Hi daywednes. You have a wonderful space to start with with mature citrus. All the advice here is great. It can be overwhelming to redesign a yard. I have done quite a few of my own yard designs and remodels, but I know that's really rare. I didn't realize it at first, but each contractor has told me that they have never seen such designs without professional help. I wouldn't have been able to do it without growing up on a ranch and having a base understanding of landscape, as well as a creative side. If you do it yourself, it is helpful if you can draw (for plans), have a really good understanding of measurements and math (physics helps too), can communicate extremely well with others and also have a pretty laid back attitude because things are going to be misunderstood, go wrong, need to be done over, etc. As long as you have all of that... I think it's possible to design yourself but it can still be really time consuming and a bit of a headache. You can also miss important things like drainage, mentioned above. Drainage is extremely important in all yard designs... but especially with pavers. But even so, it's good to have a strong idea of what you want even if you get professional help from a designer. From the photos, what I would do if it was my yard is: 1) Take out the lawn. As others mentioned, I also personally don't like lawns so I have taken them out at each house I have lived in. Either partially or completely. 2) Put a garden in the sunny spot in first the lawn photo - either flowers, veggies or drought tolerant natives depending on how much I wanted to care for it later. Possibly raised beds if the soil isn't great. 3) Cover the rest in mulch with pathways in stepping stones, compacted gravel/stone dust or something similar. 4) Install drip irrigation. Also fix drainage that takes advantage of rain water and directs it away from the house and either to plants/trees at the fence lines (but not into neighbors yards) or to a better place based on your plot. 5) Replace the concrete with pavers, new concrete, stonework or a deck surface. Everyone will sell you on pavers, and they're great... I just had a bunch installed... but unless you're really going to live in the house FOREVER I still am not personally sure they're really worth the extra money, compared to concrete or other stone options. But... it's not my yard. It's your yard! Write down what you love to do outdoors. Look at ideas on HOUZZ and create ideabooks. Walk around your yard and look at where the sun and shadows lie, where the frost settles, where there are puddles, where weeds grow, where nothing grows, etc. Like everyone said, don't rush it. Take time to dream. Good luck!!! Also... if you live in northern CA in the Bay Area I can recommend people to help... as well as people to stay away from. :)

so you want a deck that allows space to the window wells. (I don't know what code is for that in your state, so you'd have to check). These show ideas for decks that still allow light and egress from the window. I would advise you to do a composite decking. real wood may be cheaper, but it will need constant protection from weather and UV rays, which means painting or staining every year or two. along w/these decks, an arbor or patio cover would also be nice. and you could combine the decking material w/a hardscape depending on if you're building right on the dirt, or you want the deck up off the ground. combo of both would be nice be prepared to spend a good sum. getting all of this built isn't cheap. what you need is a patio/landscape designer to come out to your house and draw up something for you. I don't know what the big deal is worrying about the virus. everyone will be outside and has plenty of room.

I don't think you have enough room on the side of your house for a fire pit. This Houzz ARTICLE recommends a 12-14 ft diameter from the center of a fire pit. That's 6 ft minimum from the center of the fire pit. Plus, I doubt your neighbors would appreciate the proximity to their house, and you could be violating city code. Much better to put the fire pit closer to the center of your yard. I did a mockup of what this might look like. You can still place a patio on the right side of your house with seating. And, instead of building a pergola, consider a shade sail that attaches to the fascia of the gable and then to a pole at the edge of the deck.

One important aspect of warmth outside is blocking wind chill. A fence screen is probably the easiest, least expensive way to protect against wind. In a windy spot a fire won't prevent people from feeling cold. I agree that smoke is a problem with firepits. There are "smokeless firepits", and chiminea types may pull smoke up and away from people just like a fireplace. These are less expensive alternatives than building a fireplace. As to safety, even adults can trip, so a raised firepit surrounded by rock or concrete makes it less likely a person will fall into a fire. A fireplace is arguably safer as the fire is usually accessible only from one side, but that means fewer people can benefit from the heat.