Very nice! What a difference your updates made. It's now a warm, happy and efficient work space. It's nice to get out of the 1990's sometimes :)

Cute puppers, but can you post a picture of the whole front of the house?

I wouldn't dismiss artificial turf out of hand :-) The newer renditions are almost indistinguishable in appearance from real living turf, even with very close inspection. And as noted, there are some that are manufactured specifically with dogs in mind. There are few living groundcovers that hold up to frequent dog traffic as well as a lawn. And unlike lawns, pretty much any of them will take some time - generally at least a full growing season - before they fill in sufficiently to form a solid carpet. During that time, weeds will appear and they will continue to pop up sporadically - no living groundcover is completely weed suppressing. Crushed rock or gravel is an option, as are wood chips. As easily cleaned up as the rock but often available for free and depending on the wood involved, can be odor suppressing. And easier on those with delicate paws :-) All local dog parks have some combination of lawn/grass and wood chips. No rocks.

I think from your yellow post-it you want a separate "apartment?" Besides the tying in to plumbing, the big design points with carport/patio captures are: - water: the slabs are at grade level, not above, so rotting of sill plates/bottom of siding. - footings: typically none on the perimeter of open slabs (e.g. thickened edge). All can be tackled with design, diligence, and a checkbook.