Can you get a pic of what's on the other side of the fence?

The ground leans a great deal because water must drain away from the house. A table and chairs needs a solid and level surface. It looks like the only solid you have is a tiny stoop for the back door.

I cannot image looking at how tiny the backyard of your new home is and all the cement outside the fence and not think there are going to be more than a few rules you will have to follow before leveling your backyard. What might those be?

In the meantime, the chicken wire is probably the best option for closing the cat hole below the fence.

Ditto the above. You want to move water away from the house when it rains so it doesn’t pool, back up, and flood the house. Winter snow that accumulates and melts can also cause water to enter the lower level. I would wait a bit before making any changes to the grade. Or you can build a level deck.

And if the air conditioner is running, it will be too loud to sit there anyway. Do you have an upper deck?

And congratulations on the purchase of your house!!🎉🎉🎉

Funny thing... it's a brand new neighborhood of detached homes (basically townhomes), and the HOA hasn't been handed it over from the builders yet. Not sure if it's going to happen for another year or so, but word on the street is that this yard/house is all mine to modify it in any way (within reason of course). I couldn't see them complaining about placing decorative flat stones around the perimeter or having this beige screen up though. Regardless, I'd rather ask for forgiveness a year from now than list at a 30 degree angle when relaxing outside.

@annztoo Here are some pictures of the outside, you can see my dilemma of adding any sort of soil with the huge gap...

@ShadyWillowFarm thanks! I'm wondering though, since the area on the other side of the fence would be lower, wouldn't the water still end up out there as long as there aren't any uneven areas in the yard?

And the AC unit is actually another project I plan on showing. I'm going to build a fence (probably just 2 pieces to cover the frontmost corner at first) and line it with heavy loaded vinyl to block the noise out.

Put more concrete to cover your space

It looks like your gas grill is placed on top of mulch, which is a flammable material. Please look into buying a grill mat to put under your grill.

I see a gate in the fence. Good. You can bring some cement or pavers in through the gate. I suggest asking for forgiveness for a small paved surface patio that suits you and kitty's sitting outside needs with some open space planting beds left -along the fence perhaps- to plant things to hide the chicken wire, further screen the bottom fence gap from the inside and decorate a bit more.

I’m a little intimidated by such a permanent situation like pouring concrete for the first time... but I’m sure a few YouTube videos can get me more comfortable to the idea. I’d imagine it would be much cheaper to do it myself yea? Maybe I would cover the whole left side (where the chairs/bbq pit is) and leave the other side open for a raised bed garden or two.

Is a project like this fairly doable by a semi-competent (new) diy person?

I keep hearing you can learn anything at YouTube U. Not with super slow satellite internet though. I'm waiting on Elon.

Haha yes it is coming! We will see... so I’m thinking now I could lay some flat slabs (maybe decorative pattern). The process looks very similar to pouring concrete but much more chill, like something I can slowly work on each day as opposed to frantically mixing and pouring concrete hoping I don’t screw it up!

Pavers or stone would provide so much more decorative impact in a small space than just pouring a cement slab. I do believe that you will need to add fill, sand etc to create a level area. It will be a lot of work - many hours of labor to do it right. Please consider seeking out a landscape designer to learn your design options that you likely will never think of, and get the work done for you. I do understand DIY is a rite of passage for new home owners but consider that this would be $$ well spent for potential resale of your home down the road. And, you‘d be able to enjoy your lovely outdoor space so much sooner. Do I speak from experience? OMG yes!

If you use step stones you're still going to have the issue of a slope and any soil/sand you add to level them will eventually wash away without a perimeter. I think the easiest solution would be to build (or have built) a small deck, add some potted plants, your chairs and you're done.

Still can't tell where your door is in relation to the slab of concrete you step out to, so height of a deck or steps may be an issue.

A wood deck would work, but I have another suggestion.

You could edge the area up next to the wrought iron fence with 6x6 landscape timbers (one or two row high), which would give you a border for your new area. Fill it first with stone/gravel (#57 stone, etc.), and then add fine crushed stone on top to make it level. On top of that crushed stone you can install whatever interlocking pavers you like and use Polymeric sand to lock the pavers in place.

It will provide surface that is very stable, but requires almost zero maintenance (sweep it off?). The surface will be water permeable and able to absorb quite a bit of water, but I would also route any downspouts under or around it.

Bruce

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I really like the idea of lining the perimeter with landscape timbers and using rocks as the base. It’d probably be best to use as little sand as possible considering I live in Houston which is getting more prone to gnarly hurricanes 😕. I will update as I move forward. Does anyone have any suggestions on interlocking pavers that are semi decent looking and cost effective? The area is small, probably 80 sq ft.

