My husband and I are first time home-owners and are planning on adding a second storey deck to our home. We will be hiring a contractor to do the work for us.

Since this is the first time we've ever done any home re-modelling, we feel a little lost about how to pick a deck design. Our house is a new (2 years old), all brick, raised bungalow. On the upper level there is one set of French doors leading from the living room to, what will be, the deck. The doors are located in the middle of our house. Please click this link to see the back of our house: http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=156999803/a=5118600_5118600/t_=5118600

We're thinking of the following design, but would appreciate any thoughts (both for and against) from people with more deck experience. We want this deck to be an extension of our home and living space. We would like the following for our deck:

- deck would extend across the house (50 feet)

- deck would extend 10 feet our from the house for approximately 9 feet, then would extend out 16 feet (would have a 45 degree angle) for approximately 20 feet. Then would angle down again to 10 feet for approximately 9 feet of length. So would look something like this (but with 45 degree angles, and would extend more at the widest part):

http://www.ariddek.com/img/photos/Hearth3.jpg

- no stairs (we have a 15 month old and hopefully 1 or 2 more down the road, so want to relax on the deck...also don't like the look of most of the stairs we've seen)

- black aluminum balusters

- deck will be built with white cedar (white cedar is grown locally in sustainable managed lots)

- plan NOT to stain cedar (told that the winters here in Northern Ontario do funny things to stain)

- plan to have outdoor ceiling fans underneath the deck (probably next year), as well as a stone patio underneath the deck (again this will be a project for next year)

Some things we are wondering about:

1. Will the 10 by 9 feet space at the ends of the deck really be wasted space? We thought this would be a good area to put a BBQ and food/drink prep area (at one end) and a sitting area at the other end.

2. Is this "too much" deck?

3. Our table will sit in the 16 by 20 foot section. We want a 12 person table (which we still need to buy). Will this be good? Will it really block the views from our living room?

4. We have a walk-out basement. Our basement is our family room/play room. Will it be unbearably dark down there after the deck is built (currently it's VERY sunny)? Would having underneath the deck painted white help?

Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide.

Cheers,

Samantha