"This property requires both architectural and landscape architectural remediation. Planting alone is not going to solve its aesthetic needs." DD I agree. Usually, the house is the 800 pound gorilla that is complete so as designers we are left to respond to it. The solutions above are doing just that - responding to the hand that is dealt. Obviously, not everyone can afford to totally renovate the architecture especially just after buying the property. There are lots of "remediation" possibilities that can be done to the building without breaking the bank. If the context sucks, change the context. Right now the context is a flat building with a row of windows on grade. Usually the house is what it is and we have no problem with it, so we make the plants respond to the building because it is the strongest element in the view. One way to mitigate that is to make changes directly to the architecture. Another is to introduce other strong elements that reduce the strength of the flat building in that landscape. That can be done with a sledgehammer (figuratively) or with several nudges. Plantings are not only elements on their own but are support material for other elements. Much like plantings on the building shown above are to affect the building, plantings on introduced elements other than the building can strengthen those as well. The key here is that if you can't change the 800 pound gorilla, you can overcome it with a combination of things that weigh more than 800 pounds.

Active dogs and a lush, healthy lawn are incompatible :-) If you wish to have a decent lawn immediately surrounding your patio area, then you must keep the dogs off of it. You could designate a dedicated (and fenced) play area for the dogs elsewhere that is surfaced in wood chips that will resist mud and destruction. Unless you need an enlarged patio, I would not recommend increasing the size or adding on to the existing one. You could also treat the disturbed area next to the patio with wood chips as well, but the aesthetics of that solution leave much to be desired.

I had to put in a P-trap for a shower in a concrete slab that had radiant heat tubing. Tubing is typically laid out in long loops that are fairly close to the surface of the concrete. By using an inexpensive, handheld temperature scanner when the heat was turned on, I was able to approximate, fairly accurately, the direction the loops ran and the spacing between them. This enabled me to avoid hitting the tubing when I made the smallest hole I could that would accommodate a drain and P-trap. I only had to go through 4" of concrete, so I made the hole by using a combination of hole drilling with masonry bits and a sledge and cold chisel. This took a couple of hours, but I could proceed more carefully than if I used a saw or jackhammer. Once you break through, expanding the hole goes a lot faster. Also be aware that there are repair couplings that can be used to mend a break if you are unlucky enough to hit a tube (but you should have a professional do that repair).

OK, here are some options. [Note: Door & stair opening/landing measurements were taken from your older post.] BTW...is the Living Room wall a true, completely enclosed wall or is it partially open (like a pass-through or with spindles interspersed for the entire length of the wall)? I wasn't sure b/c it was not "filled in" like the other walls. On the off chance the wall is not solid, I created solid walls in some of the layouts -- if the wall is already solid, then no need to build one out. ++++++++++ All but two layouts have the refrigerator in the same place -- the bottom right -- to accommodate a table. The only ones that have the refrigerator elsewhere have banquette seating; not my favorite for the only table seating, but it's an option. The banquette is the only way the refrigerator can realistically fit anywhere else than along the far right wall, assuming you want decent aisles, that is! Note that I mixed things up. I did this to show you what options you have. In many cases, you can "mix & match", just be sure you keep decent aisles, a fairly open space around the door, and at least two Prep Zones, preferably with water next to both of them. If you have a question as to whether some options can be mixed, just ask! I'll work it up to show you yes or no. Walls...Note that while I did not modify the 4'5" wall (bottom right), I did modify the left side a bit in most cases, some more than others. Hopefully, you can modify that wall b/c it's one of the biggest reasons you have such a traffic jam -- it forces people to go into the middle of the room to go from the exterior door on the left to the rest of the home. One last thing, the Cooking Zone (with the range) should be the most protected Zone from traffic -- so if traffic is directed away from it or it's in a "dead end" area, it will work better. ++++++++++ Layout #1: Long "L" with China "hutch" for storing your good chin as well as a buffet for staging/serving food. There are three variations; all three share the same Work Zone Map, so only Zone map is included. Layout #1a has a shallow built-in pantry with 12"D shelves floor-to-ceiling. It still has two 24" pantry cabinets. I'm actually not a fan of pantry cabinets this wide and originally put in three 18" wide pullout pantries, but they didn't quite fit b/w the wall and window (you need some filler b/w the wall and the first pantry cabinet). Two didn't provide enough "buffer" to the door. Layout #1b has a tall cabinet with a MW alcove. See a later layout with two 18" pantries & a 12" Utility pullout. What I think is best, is a reach-in pantry (Layout 1a) or shallow pantry cabinets (Layout 3). ++++++++++ Layout #2: Similar to Layout #1 except it has two sinks -- one where the current one is as a prep sink and one in the old Dining Room for Cleanup. This provides two or three very nice Prep Zones -- all with their own counterspace as well as sink access for all three. It also creates a Prep Zone separate from the Cleanup Zone, very helpful if someone is trying to load/unload the DW while someone else is preparing a meal or snack. ++++++++++ Layout #3: Short "L" + small island + Shallow Pantry cabinets and a China cabinet ++++++++++ Layout #4: It has banquette for table seating, a small island, and the refrigerator is on the top wall b/w the windows. The MW is in a tall cabinet to the right of the range. ++++++++++ Layout #5: As with Layout #4, it has banquette for table seating, a small island, and the refrigerator is on the top wall b/w the windows. In this case, there's a prep sink along the right wall creating a Prep Zone separate from the Cleanup Zone, very helpful if someone is trying to load/unload the DW while someone else is preparing a meal or snack.