What will hold the landscape timbers in place?

We removed the landscape timbers when we bought our house 30 years ago. They'd been placed in such as way as to screw up the drainage away from our house, and there was water getting in the basement and window well. After we restored the original slope and built a low deck over the area, no more problem with water in the house. So that's why I worry a little about this proposed solution. We were dealing with a width of 6 feet, along the side of the house.

Ours had been installed with really long spikes driven through holes in the timbers, deep into the ground.

Good thinking... maybe the bottom layer can be sectioned pieces cut and placed like 1/2 inches apart? I was actually thinking about using retaining wall blocks. They look really nice, but man... all of this is really starting to add up! I had no idea buying gravel, paver sand, blocks would be this much for a relatively small area. I’m wondering if just a deck would be cheaper for now. Completely different project I know, but it would for sure be way less material to haul than all the gravel/sand I would need to raise it to be flush with the patio square

it is a completely different project but the same result - a level patio with level surface for seating, bbq, tables etc. and no disturbance to the very necessary slope needed for drainage. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one! Now, next step is to choose decking materials- wood, Trexx, etc? And design of deck planks, - straight boards, hexagon, herringbone etc? You can likely integrate some nice design features to give a small space patio some real pizazz. And don’t forget the color with pots and plants!

Patios may not be the best choice for uneven ground because the cost to create a level foundation can double or triple the cost of the actual addition. https://www.greatdayimprovements.com/deck-vs-patio.aspx#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20patios%20are%20usually%20cheaper%20than%20decks.&text=Patios%20may%20not%20be%20the,cost%20of%20the%20actual%20addition.

I don't think this is a do-it-yourself job, either deck or patio. I'd get a few quotes.

https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/deck-vs-patio/

https://www.decks.com/how-to/1760/deck-vs-patio

@partim great information! Thanks for this. Really though at this point I think I just want to build a small square deck. Just to get my feet wet as I've never really built anything with wood before. I've been doing a lot of research and I think a small 6'x7' box that's slightly raised with some posts having gravel tamped down underneath would be a fine temporary solution, until I get more comfortable and then build a bigger more fancy one. Am I wrong in this logic?

@KW PNW Z8 I think just simple pressure treated wood boards for now. My concern though is if the frame is 8" tall, that would mean i need to dig a few inches out from the area next to the house just to get the frame to sit on the ground (which i know wood touching the ground isn't wise either...). Doesn't this kind of defeat the purpose, or maybe I will still be able to maintain a slight slope, OR just have it a bit higher than the concrete slab and move much less dirt away from the slope?

Here's a picture showing what I mean... I'd have to either dig out this space a little, or just have the deck roughly 4-5 inches higher than the concrete slab which isn't toooo ideal, but maybe that's just what has to happen?

Can you give us an idea of where you live? Frost heaving, insect infestations etc also play into this.

I'm in Houston Texas. It freezes for one day about every couple years... The summers get really bad though so I'm sure that will be an issue with the wood. I'm not sure what you mean by bottom of the door? Here are some different angles showing the ground and the door at ground level. Do these help?

The deck should be level with the cement stoop. It is a sensible option for this situation. The posts can sit on concrete block footers to keep them out of the dirt. You will have to do some digging while keeping drainage in mind. The top layer looks like mulch. How thick is it? This is when you go to YouTube U. and learn how to build a ground level deck.

I do believe there is such a thing as pre-built roll out wood(?) decks that can be bought by the square foot and would come with assembly instructions. That may be worth a google.

Perfect. I think I'll get some concrete block footers, bury them a few inches deep (on the end closest to the house, with some tamped gravel underneath each block), then use 2x6 boards for the frame/beams which from what I've read is OK for something no longer than 6 feet, and clear out the mulch/soil underneath but maintain a steady slope which i'll cover with plastic and some gravel. Sound OK, or are 2x6 boards too small?

No plastic. Plastic is bad.

Ah I see, landscape fabric with gravel on top?

No landscape fabric. Landscape fabric is bad. It and gravel are unnecessary and do not prevent weeds. Let the soil beneath your deck breathe. Let your soil drain free.

I would get a quote from a contractor to see how much they would charge for a deck constructed like this. If they suggest a different method, they'll tell you why. Then you'll have a point of comparison for your cost of materials including delivery, purchase or rental of power tools etc.

I would only consider a floating deck on level ground. The cement footers will have more soil pressure from the slope on the house side - could this could gradually shift them downhill towards the iron rail fence? Might cost a lot to fix a moving deck and a damaged fence. Your HOA board will probably take a good long look at your construction method, which is a hassle you don't need.

I hope some people more familiar with construction methods will chime in.