Peachy, I think your patio is the right size in relation to your house footprint and the size of the backyard, and I love the curve, it softens the square lines of the house. You might want to consider using some sort of permeable surface, which will help that ginormous and gorgeous oak tree, as its drip line will probably be under part of your proposed patio. Consider pavers. My patio that wraps around my house and includes a small pool and outdoor kitchen is at least this big if not bigger, and is all pavers. But, we spend about 50% of our time outside, so we use every square inch of it. Plus we have an additional smaller 16' x 16' paver patio with a cover on our lower yard level. So, I'm all for large patios if you do a lot of outside living. Using permeable hardscape products allows the rain to soak down and reach feeder roots of the plants and trees that are close to the edge of your hardscape, and prevent wasted runoff. Or at least a combination of hardscape materials so it's not just this monolithic concrete slab, which I think you would not be happy with. I like the idea of pots and wine barrels on the patio, or maybe you can incorporate planters within the space. In that consideration, also think about how you might run water to those areas, so you're not stuck hand watering them. Since you're still in the planning stages, and have the opportunity to incorporate things like water lines, low voltage lines, gas lines, etc., this is the time to do it. Think about whether you want a built in barbeque now or down the road, and run your gas lines and stub them out for now, so you don't have to break up concrete down the road to lay gas, electrical or water (I have water at my outdoor kitchen too, it's super great to have a little prep sink!) So, take your time, get the "ultimate" patio mapped out, then make sure you have all the prep work done ahead of time, so you can work on the additional pieces as your budget allows :-) Looking forward to the "patio in progress" photos! Patty S.

advertguy2, we have your Option #2 set-up and love it. When we built this home almost 17 years ago, we went through a similar analysis (although we don't have the issue of pantry cupboards on the far side) and settled on this as our best option. One plus we've discovered since moving in is that the counter right by the door is a very handy landing spot for food on its way to or from the grill on the deck. Set the plate down, open the door, head outside. This also means you're not juggling plates of food, putting shoes on (we're a no shoes house, too) and opening doors all at the same time. I'm just not that graceful! LOL We plan to remodel the kitchen sometime this year (wish I knew then what I know now so that my kitchen functioned better) and that door/counter set-up is something we intend to keep. One thing you could do that in order to gain a bit more space just inside the door for shoe storage is to go with a window slightly smaller than a fixed door. A plus: you can open a window for additional air circulation and never worry about it hitting the pantry cupboards. Or you could have a swing door between two fixed sidelights.

That's funny that you said that skydawggy. The company I am using to put in my windows (Amazing Siding and Windows of STL) also installs the Provia windows. He said it would be smart to budget about $4k (probably less) per opening to have the doors installed..etc. Agree?

Big Box Stores carry a wide range of "Brand Name" Doors and windows in my experience. An Example