This Is Going To Take A While...

I'm talking about our landscaping plans... Ace & I finally sat down and spent a few days drawing out (using his fancy landscape drafting program) the tentative plans for the backyard redo. We have yet to finalize anything about the front yard, but we have planned a few things: the trees need to go (one is dead, one is in the cable lines & too close to our house, and the third's root system is growing toward our driveway), we'd like to widen the driveway, I want a walkway from the side of the house on the right up to the front door, a small seating area (cafe table & two chairs or an outdoor couch & side table), and I'd like a stone path of some sort in what was the dog run on the left side. All of that, however (except the trees) will have to wait; the backyard is more important to us right now.

Backyard plans are as follows:
Round 1 -- Trees. We are having nine trees removed (that's all but one - the huge evergreen is staying) on August 12th. In the backyard, two are growing into our fence (shared with The Farmhouse to the left of us) and interferes with the backyard end of the dog run. There are three arborvitaes up against the back fence that will go. The plum tree in the back right corner will go. Our arborist will also trim back the lower branches of our huge evergreen & thin out anything dead/dying or growing at a weird angle. Arborist will take care of the trees in the front yard at this point, too.
Round 2 -- Shed. We haven't decided exactly what size or type, yet, but there will be a storage shed of some sort where the plum tree currently sits.
Round 3 and more -- Not sure in what order the rest will be done, but the current plan calls for tilling & regrading the yard, installing some sort of patio (from the sliding glass doors out into the yard a bit) with some seating & a fire pit, a open/covered area for the smoker, walk paths (stepping stones or something) between the areas, building a small vegetable garden in the back left side, laying sod to fill in, installing gates on both sides of our house, and a water feature or two of some sort (currently pricing out organic pools; we would love a small one up against the back fence where the arborvitaes are... I also want a small waterfall thing near our bedroom window). We are also considering a pee post of some sort (look it up); this could save our new lawn. :)