I have not seen those. Thanks for the suggestion. I am looking to hide or decrease the foot print of the heaters elements, not change them out. For example, using slant fin, lay them around the room perimeter. Where they hit a stud, cut the fins with tin snips so the center pipe lays flush with the studs. Then back each bay with a metal reflector. Use plastic pipe hangers (called mickeys?) to suspend the heaters. Then I could build wood boxes with a gap along the floor and a gap along the wall so the heat can move through them. I also thought about using a radiator panel. Again, thinking of something creative. However, if I go through this much effort, maybe installing radiant in floor may be worth the effort...

Sorry about the confusion. The "+" sign is a symbol representing the center of a plant. The circle represents its perimeter. In this case, it represents a small tree. The "." symbol is the same thing. In this case it represents a shrub form. The shapes in between the patio and house are generic plants ... there only to give the plan a vague sense that plants in that space are possible. When looking down from above (as in a PLAN) all individual plants are going to look like a circle with a center. The scalloped edge thing is a plant MASS .... where smaller plants are amassed together such that you do not see the individual, but only the perimeter of the group. Here, it's all generic and doesn't yet matter about the plants. I'm only showing them to say that "some plants can fit in this space." At this point, all you need to care about is the patio. The hardscape (patio) comes first. The plantings are subordinate and will comply with whatever way the patio ends up being. Since you don't want a deck, whatever steps you have will come fairly near the door. You'll still need a landing at the door (rather than immediately stepping down as that would be cheap looking and feeling, such as what one would expect to see in a mobile home situation) which is why I suggest make it and steps full width of the wall face. It will work and look much better than if you try to make it only one door width, as it is now. You only need 4 risers for the set of steps. You want a small patio. There is no need or reason to make a contrived or convoluted set of steps with this small, simple need. Keep them spacious and simple and you will have a nice finished package. Get cute or clever and you might like it for a while, but others will wonder why you bothered or the next owner may dislike it. Simple, well functioning steps will work best. You can glamourize them in the construction details, if that suits your taste. If you want something other than straightforward, it would be best if you sketch it out in plan view, and then I'd be happy to react to what you've proposed, giving the pros and cons. I think I mentioned before but did not see your answer .... you'll need to figure out the total square footage that you want for patio space. It doesn't need to be to the square inch. You just need to get into the ballpark on it. While I'm not working to scale -- just proportion -- I estimate the patio in the sketch to be about 170 s.f., which does not count the pure walking space in front of the steps. Including that, it might be around 200 s.f. Keep in mind that in order to do the same functions (cook and eat) requires a little more room outdoors than it does indoors. Outdoors, people move about faster and flail their arms more :-).

The porch to the front door is too small. I'd enlarge it at least twice the size, so it's as wide as that portion of the house. Actually, larger than that because I'd take it clear over on the left to meet the garage wall. Cover the porch with a portico or gazebo-type roof. Move the yard lamp post to the left of where the vehicle is parked or get rid of it altogether. I'm a minimalist. I'd get rid of all the pots and things on the right side of the picture. Instead, I'd plant bigger things - flowering shrubs, maybe a small tree. How far does your property go to the right? The front seems cluttered and cramped. I'd plant the new things much further to the right to make the walkway to the porch seem wide open and welcoming. Do you have a back yard? I get the feeling you don't, which would explain why there are toys and lawn furniture in the front. Edited to add: for the porch roof, maybe it would be best to echo the shape of the garage roof rather than a flat gazebo-type.

Yes, Yardvaark! I did forget to mention that, didn't I. :-) I would like suggestions for the [a] one raised bed (right), [b] the bed with the mini-pond in the center (with slate 'wall' around it) [although that is in shade for much of the day - so I probably can keep much of what is there: the lily pond, ferns, one large bleeding heart, and some hostas], and [c] the bed that runs the length of the fence on the left - which should include one tall bush/grass to camouflage the mismatched fence area - along with keeping the blueberry bush. That area does have a huge bleeding heart bush - which I doubt will make it this year now that it has so much sun. It is beautiful and old so I may try to transplant the shoots into the 'b' bed in the spring - would I do that as soon as it starts to sprout in the spring, YardvaarK? Again, my focus would be on 3 season plantings so there are lots of flowers from late spring to fall - with as many pollinators to attract bees and butterflies as practical. Most should be plants that can be purchased at local quality garden centers - in NJ - although I will also consider a few that need to be purchased on-line (but, again, in the past my success rate has been about 10%). I look forward to your thoughts, Yardvaark!