Short summer, or not, we've used these plastic chairs. Target sells in white-

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Adams-Mfg-Corp-Stackable-Plastic-Stationary-Adirondack-Chair-s-with-Slat-Seat/1000399031

Oh gosh - you have great potential with what you have. We replaced wooden deck with patio pavers and pergola and are so happy with it. Our go to for keeping the mold at bay is Mold Armour sold at most big box stores. And a flame weeder. Our home is small modest ranch, our patio is nothing elaborate, but all of our friends love spending time there. Potted plants soften the entire space and give color. We have little storage room, so we chose large stackable pots that are emptied each fall and easy to store without taking up much room in the shed.