Replumbing the pool

The house came with a pool of which I knew nothing about. It appeared to be working well, but the valve switching the pump suction from the skimmer to the pool drain now takes vice grips to turn it, so it's time, and as I have to cut this valve out to put in another, well it's time to re-think the entire setup.
The house and pool are of 70's vintage, and all plumbing is with 1-1/2 in pipe. The pool is inground, but set in/on an earth mound (the yard slopes) containing the pool, steel coping, and pavers surrounding the pool itself. This part is level.

Off to the side of the pool, straight out of the sloping earth, come three black PVC(?) lines for skimmer, drain, and return. Straight PVC hose barbs on all three. The lines from the skimmer and drain are immediately connected to flexible tubing which is connected to the valve, and the valve is connected to the pump, all of which are on the sloping-away ground at the side of the pool. Valve to DE filter, out of filter through a right angle to the heater, and back from the heater through a right angle to the return line.

I'd like to add an area the same height as the pool deck (those pavers) right outside the fence, but the only way I can see to this is to cut back the black lines to/from the pool, connect wide sweep elbows to them (buried), and bring all three straight up to the new paver deck. Again, wide sweep elbows connect skimmer and drain lines to the valve (now off the ground and vertical), and the valve to the pump then filter. Replace the short elbows to/from the heater with wide sweep ones, and back to the return line through a wide sweep elbow there.

But I'm at the end of my rope.
Any suggestions would be helpful, and appreciated.

--jim