The aspect of rearranging a multitude of plants (of unknown quantities) you already have into other parts of the yard would be very complex, and therefore, difficult. It's not probable that you could get much comprehensive help by remote. You definitely have a knack for creating, ambition and some stock to work with. Even though certain aspects of the plan are a little funky looking by professional standards, what you've done nevertheless has charm and a certain homespun appeal that many people enjoy immensely. I don't mean any of that in any negative way. There are lots of lovely things around the world that are created like this. I would like to give you some food for thought as you progress with the project. Essentially, you are creating a functional piece of art. Because the main function is that of being a space that one is able to move through, it is easiest to think of it as a room or series of rooms (as you determine) that just happens to be outdoors. Therefore, it is made primarily of plants, dirt, trees and rocks ... those things that hold up well outdoors. Like inside, the room is made of "floor," "ceiling," "walls," "windows" and "doorways." If you were creating an indoor space, though you might have general ideas about them, you would not begin by dreaming about specific lamps, drapes, tables and chairs. You'd begin by thinking about window and door placements, wall textures and colors, trim and molding, floors and finishes, and how the ceiling will handle light. Later would come objects that go in the room that blend with the room itself: tables, chairs, lamps, rugs etc. For some odd reason, when we are creating outside space, people have the perpetual habit of falling in love with things ... objects (usually plants) that go in the room and start cramming the room full with their "pets" before they give much thought about the and architectural framework of the room itself. Outdoors, a tree or arbor creates a ceiling. A tree's canopy can not only seems like a roof, but also a very tall wall. Woody plants and vines can creates walls of whatever height one wishes. Sometimes they need extra support. Sometimes only trimming. Low growing, spreading plants create floors (as do rocks and earth.) Before thinking about irises, peonies and daffodils, it would be better to forget entirely about all the plants and concentrate on the forms, arrangements, heights and sizes that will define the room itself. You've all ready got a good start with a floor made of rock. Maybe it should be (visually) extended somewhat larger with a low growing, woolly looking mat of vegetation. It looks like you have begun a low wall already to separate the view into the neighbor's yard. Maybe a higher elevation "floor" (of plant material) should transition form the low floor to that wall. There are some good looking, freestanding "columns" (clean tree trunks ... very nice! ... almost palm tree like) to one side of the patio. Maybe each would look good resting on a circular base. You could begin by envisioning these "architectural" features of a plastic, formless material. (I once liked to think of everything being made of bread dough since it can take on any form.) Once the overall forms shape up, one could begin thinking about the specific character that will make up the forms. One might turn a ball of bread dough into a big leaf hydrangea, or a hedge of them. A pizza form that has been rolled out and placed next to the patio might become a bed of wild ginger or vinca minor ... it depends on what you like, what you have, the light and moisture conditions, and what you're willing to put up with. (Some plants have bad habits but they are so beautiful they must be tolerated!) You call the shots. I've gone on enough, but I think you get the general idea. Fall in love with the plants AFTER you know what you need and get those that can fill the bill. Sometimes a hedge can be a single plant material ... or it can be mixture of similar-sized plants, depending on the character that is desired. Usually, plant lovers can find a way to squeeze in -- in a sensible, artistic way -- most of the things they love. But if you don't do the architectural exercise first, you run the risk of creating something with a hodgepodge, cemetery-ish appearance ... with things sitting all over the place. It's good that you recognize the faults of the arbor. If it was at least 2' wider, a foot taller and made of beefier wood -- and painted! -- it would work better. I'll return with a hardscape suggestion when I get more time.

"Problem is finding a good paver "setter" who has a bit of creativity & vision." It's a mistake to think that paver installers are the ones that should be responsible for designing the project. Installers are primarily interested in installing the maximum square footage of patio that you will buy, and could probably care less about the layout, other than that they would prefer you provide a good one so they can walk away with pride and end up with a decent project for their portfolio. While they will design it by default, if you don't provide a design, the quality of their ideas will be on on you. If you don't have the design skills (alone or in conjunction with this forum) to design the patio, then you should be consulting with a LANDSCAPE DESIGNER, not a paver installer. Get the design done first, and then find an installer to place it. If you don't have a design (on paper) then you have nothing to bid on. In that case, every contractor you talk to will recommend different things and the pricing will be all over map. You'll have bids you can't compare with other bids because they'll all be for different things. As far as 12' vs. 14' depth, I would consider 12' the absolute minimum usable dimension. A designer would want to know the exact furniture that you're placing on the patio, and the contingencies for when you want to set up for the occasional larger group for special occasions, if that ever happens. Even if it never happens for you, it would be typical of most households. If resale (ever) is a concern, I wouldn't make the patio the absolute smallest a person can "get by" with. One that is of a size usable for a typical "family" with your size house in your type of neighborhood, would be a better choice. Rarely does anyone make a patio that they think is too large. Usually, they're wishing they had a little more space. I suggest figuring out your furniture and all uses and make the patio comfortably large enough to accommodate everything with a little extra room added. There's little point to building something new that you regret soon after you start using it. The difference in cost between barely-big-enough and comfortable is not that great. Buried utilities rarely limit a patio's placement. Water, sewer, gas, electricity are (should be) deep enough to be well below a patio. They might warrant some caution in excavation, but this is nothing to be fretting over. Irrigation lines might be shallow, but still probably won't be a problem. In the worst case scenario, if they are very shallow, they can easily be rerouted. (Some reconfiguration is likely anyway, since you don't want to be watering your patio.) Cable and telephone (if anyone has that any more) tends to the shallowest. These can both be rerouted to a lower placement or different route. Whether you abut or space it away from the structure, in order to make room for foundation beds, make the patio length (its longest dimension) be parallel to the home, not perpendicular to it. (Something said earlier made me think this was possibly going wrong.)

If you can't afford tile, get cement pavers in a brickish color. Another option is larger square cement pavers with a row of brick between them. I'd vote for one, wide step that curves around. Something like this, except with a row of brick instead of the gravel.

" Open to dining table or sectional " First you need to narrow down what activities you plan to use this space for. Do you wan to eat out there? Then get a dining table. Do you want to sit around and/or entertain? Get a sectional.