I would also consider a 2-level approach or something similar that lets you make the transition to ground seem more gradual. There is also the idea that you may find you want to do a good deal of grilling the food outside, then eat inside, because well, it is just so convenient and you can grill under less ideal circumstances than required for outdoor dining. The utilitarian steps down to patio just to get to the grill will be a barrier to that. The problem with same level is that you have to use decking, then it does tend to force you to a large deck, then a large area underneath it plus lattice or whatever, plus maintenance--though new deck materials as you suggest make that less of an issue. So I do not want to discourage you from thinking about having a "stone" patio that is part of the yard. I think over time that area could be very nice and will feel more permanent--properly landscaped. So the deck idea gives a more immediate sense of its being just an extension of your kitchen and feeling like a "room", but the patio has the ability to feel "in the yard", as noted above. The problem with bi-level structures is you have to design carefully so that neither part is too small to be useful or it breaks up your party in the wrong way. So, for example, if you envision 6 guys or gals yakking around the grill, you want room for that in your design. I think the deck landing as shown in your picture has that dreaded ubiquitous tacked-on landing look that just gets you up and down, and if you do actually make just steps, I would try to put more into their design to make a more graceful descent to the yard--whether that is broader, curved, or something. Of course that might be too expensive, so part of the fun of the forum is that we can brainstorm about how you might spend your $$! Really, just giving you things to think about. Broad steps or more gradual transition type structures can also often be used as seating/dining (for kids) as long as is wide enough. You don't show anything about the exposure of the back of the house, sun patterns, etc, so any design needs to think ahead to whether you will plant trees for shade, use umbrellas, arbor, or what--meaning, leave space in yard, or plan layout of space.

I've lived here in Hawaii with PT decks for the past 14 years (4 different houses) and there was absolutely no way I ever considered installing it in my new house. The upkeep is tremendous, and as someone already pointed out, unless all sides of the boards are properly sealed (or painted, which is the preferred method in Hawaii)you still end up with horrendous mold, mildew and dry rot problems. Admittedly, my need were fairly specific: I have a young daughter with disabilities, so I needed a decking material that wouldn't give off splinters nor would it get hot enough to burn her feet. I also breed service dogs, so I needed a product that wouldn't scratch up from doggie toenails, wouldn't stain from puppy accidents, and could be hosed off every day without causing any degradation of the product. I spent a lot of time on the GW porches and decks forum, and in the end I went with ipe. I had the same misgivings about its rainforest origins as another poster, but it was just the best product for my needs. My original intention was to let it go gray, but now that I've seen how gorgeous it is, I'm probably going to take a stab at keeping it up, at least somewhat. You can try to be careful where you get your ipe from. I lived in Brazil for a couple of years, so I'm pretty cynical about the organization they have to protect the wood. But I just couldn't get around the fact that it was the best available product for what I wanted. Summer

We are getting ready to replace our 1700 sq ft deck around our geodesic dome in Washington State. I really appreciate all the comments. I have been doing a bunch of research and asking people that build, sell decking, etc. The main concern I hear/see is fading of composite (all brands). We saw some that was sitting in a lumberyard that looked terrible--dark green and black spotted algea(it had been returned after not being used for about a year was the explanation by the worker). I am real suspious now of using composite to have a beautiful deck after even 3 years since the shaded areas could end up being hideous next to the faded ares. One contractor showed us a small composite deck in full sun that was white after about 2 years--it had started out a beautiful wood tone. The fading is an issue with all composite from what I read/hear AND you cannot paint it. You can clean it, but when you read the warrantee, pressure washing voids it on some of the brands so hopefully there is some good product (30 Seconds?) that would make this twice yearly chore easy. I understand that large amounts of money is being spent in advertising--how it lasts a lifetime, is easy to work with, uses recycled material, etc. The real test is time. What will our deck look like in 5 years and will it need replaced again because it looks bad? I have written 3 manufacturers asking for decks that I can look at that have been installed for over 5 years. So far, no response. Unfortunately, a geodesic dome like ours wouldn't look right without the raised deck, but I'm still researching.... I would think that lawsuits are going to need to happen to prevent manufacturers from lying about "cool to the touch", etc. We have had the preserved wood deck for 30 years. It requires staining about every other year (Behr) which seems high maintanence, but it lasted AND looked great.

First I'd like to thank everyone for the info on this site. Second this is an update to my Ipe deck project. I finished the back deck, except for the step, and am working on the front deck now (pics of that someday). Check the link below to see my photos. Weedy, how exactly do you post the photos directly in this message? I don't see any obvious way to do it. I guess you have to write some (fairly simple) html? This project is taking me forever, being a weekend warrior, having 3 young kids, and 2 unfinished bathrooms inside the house. So the staining will have to wait until next year. Should be ok, right? So right now I am having some concerns with the quality of the Ipe I got. Seems ok, but who knows, this is the one-and-only Ipe deck I have ever built. Some pieces are real dark, some are real light. Some are really really hard (dark boards), some are softer (light boards). Some are clear, some have a tiger-like grain to them. Some seem a bit rough when you run your hand up one way, then smooth if you rub the other way. 3 or 4 boards have lots and lots of checks, almost the whole 15 foot length of board. Most of the boards have no checks. I have one board that looks like it will destroy your foot if you walk on it. I think I'll have to replace that board, I don't know how I did not notice it, when I put that board down. It looks like the grain is sort of lifted, and could cause nasty splinters in your foot (See pictures 10 and 11). 3 or 4 few boards seem fine, but have knots in them (pics 13 and 15). Will these spots worsen over time? I bought 1725 linear feet of boards. There are probably six 15-footers that I probably should toss in the dumpster. Maybe six others that are usable but not the greatest. Not really sure about the rest, if it is so-so, good, great, top quality or not. Of course I was assured that the Ipe was top quality, all heart wood clear Ipe, blah blah blah. Would anyone expert here want me to mail them some scrap cuts to examine? Or even better, stop by and look at my deck? Just kidding… The railings. I chickened out on the Ipe railings. No way I get the project done this year. So I did the shiny PVC rail, and put an Ipe rail on top of it. I like it, I think the front deck I will do the same. The pics in that gallery are hi-res, so you can view full screen, or better yet download them and zoom in real close to see the detail. Any info appreciated, Jim. Here is a link that might be useful: Ipe deck gallery