You could start with showing the mystery back yard? In pictures? Uploaded here.

Get a design first.

Post the pics you will get lots of free advice Post them here in a comment do not start another post

You absolutely want to hire a designer, especially if you've never done much landscaping before. A local design professional who can visit the property, talk with you personally to assess your wants and needs and then convert that into a workable design plan you can implement as time and budget allows or hire out to a contractor is the most cost effective and expeditious path to follow.

There are various ways to find a designer. You can start with the Houzz Find A Professional feature, contact the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (https://www.apld.org) for referrals in your area, ask at local nurseries or garden centers or inquire of neighbors with landscaping you admire.

Other than some very rudimentary suggestions, you are not going to get a lot of help here. Most projects are beyond the scope of what can be offered online and from a forum that is populated by almost no qualified landscape designers. Most of the "pros" that post here are interior or kitchen/bath designer and the skill set just does not translate :-) Landscape design is much more than making a few simple suggestions based on one's personal gardening experience and most landscape designers have had considerable training.

A lot of folks shy away from hiring a professional due to cost but it really is a valuable but modest investment, especially if the homeowners do much of the work themselves. Labor is the high cost factor in landscaping, not design fees!

Hi Folks, you asked for pictures, so here it is. Below are 2 pictures of the area we are planning redesign/landscape. As you can see the terrain is on a slope varying between 4ft to 6ft in different places (see pic2). Leveling the area for pavers would be a good thing (partial, not everything paved), a retaining wall will have to be built. There's a big lemon tree smack in the middle and we don't plan to remove it, it should be incorporated to the design. I put some approx dimensions in ft, wonder if a gazebo is ok or if it's going to be too big and occupy the whole area. Let me know what your thoughts are. My house is in Santa Cruz California, foothill of the mountains. It's sunny most of the year except afternoons after 3 or when it's foggy in the summer.

Things we are considering: gazebo, pavers, cooking area, chairs around a fire, small waterfall, maybe a jacuzzi.

Things we don't really want: a pool

Here are a few suggestions:

Why not going with gazebo and pavers? Everybody would be happy. :-))

Thanks for the responses, folks, really appreciate it.

@lkloes, yes, it's a big project, I'm thinking of doing along a period of a few years. I checked Jerry's site, they seem really top notch. Do you have pictures of the job they did for you?

@Dig Doug's Designs, interesting design, I like the gazebo and arrangement of pavers + raised beds.

@Celery. Visualization, Rendering images, thanks for the ideas, looks really good. I'll probably go with native plants and avoid grass due to cost and maintenance (water has become an expensive resource in CA)

Is there a way for you to message me your email address? I can send you some pictures.

Hi @lkloes, you can send it to spicuruta [at] gmail [dot] com.

thanks!

Check your email for some pictures!

looks pretty nice, I like the channel for water in the front of the house. very well designed and executed. Thanks!