Between the height of the slider above ground level and the water issue, I'd be inclined to make the swale a dry streambed feature, landscape around it as if it were a full-time stream, then build a deck overlooking it. But it's hard to see the exact lay of the land. In picture #1 above, the water looks quite close to the end of the existing steps. In the last picture, I can't see where the swale is. Can you mark its location on the last photo?

I'd be worried about frost heaves cracking your patio. You could edge your patio in pavers. It will cost less than a patio entirely from pavers. What happens in winter? Frost heaves occur during freeze-thaw cycles, so a winter where it freezes a few times and not for long can still be a problem.

@simplynatural we are wanting a covered patio and unfortunately with the cost of supplies if we got with a deck instead of the concrete we can no longer afford the covered structure.

@sigrid they are planning on putting in a thickened edge with piers clean rock for compaction rebar and fiber mash with a seating straw..