This can be a great space to enjoy. i was going to suggest stamping the floor, but that would take up too much of your budget. So, here's my ideas to stay within your budget. Start with furniture, a couch and 2 chairs with a rug for a nice conversation area. (Costco has some nice sets, or see about resale) You could always start with just a couch and reuse your wood chairs, just add pillows to match couch. Reuse your dining set, add some pretty placemats that coordinate with your pillows in the seating area. Flowering plants in pretty containers (again Costco) . Color is what will make this space pop!

This is a great space. $2-3K is a reasonable budget yet will be gobbled up quickly. I vote to keep your current furniture and add only a lounger.

Create two zones: A dining zone near the sliding door and grill, and a lounge zone closer to the pool. Define the lounge zone with a nice outdoor rug.

How many of you use the lounge area at once and to do what? Do you have a lot of parties or do you need a space for one to three people to chill with a book? I think a hammock on a stand is also a fantastic addition and money well spent. So very relaxing. Add a few tall container plants to this area to soften it and connect with the greenery of the yard.

Do you need to keep the view of the pool unobstructed? If not, you could do lush hanging baskets on long chains in the fence zone to help break up the bars.

I don’t know that I would get a rug. Since it’s by the pool it may get ruined with chlorine stains. I love the idea of two spaces though. We jace a sectional and coffee table on one end of our porch, table and chairs in middle, and bbq at the other end

We have 4 people on a daily basis, 6-8 on weekends and parties several times a year for 16-25 pp.

I was wondering about stamping the floor- we hate the concrete pad and would love to match the pool stone but not wanting to spend all that $$ at this point either.

I was wondering about if we should put dining close to sliders and lounge by the pool- we had the dining in the back - yet that makes so much sense 🤣

Correction- we would love to rip out the concrete pad and replace with the pool tile- but that would occur the same time as extending for a built in grill

Also- half those pp in the spaces /parties are young kids

I would reverse things...put the grill down by the pool fence and move the dining/lounge furniture to the area with the unobstructed view out. Adding plants at both ends is a good idea.

I’m any there a pad for the grill by the doors which I assume is from indoor dining or kitchen? The grill should be near that access point so you aren’t carrying food across the whole space

Yes the grill pad is by the sliders

I have curtains- no hardware yet- do you think it would be helpful to hang them up to soften it (particularly near the pool fence) or might that feel even more enclosed (and not cozy in a good way)

(This was our old patio pre kids and required pool fence)

Outdoors, people gravitate to chairs with their backs to a wall. So I'd do an L shaped seating area near the pool.

You want the grill and dining areas to be as convenient to the kitchen as possible, so they should stay near the sliders. Maybe a storage cabinet for grilling tools, seasonings, aluminum foil, platters, things you use in that area that can live outside. A table centered under the fan with chairs that have pretty cushions. A lounge area over by the pool for getting out of the sun while the kids swim.