I think you need to post a plan with all measurements to scale to even begin to get help.Are in an HOA area. Do you have kids and if so how old. I like decks better than patios but we need a lot more info to really help at all.

Very tough to comment on. The grass looks good to me. If there's an area without good grass, is it too shady,too many tree roots? We can't tell.

Nor can we see what tge privacy problem is.

I'd recommend a smallish tree aand some shriubs for privacy. The trick with the tree is to plant it iin the line of sight you want to block.

To me, the "general messiness" comes from too many diverse decoratiive objects of tge wrong scale (too smal). The well, the bike, the duck and the fawn, as well as other objects I can't identify. There is nothing cohesive about the theme, size, grouping, or materials.

Got it. I will work on getting dimensions of everything and an overall layout. It’s hard to see in the pictures due to the frost but there’s a few large sections of creeping Charlie and other assorted weeds in the middle of the lawn. I don’t plan to kill the whole thing. I just meant attacking the weeds and over seeding.

There is a large section next to the pond that is almost completely shaded. They covered it with outdoor rugs and had tables and chairs there I believe. I plan to use that area as an artificial turf putting and chipping green.

I was thinking about smaller trees or hedges to line the back fence and maybe mulching the boarder if area.

I definitely appreciate the feedback and I’ll get better information up here for you guys.

My recommendation is that you engage a reputable nursury or landscspe designer. One will be able create a plan for your space, site and climate/soil. Using a professional will eliminate plant failures or placement errors. Some of your current plants can be moved.

Below is a drone photo of our lawn - about a half-acre.

This is a video of the patio and back yard. The patio was DIY but the gardens professionally designed

https://youtu.be/yh0ZL-PwsMQ

Hope this helps

Be sure to carefully watch the mature size of the plants you buy, and give them enough room to grow. It looks like one of your issues is fairly large plants planted quite close to the fence. UConn has a good plant database for woody plants, UConn plant finder. The Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT) has a good more general one, MOBOT plant finder.

Depending on what you want to do in the backyard, you may find out that you don't have enough room for nice plantings along the fence, and a generous patio, for example. That's why you spend the winter planning. Though if you are planning on being in the house a while, you may want to wait a year before finalizing plans. You may need summer shade, or sun in an unexpected place,

An awful lot of northern lawn issues can be solved by setting the mower blades as high as they go, and leaving them there.

Setting aside the reconstruction into a cohesive plan, here's some demolition thoughts from my own experience. Yes, get a sharp shovel and grub out the grasses. They are not bad but they're nothing all that special and if you don't like where they are, just get rid of them. When removing any overgrown shrubbery, always have a plan for the bare soil: how are you going to ensure it doesn't return to weeds and look even worse.

The pond -- does it have fish in it? If so, try posting on a local fb or social media page to give them away. Likewise, people might want the bridge and statuary and pond pump, if it is still there. Once all that is gone, drain the pond (siphon action works well). There will be a heavy-duty liner under there, rip it out entirely -- you need to get down to bare earth. As you demolish the perimeter, set the stacked stones and landscape blocks aside somewhere out of the way, you might be able to re-use them (and if you don't, give them away like you did the fish). The gravel you can push into the bottom of the pond before filling it with dirt. Both of these projects -- removing grasses and removing pond -- could be done over weekends this winter.

Yes , to hiring a professional landscape designer or architect rather than seeking random advice on here.