I'd vote for tiling or pavers if you can swing it. A well-laid patio can be a joy for years. Decks are nice, too, but they seem more like an extension of a house rather than part of the whole landscape. And with a low deck, I'd always worry about critters underneath. If the cost is a major barrier, consider staging the project over a couple of years. You can have a landscape company draft your plan and install the hardscape first, then perhaps do the plantings and other stuff the next year.

Appreciate it thanks

Not wood. A composite wood look MAYBE but pavers are preferred. The maintenance difference well worth it. Our home is a walk out ranch with the walk out at a lower elevation than our patio door near the dining room. When we bought the home it had a builders grade wood deck. After a few years we tore it off. My son and I hauled countless wheel barrels full of class C and sand to raise the grade and put a paver patio in. It was quite the job to haul the cinder blocks in, build a wall, fill it with sand but we do not miss the every other year re-staining job AT ALL.

Hi Yardvaark,

Thanks for your help. No that is Australian Dollars.

its just old hence the renovation, plus we need to do something with the pipe work for plumbing. we want to do a home improvement and we want to make it a useable space for the kids.

we are also tossing up either using an umbrella or pergola so we can use it all year round. pergola is $20k aud. umbrella is $1.5k at most.

there is a step (very small) that comes flush to the back of the house. then the existing tiles you can see in the photo. so the floor level isn't too far from the house. i think a deck or tiles are an option.

just wanted to see what people though as landscape companies charge a lot and i'm not experienced in this.

I'd recommend a tile patio if it's low to the ground. Decks generally need at least 18" of ground clearance for ventilation in order to keep the boards from cupping.

If you like the wood look though, you can get wooden tiles: https://www.advantagelumber.com/deck-tiles/

"... the floor level isn't too far from the house." In my case, that would settle it. It would be a hard surface patio.

"... we are also tossing up either using an umbrella or pergola so we can use it all year round." Most pergolas are open to the sky. What makes it usable year round ... protection from rain, sun or both?

"... I dont have the skills to choose colours, plants, screens and so on so it looks like a good job." Where you need to start is with a LANDSCAPE DESIGNER ... not a contractor, unless he is also a designer, or is capable of doing good design. The range of talent varies widely. You have to examine their past work to see if they have good problem solving skills. If there is not a good local designer in your area, it is possible to find someone who will work by remote, but this demands much more out of you, as the provider of all information.

We’re worried because the pergola would cover 100 percent of the courtyard and that may block sun into the town house. we were considering Louvred pergolas that rotate but it may still block the sun in winter

A person would need to have detail information in order to judge/predict light penetrating pergola at various times of year.

You might also consider electrically operated retractable awning (like a large motor home would have) for a space this size. You could have total sun or have the patio be covered in shade. Here in Florida, Sunsetter Awning (& maybe others) offers deals a couple times a year.