Dear Homebound:

Someone gave you spectacular advice! I am new to Gardenweb and can't improve on that but hope I can learn how to upload my photos and get some equally impressive feedback.

Is it not difficult to have a raised deck with two steps on flat land while the doorway to the house is just above grade? Even a patio would not sit on your property at that elevation, but a deck has to have framing beneath it. If you were to raise this deck up, you would have to step down into the house. Also, the french doors would not work because if you look at the existing door, you will see that the top of the door is just below the eves and the threshold just above grade. The illustration is nice, but it is not representing a situation that exists for your site.

Wow.. That looks amazing. :D My only other suggestion would be to make the plants you choose to put in there edible... That way they're pretty and functional. :D

hmmm... thx. good points.

Do you think a cement or stone terrace instead of a deck/patio would be just as nice so you could stay level with the ground?

i didn't quite get what you meant about why the french doors won't work.

If I'm understanding correctly (which I may not be!) most of the problems will be solved if you go to a patio at grade rather than a deck. The french doors would be at the same height as the other door. You wouldn't be able to do a lot of trim around it, due to the height of the eaves, but you could still fit the doors.

Btw, a deck and a patio are different things. I think when you say terrace, you may mean what I would call a patio? A deck is made of wood with structure underneath and is therefore raised above the ground (or else it wouldn't be a deck. I suppose theoretically you could excavate and put wood structure underneath and have the wood floor structure at grade, but I'm not sure why you would do that and I've never seen it that way!) A patio can be at grade or it can be above-grade with retaining walls - or even below-grade with retaining walls as a sunken patio. But, a patio would generally be made of a hard surface like concrete, stone, or brick pavers. A deck would be made of wood or imitation wood like Trex.

That clear it up?

O.k thx. Yes then a patio at grade level seems to make more sense then a deck.

2nd question --- would you keep the pathway next to the garage where it is and just widen it or would you change it to the center in the picture. Either way, we are considering growing some crawling plants over the garage to hide it. Some folks are confused with the path to the front entry door and say moving it to the middle makes it unclear and keeping it to the right next to the garage makes it more clear?????? If we kept it where it is, we just wouldn't do those brick planter boxes but keep the pagoda idea.

(btw. We do have a deck in our backyard that is only about 6" about the ground so it appears just above grade level).

Because of the messed up brickwork we saw in your orignial thread I like the idea of having the walkway in the middle vs. next to the garage. I think a patio (stamped concrete or natural stone over conrete) would be a wise investment. You don't have to stain it, replace it when it's rotten, paint it, nail it back down etc. over the years. Plus nothing looks more inviting that a recently wetted stone walkway to your front door. Tip: If you want your entrance to look it's best, sprinkle everything with water a few minutes before guest arrive, especaily the stone!