The Plan
We decided from the start that this project was going to be too big and too expensive to do in one year. So Marie downloaded Google Sketch and began the design.
From this plan, we laid out the work to be done each year over the next 5 years. We went through several iterations, and three years later, we obviously didn't stick too close to the plan. But at least we had one. It came in handy when we showed it to the contractor of phase one, as it gave him the idea to add the two half-circle gardens and steps, yet stayed within our budget of $8,000.
His work would include the first half of the wall, extending the patio out to the wall using exposed aggregate, the two rectangular gardens, lighting, electrical, and his additions. The other two contractors quoted us that much just for the wall!