Thank you. That is actually a new vinyl fence. Slats from the old wood fence would fall out, and then the dogs would get out. I knew I had to replace the fence, but didn't want to replace it 7-10 years later, so I went with vinyl.
I agree - that is probably what made the biggest difference. It really brightened up the whole yard.

Amazing transformation!

It's nice to have you come back and post the "after" pictures. It's often the neglected part of the threads. Your yard looks much more inviting. Just curious ... is there an estimate of your total cost?

Thank you for showing results. You did a nice job.

Yardvaark, I have wanted to clean up my file cabinet of all of my invoices that I have from the past 4 years, so you have spurred me on to get it done. I teach a night class at the local college this summer, and am getting ready to go to that. I'll get back with you in a day or two, once I get my files organized.

So glad you shared your amazing transformation. It's in a word "WONDERFUL".

So here's the cost. I could not find the receipt for the second patio and walkway, so I had to just guess.
Concrete patios and walkways: $3350
Firepit kit: $521 (includes deliver)
Rock: $152 (includes delivery)
Vinyl Fence $5130 (I would have had to get this whether I did the back yard or not because I have dogs.)
Sprinkler, French Drain, outlet for sprinkler: $2750
Patio furniture: $1668
Sod and more sprinkler heads: $1435
Porch Repairs - Rescreening, new door, fix panel where dog-door used to be, and replace some panels in the roof: $850
I have no estimate for mulch and plants, so I would say I spent between $15,856 and $16,500.

WOW - I honestly did not realize I had spent that much money on my backyard over three years. I wonder if I had given that to a designer, if they could have come up with a better designed yard?

After I had the fence installed (the first thing I did), I tried to use pavers to cover up the sand/dirt to help keep the dogs from tracking in sand or mud (when it rained) by using concrete pavers. This is where I got my first idea to get a concrete patio installed. See Before and After:

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sah54, thank you for taking the time to list and tally all of your expenditures. There are loads of times when people who come here looking for help wish to know the cost of landscape items. Just the "ball park" is often all they need. Too, some people have an idea that things for the yard should somehow cost next to nothing, and they are surprised to find that it's not the case. The information is helpful for letting people in on some of the costs they could expect.

There is not a good SCIENTIFIC way to answer your question about whether using a designer would give you a better plan for the same money. I think it depends on the designer. Some people choose the wrong designer so are not as happy as you are after they have the work done. Admittedly, since I have a dog in the fight I am prejudiced, but I believe that IF a person chooses the right designer, they will achieve more for a given expenditure. Often, a homeowner does not know how to avoid wasting money, whereas a designer knows many ways. And they know many ways to enhance property. Hopefully, they have good taste as that would be key in how helpful they can be. But using a designer can be a double-edged sword as sometimes they find ways to design too much spending into the plan. You've done a good job and made yourself happy so I'm sure will have no regrets.

Yes, I am happy with what I have accomplished, especially when you see where it all started.

As I said, I never went in the back yard, except to let the dogs out. It was just such a depressing place to me.

And, now - I am out there almost daily. The mosquitos and flies are not allowing me to use it as much as I would like during the summer, but I still walk around out there, checking for hummingbirds and filling the bird feeders.

I found my original post I made.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/design/msg112023407099.html

I remember how defeated I felt before I had even started. Now, I have much more confidence, even if it doesn't look professionally done.