Hi, we are planning to build a patio or deck in our backyard. Our back yard has a slope on one side facing the house. There are two doors to the backyard. One is from the kitchen, two steps down to backyard. The other is from the family room. Right outside of the family room, one step down to a

Brick patio which is uneven. There is a fence with ivy around the patio. There are two

Big trees on the other side of the fence. I think one is oak, one is maple. The yard on the kitchen side is slightly higher than the family room side.

At first, we thought of just replacing the old brick patio with stamped concrete. But after doing some research online, we think it probably is not good idea because of the two big trees nearby. Now, we are leaning toward a deck, though, we love the no maintenance of a patio. What do you think of this idea?

Now come to the design of the deck. IÂm think a multilevel deck. From the kitchen door, step out to a landing area of size 4*7, then one step down to a deck of size 12*15, then one step down on the right to another deck, which is outside of the family room, of size 20*20. The deck is about 8 ft and 5 ft away from those two trees. The family room and the lower deck are even. Both deck are about 8 inch high.

We are thinking of using the upper deck for the cooking, the lower deck as sitting and kids playing area (we have three children). Both deck are square. What do you think of this design? Is the size too big?

My biggest concern about deck is the area under the deck. IÂm so afraid of bugs and little animals!! Is that area never dry? Will all kinds of insects and little animals hide there? Should we enclose the deck, or leave it open to let air flow through. Is there going to have mold? How about the brick? Should we take it out or just leave it there?

If we use pressure treated wood, from what I heard from the contractors, we only need to stain the wood every 3 to 5 years. Is that right? We were quoted $2000 for one time stain of the deck. ThatÂs really expensive. How much does it cost if we do it ourselves

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: : F : L :

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D is a door. F is a flower bed. L is landing area.

You can see some pictures at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26094067@N07/

Thanks for any input!!