You should have a professional installer in your area take a look at your home so you can discuss what end result you are wanting. You may need to use an engineered wood. This is still an all wood product and is much more dimensionally stable than solid wood. This is a huge advantage if you are in an older home or in the midwest where humidity levels can drastically change from season to season. A solid wood will cup or curl if humidity and moisture levels are not managed. Your installer should do a moisture test before installation to make sure the installation does not fail. All warranties will be voided if this step is not taken. Also, your transitions will need to be considered. Is the new wood floor going to butt up to tile, carpet, or vinyl? The height difference in the two products will need to be taken into consideration. You will have a greater selection of thicknesses in the engineered woods. Engineered wood should be several plys, all wood. If you choose a solid wood, the hand scraped versions are fantastic for a high traffic area with children. Hickory, Red Oak, most Brazilian Species, and even Bamboo are hard enough to take everyday traffic and still look terrific. Good luck!

You can go far enough out on your slope so the vertical distance from the ground at your existing terrace and the slope is 3' or less. There are lots of retaining wall systems you can DIY there at the 3' limit and backfill to level a larger area. You might take in dirt when someone excavates for a pool, for instance - contact the pool contractors in your area and offer to take dirt for them as spring comes. you can also borrow the dirt from your own land further out. Once you make a larger flat area, treat the area where it slopes off from it with some thoughtful planters surrounding 6-10 wide / 4' deep "stairs" . Your leveling above will make the transition area a bit more steep . . so use this area for kitchen garden / raised beds that you sit at from the terrace side and walk up to from the bottom. The slope between should be stairs and on the outside edges you can use groundcover or plant more edibles. Then you'll always have herbs near the kitchen. The stairs will be large and wide enough to provide more seating or even be a play stage with audience arrayed below. Consider shade and where you want it when you plant trees. Deciduous trees are wonderful in colder climates as they give shade only in the summer and then provide architecture but no leaves for allowing winter sun in . . . Think of the land as a series of "rooms" with functions. The larger flat area will allow you to provide a dining terrace behind the grill area and expand your seating where you have the french doors. Your dining area might benefit from a pergola / open frame / trellis above that eventually you grow some lovely pole beans up on. . .

Flowers in those flower boxes would be a good start, and then I'd tear out the conctrete or whatever the surface is next to the house and extend the driveway further out, closer to the camera, to make up for lost driveway space. The down spout must be removed from he driveway. The steps up to the house seem to be a confused assembly of different materials and should be reformed into a cohesive entry stairway, with plantings flanking it, or pots of greenery/flowers on it. The garage seems to be a different color from the house and if that is the came, I would change it echo the colors of the house. In the foreground of the photo is an opportunity for some beautiful landscaping. You have your work cut out for you, but nothing that you couldn't do over the next 3 months!

East Kent Eco - again thank you for your input. As a pro I wonder if you could offer your thoughts on a couple of scenarios 1 - Leave bath where it is - what would be involved in moving the shower 4-6 inches to the centre of the bath? I did consider the P shaped bath and will consider your suggestion for a shorter bath to allow room for the toilet, but I currently had to put in a door stop to protect the shower door from the entrance door handle and I would be concerned about a rounded door being even closer. If I left the bath where it is I have a couple of options, turning the toilet and cistern 90 degrees to the adjoining wall - see above for the considerations there, or I have also considered switching the toilet and sink. I would put the sink facing the wall where the cistern currently is have a large-ish vanity from the base of the bath to the wall, and the if the toilet was where the sink is it would not interfere with the doors for the hot press as the seat would be considerably lower than the sink is currently thus giving me the better access I want. In this scenario the main issue for me would be the toilet would be facing the entrance door, a bit unsightly but if it gave me the space I want I think I could live with the compromise. 2 - A bit more involved, but I have also considered moving the bath sideways along the short length of the room, shower end over the space where the cistern is currently and moving the sink and toilet to the space where the bath is currently. I think this would allow me room for a vanity and maybe also a tall storage cupboard for the towels and linens currently in the hot press. The obvious concern with this is the shower spray in the direction of the hot press, if I got the storage I needed elsewhere in the bathroom I wouldn't be concerned about those getting wet, but would want to ensure I don't end up with a leak over the stairs. Access would also be an issue if repairs were required for the shower pump or the hot water system. You would have to step into the bath to gain access. Is there a solution to waterproof the cupboard?