Hi Belinda,
What a great space, you could add a cover above part of your courtyard that will give filtered shade, raised garden beds that you can grow herbs and veggies and flowers, you could add a small raised deck as a stylish relaxed dining area, could look beautiful and a wonderful space for everyone.

Adding some round planters to your wall facing the door would look beautiful and some comfortable outdoor furniture would complete the picture., it’s really an extension from inside to a beautiful outdoor area.

Thanks so much for your quick response Julie. The ideas you have shown are exactly the type of thing I'd like to create but I don't know how to actually action it in terms of measurements and placement. Any suggestions?

I would draw up a plan of what you would like, a landscaper can assist to bring it to fruition or even a handy man can do the structure, raised garden beds and even the decking, it really starts with your ideas, put them down on paper and get some quotes then decide on the best person to bring your ideas to life.

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

Fab advice and plan from oklouise, Belinda find photos of what you love your courtyard to look like, the more photos and ideas that you can give to say a landscaper the more he/she can design a wonderful space for you, decking, raised garden beds, lush foliage even an outdoor fireplace that you can use all year round would look fabulous, I absolutely love the colour walls that you have to work with , the addition of white or concrete planters will look gorgeous.

Thanks for the photos Julie , keep 'em coming. I am technologically challenged and having difficulty uploading photos to this site. I agree oklouisehas a great plan. For some reason I can't find a comment box to thank her. i am reluctant to move the washing line for 2 reasons. Firstly there is a toilet window where the current line is and I don't want that to be an entertaining area. It might not be pleasant for all parties :) and secondly where oklouisehas moved the line to doesn't get so much sun. In winter this is problematic. From her plan does it look like the deck extend right back to where she has moved the washing line to or is that a sunken area?

Just a few more pics you can take ideas from

And a few more, a structural pergola or even a shade sail would look great

you already have a good reason for the location of the washing line so keep it where it is and make the pergola smaller to avoid overshading but the deck covers all the courtyard except the drying yard and keep the washing line where it is and modify planting boxes to suit sunshine... the raised floor covers the whole area except near the drying yard next to the garage doorand teh beauty of potted plants is that they can be rearranged to suit the season or occasion.. the steps could be across the whole space or just where you walk and the pergola/shade overhead should be sized to suit the impact on the sliding galss doors and shading the table

Thank you so much. This looks great. I really appreciate the time you have spent on my little courtyard. It’s the only outdoor area we have aside from the entry so it needs to be user friendly.