Hi sarahbr2, sorry but the drawings are a bit hard to read and don't show the slope, trees, driveway connection to road etc. Sounds like you are considering how the spaces will connect/relate to each other, which I think is key. Also think about how you plan to use them -- maybe hold an imaginary outdoor party to help figure it out.

For example, will you have stairs from the deck down to the patio?

Will guests park on the street or in an area further down the driveway? Is the front walkway connection to the driveway really in the right place?

How young are your kids? In addition to the steps going down through the retaining walls, might you want a slide or a hill for rolling? How do you plan to landscape the terraced areas?

Do you have a planned set up for how you would like wet folks from the pool to access the bathroom in the house? Maybe you would want an outside shower?

How do the outside spaces relate to the inside of the house?

Do you want a seating wall on the garage/sport court side of the house? A sitting area where you keep an eye on kids using a play structure and those playing basketball at the same time?

Thanks oaktown. These are all great considerations. We sat down with the landscape architect originally to discuss all of these things (well most of them at least, but some things you bring up are new). He was suppose to take them all into account in planning this but to me, the plan just doesn't seem that thought out. This is the plan without the trees and plants shown on. He adds that after we confirm the hardscape (which I guess is the cement areas, decks, retaining walls etc.) Right now the land is clear so there is nothing to work around (attaching a picture taking from the back left). The basement is a walkout so anyone can access the house from the lower patio through there. The deck is on the first level of the house an the stairs would lead to the elevated area of the yard (so basically it is only 3 steps to reach land) which is level with the first floor. To get to the under-deck area from there you would take the steps through the retaining wall (which he forgot to add....I will sketch and attach below). That area is at the level of the basement. I actually wanted to adda slide from the deck to the patio area for fun but we weren't planning a large staircase. The retaining walls die into the land and beyond them, the yard will be sloped for lawn mower access/rolling/winter sledding. We just moved from an apartment in a very urban area so we have never had a yard and aren't really sure how we would use it! We have young kids so we want it to grow with them. The driveway goes straight to the road, it't not too long. I will attach the main floor plan as well. The sliding door in the kitchen and the mudroom door both connect to the deck. Sorry if this is still unclear. In the picture below, the wooden board across the back of the house shows where the deck will go. The land still has to be graded so that it will be flat below that, then there will be 2, 4ft retaining walls.

Good problems to have :-).

It looks like the patio space will be adjacent to the deck but not underneath it? Or are they excavating further where the grade currently goes up to the basement windows?

In front I think I would start with, where will guests park and how will they approach the house? Might it make sense for the walk to run from the street to the front door? Are you planning a lawn in front or something else?

In back I think I would start with,

how do I want the kids in bathing suits going in and out of the house? Will they go in the basement or through the mudroom? Where is the laundry?

When guests use the fire pit, are they coming down from the deck or through the basement? What is the desired traffic pattern?

how quickly do I want to be able to get from the kitchen to the kids' play area? Do I want to be able to watch them in the driveway?

Fences/gates (dog or future dog, kid safety?)

do you want a vegetable garden?

Lots more questions but depending on the answers you can start determining the most important connections for You and how to strengthen those connections. For example, I would really try to make a better connection between the deck/play area and the lower area. Maybe terrace the deck and provide seating at the landing? Or maybe work in another set of stairs directly from the deck to the patio?

I like the questions Oaktown asks.

As well, consider that people rarely, if ever use any path that has a 90deg turn to it - they will always take any shortcut that appears, even if its over your grass.

A radio program once told a story of a community that was planning paths. The designer gave them the advice "wait a year, you'll see where the paths are".

And sure enough, grass turned into brown mud, and THAT was where they put their paths. And the rest of the grass stayed green!