Hi marisalyons6. You certainly do have a (fabulous) blank canvas to work with. If I may - starting with that pink wall, someone had already suggested painting it a dark colour. I agree. Great and easy place to start. A deep grey or a Prussian or Oxford blue. Prussian would be my go. On this wall I would hang 2 or 3 "living wall pockets" or some "plants ape vertical" to add a wonderful touch of nature. The garage door has to go, sorry. Either replace with some folding wooden doors to match the stairs and inner doors, or if this is out of your price range simply paint it the same colour as the back wall. If the garage is not in use, it becomes your perfect storage and work area. Maybe even use it as a guest room if you make it over. I'd also be inclined to pull up that fake grass. Sorry, but yuk! Again, depending on your budget add either a shallow floating deck or better still (cause I love stone) is to have a beautiful river stone floor laid. The "drop" from the top to bbq area concerns me, especially if you're having friends over for drinks. Add a tapered stair for both safety and to conserve some space on the bottom there. The angle of closure doesn't really matter, and in fact you may find the greater this angle (from a narrow bottom step to the top step being as wide as the upper area) using a lovely chrome and wire hand rail, will really bring the spaces together and won't really take too much space away from the bottom bbq area. Again, to bring the lot together either floating wooden decking/floor or the stones. Just some thoughts I hope you enjoy reading, and more so enjoy the project. I'd love to get my mitts on it, but I'm a bit far north. Best of luck, and please post updates. Would love to see what you end up with.

Some Pergola ideas... https://www.houzz.com.au/ideabooks/69917791/thumbs/pergolas 

Juli's examples look perfect and my suggestions would include three separate zones starting with an entry area at original tiled floor level including the hot water heater (the wiring and heater can be painted to match the wall as long as the identifying details are still visible}. there's space for bins (garbage, recycling, compost or worm farm?) and raised gardens beds in troughs not in ground and then a step up to a deck, level with inside and a pergola that can include adjustable shade cloth and/or waterproof permanent roofing depending on sunscreen and privacy needed all year..the depth of the pergola (from house to fence will depend on local council and any body corporate conditions but even partial shading will be worthwhile and can include horizontal and/or vertical screens, climbing plants or hanging pots ...all the planting should be in deep troughs or pots and the problem with bamboo should be discussed with neighbours as control should be on their side of the fence and any bamboo that keeps sprouting away from the parent plant will be a constant problem for all the neighbourhood and needs to be removed permanently... the last unroofed zone includes the clothesline barbq and space for extra chairs...my choice for the flooring would be one of the composite decking products that are cooler on bare feet and the pergola could be built out of narrow powder coated steel...both more expensive than some other options but once installed should be low maintenance and an excellent investment in the quality of your family's outdoor lifestyle

This is really a utility area. You have a washing line, an air conditioner unit, which are noisy, and a hot water system in that area. I would not be spending a great deal on flooring. I would purchase more planters for flowers and vegetables and put them along the fence line. I can see your small outdoor seating is in the corner, because it would be in the way for the washing line, but ideally have that in the middle or to where the cat is sitting. Then lots of flowering plants and greenery along the entire perimeter of the courtyard space. This is something you could do yourself after a trip to Bunnings or a similar retail shop. The concrete ground just needs a good sweep. If you install decking then this may need ongoing maintenance and not really achieve anything. Don’t pay money for someone to do this job, when it is quite achievable by yourself, and fun, and satisfying. If you are not physically capable then a handyman gardener would purchase and pot all the plants.