Yo Ken, if your still around your up on this one. Far as Composites go I am with the Larry/whoever We are for the most part. Composites are really no longer using recycled material because there is just not enough of it so most of the raw stuff is virgin,the energy used to make composite is an enviro no no, when its time to remove the project composite is not real big on bio degrade its tricky to burn shreading it would be silly. Bottom line composites are not so enviro freindly. Info like that might suggest its not all that good to clean it either, with anything. I dont agree>> composites will out last Ipe, left to go silver/gray Ipe is as close to no maintance as a person can get. With the softer composites like Choice/MoistureShield even trex= tjunk I have found a coat or two of TWP 116 seals up the decking,locks in the color and keeps mold,mildew,stains from causing major problems. Of course not needing to do this is the reason the Wallet goes for composite in the first place. I my own self dont like composites at all for the reasons stated in several posts here and on other sites. Welcome aboard Larry!!! Sorry I dident understand your intent at the begining . John

I would not rely on the floor surface of the deck for waterproofing. A tile surface that has the waterproofing embedded below it is bound to eventually leak and will be more of a pain to replace when it does. This is especially tough if you want that surface to remain level and not have a decent slope to drain. You are much better off having a roof, be it a true membrane roof or something like the deck system that was noted above, below standard decking. Though I would also be sure to screen off any openings into the space between the deck and the roof or you are bound to get critters living up under there. Also be sure to detail it so that water isn't getting between the storage structure and the exterior wall of your house.

We finally decided on white pea gravel, and while it took quite a while to find a supplier (all garden stores nearby were sold out), we're delighted with how it turned out. When weeds pop through we can dig them out (decided on no landscaping fabric), and the kids have decided that gravel is almost as much fun as sand to play with (not to mention it doesn't get tracked in the house as easily.) On dark or rainy days - quite common here - the white reflects some light into the house, unlike the old bricks which just got darker and felt gloomy. We left the brick pathway to the door for now, as well as enough to be a border and hold the gravel in place, so we still have solid walkways and aren't worried the gravel will wash away. The curve of the brick path and the uneven border of old bricks means the patio is an odd shape, which I'm not sure about but my husband likes. The gravel is not as soft as grass, but isn't too painful for walking across barefoot to the table and chairs. I had planned to just do the main patio, and see about the rest of the space later, but we ordered so much my husband got inspired and cleared out the mud and brick pit near the door. That's now a play place for the kids; they love having their own little space and we love that they're happy and that the toys don't get scattered everywhere! For anyone who's interested, we ordered 8-16mm size gravel, at a weight of 600kg (more than 1200lbs), and it cost under 140 euros, including delivery. For convenience we had it delivered in a pallet of 20kg bags instead of the cheaper bulk bags since our back yard is hard to access. That amount covered the lower part of our garden nicely with plenty left over, so I may use that in the the back muddy area, which is currently just hosting ivy and old kids' toys. We layered the gravel at about 1-2 inches deep, but if that's not enough (or if it shifts too much) we may add more or try using the honeycomb-shaped gravel stabilizer grids. So far the amount seems fine for light traffic and playing, and hasn't been too wobbly for our patio furniture. It took months to figure out what we wanted and where to buy it, but in the end it ticked all the boxes: low maintenance, child friendly, not exorbitant, practical for walking on. And as as bonus, every time I look outside it reminds me of an Italian or French garden, which makes me want to brew a cappuccino and go enjoy some sunshine. Thank you to everyone for the input and ideas; may all your design dilemmas have happy endings.

DOE Cool Roofs Thanks for that info. I enjoyed reading it and would absolutely investigate the topic further. However, I am somewhat doubtful that the difference between a black roof and a cool roof could be 50 degrees. It just doesn't seem realistic; I mean, if I wear a white shirt vs. a black shirt on a hot-hot day -- yes -- the color will make a difference, but not so much as this. I'm also wary about the comment at the end that such roofs in warm, moist areas can grow mold -- I do live in a warm, moist climate. Definitely a topic for further investigation. The question becomes, how did you determine it was only a degree or two? Science often uses actual measurements or experiments to measure differences which it then models to predict change or impact. I guessed. I'm trying to learn something here, and I am looking for a starting point. I'm trying to understand what's realistic. I genuinely don't know whether 2 degrees is realistic, but -- as I said above -- I am skeptical about the 50 degrees in the previous article. So rather than guess maybe try this ... https://web.ornl.gov/sci/buildings/tools/cool-roof/ I tried to go through this cool roof calculator, but I just don't know these details, so I put in what the calculator says is "average" for my area ... and the net savings for a house the size of mine in my area with average numbers is $68.60/year. That's interesting, but I was really more interested in the original question about air conditioning /now cool roofs. After reading the two sites, one thing that seems crystal clear is that black roofs are "the worst" in terms of environmental impact and cost. Yet I think they are the most common. That, in and of itself, is interesting. We had an off-white roof when we moved into our last house. It was in awful shape, and we had to replace it almost immediately. I was glad of it because it was terribly stained. I wonder if all white roofs do this age they age?