The retaining wall between the driveway and the deck is in desperate need of replacement. We also have a short retaining wall around the base of the deck that is in even worse shape. The slope of the yard is really a challenge here. Plus, we barely ever use the back deck simply because it is too difficult to get to from the garage and driveway. I'm looking for creative ideas on how to make the space more usable for us. One idea is a new man-door from the back wall of the garage and have a staircase from the second level to the first level. Another idea is to build a staircase into the retaining wall in the side of the hill. We have also considered adding a sunroom with a little shed underneath it, since we'd love to have the extra storage.
Ultimately I'm trying to figure out how to get the most out of our budget and to understand if it all should be done at the same time or in steps.