I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks. If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space. You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep.

I find your question to be interesting. Let's play around with some design thoughts. You do not indicate just how much gardening you wish to do on the site, which would be helpful in planning. Leaving the earth bare around the house, which is low to the ground would lead to mud splashing up on the building and a 'trench' would form eventually from dripping water. Pea gravel is difficult to clear of debris. Larger cobbles make that job a bit easier. There probably will be a snow load dropping which would discourage planting low creepers around the house. If I were doing the design, and you had very deep pockets, random cut bluestone or sandstone (stone color that worked with house color) would be laid from the edge of the house outward, forming an irregular walkway around the house and the stone would be extended into several patio areas where needed. Into this walkway I would incorporate a few groupings of interesting large stone. On the outside of the walk garden areas would be planned that provided interest when viewed, both summer and winter, from the inside. This is an expensive 'fix' but as I studied your pictures my whole plan fell into place. Difficult to write in words. So...back to the real world. Your first step is to study the prevailing wind patterns to understand just how debris is going to pile against the house. If necessary, pound some sticks in the ground with plastic streamers attached and study the wind patterns. Some areas around the house will be very quiet. Others will be hit full force. I would encourage you to use flat, large stone in the latter areas for ease of cleanup. In other more quiet spots use large cobbles. With a bit of thought the two types of stone could be married in interesting patterns. Don't work in straight lines. Curves, please. Hopefully this thumbnail sketch will give you a few ideas.

What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish? It sounds like you are after an alpine garden/path/drainage course, which isn't at all a comfortable mix of uses. If you have the stones, try laying out a few in the pattern you are planning, and *walk* on them. Ask other family members to do so also. Keeping to the stones isn't at all a natural gait, but takes paying attention and care with placing feet. Most people will probably end up walking on the non-stone parts of the path a great deal. And the desired fill material is not gravel. If you insist on calling it gravel, people will assume you are talking about gravel. The stones will move on a gravel base. Either sand or the material known to Agway here as Step 2. It has a lot of other names, crushed stone, stone dust, among others. It packs down to form a solid base. Woodchips do not break down into acidic soil. At least not according to the people who decompose things and them test them. Also moss isn't necessarily an acidophile. However, a soil mix of crushed stone and some of your native soil might work quite well. It just generally sounds like you need to do a lot more research into which plants you are interested in growing and what their needs are, and plan to make them a home where people won't be regularly walking on them. If all the property's drainage is going towards this object, both woodchips and stone chips are going to wash out. If you want a path, I'd plan on at least a hopscotch pattern (2,1,2), with the understanding that the plants are part of the path. If you want the area to be a planting bed, then decide which set of plants for specialized beds you are most interested in, research them, and prepare a bed for them. The current situation is total overkill for either of those plans. I'm not convinced I went deeper than 6" anywhere in my dry laid patio, and that was built with rock I dug up on the property, so they aren't dressed in any way.

"Would you? Could you?" From my childhood memories, squirrel is very tasty but so many have to die to feed me a meal (I'm a big eater) that I can't really get behind it. Not a fairly advanced mammal, that looks so cute. Now, 1 chicken could feed me a meal. A cow would feed me a number of meals. One squirrel is an appetizer. Your ethics may vary. Richard.