Thanks for all the comments. The LA is DC based. I am near Harrisburg, outside of his normal service area (CL ad ran in Baltimore and was picked up as a "nearby" area to us). He has a guy who is Baltimore based who might be interested in the work, but his interest will be higher if we do more of the project at once rather than phased since that would be a ride for him too. That doesn't perfectly match my fund from cash reserves approach, but the HELOC rate is real low and my employment is stable. The LA would help administer the project, but I believe only if we contract him to do the construction documents vs the concept doc's. Which is a % for the construction docs, plus hourly for the administration (where he might not be local to supervise easily). We re-did the basement in the old house and we juggled contractors which wasn't a ton of fun. I guess I did it for cost savings, but it was certainly work. We (my wife in particular) are organized and capable, but there is always the knowledge gap to deal with. I don't think we'd do it for a neighbor though. The cash benefit is nice, but we'd need the future dividends of the work done right and the improvements being ours, at least for our period of ownership. I prefer the materials LA is proposing. A part of me wonders if it over improves the property to the neighborhood, if the neighbors are all using pavers or blocks. We hope to be in the house ten more years, but it won't be our last place. I expect to take a financial loss on these improvements. But I do expect the improvements to make our place sell faster. The people my wife knows in the expensive neighborhood would definitely let us see their yards. I just don't if the people she knows have done anything. I can find out. I'll ask the LA if he cares if I post the design concept on the net if anyone wants to see what we are working towards.

We have a patio done with concrete pavers that is surrounded with a natural stone wall, and we like the contrast of the smooth finish and regular pattern with the randomness and roughness of the natural stone. Doing all stone, especially all random stone, requires some design expertise to avoid looking like a mish-mash, for example, a well defined edge to the patio. If you are determined to use natural stone I would still suggest square cut stones for a more regular look - not that I've seen a picture, thus making assumptions about your stone. You can get all sizes of slab - 24x24, 12x18, 12x12, what have you - in either cut stone or concrete. In my climate I can lay such stones directly on dirt or on a base of sand. As long as it's well compacted we get little heave or sinkage - depends on your ground and climate. You may need a better base (gravel?) but probably no need to mortar in any case. KarinL

We have one section of our yard where there are six different types of paver within a small area, due to some quirks in the layout. None of them is brick, but the circle is in a brick tone. The Roman pavers (large area, right forefront) are a brownish tone. How they go together might give you some perspective. It won't surprise you to hear that I think you will be fine with the combination. The fact that the different colour will be making a different shape means that the difference will look deliberate, and designerish. It's actually a very clever solution for combining materials and differentiating areas. And yes, everything fades and is subject to other colour-changing influences, from dirt brought down with the rain and leaves that fall and leave marks (this is when you remember that dyes are often made from leaves!) to sun bleaching. It's called "weathering," and everything does it! KarinL

Travertine, as stated above, is touchy about the freeze-thaw cycle and also does not like moisture build-up underneath it. And, as @Red Berm states, "think red wine, and weathers in acid rain." While beautiful, the conditions would have to be perfect for me to consider Travertine for a patio here in Chicago. That being said, if you are in a more temperate climate, Travertine has wonderful character that is hard to duplicate with a concrete paver. I would not worry about the gray on gray issue. Being monochromatic can be a blessing as well as a curse. You can make the space jump with container plantings, contrasting furniture or other site amenities. If you look at the monochromatic pool deck below there is an enormous difference from one photo to the other. Orange cushions are original to the design, but two years later were replaced by off-white cushions for an even more subdued space. Good luck with your project and post a few photos when you are finished!