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Landscape Design Porches & Decks

Deck vs. Patio? Need design ideas!!

3 years ago

Hello! We recently purchased our home and it has an existing deck that isn't in bad shape, but isn't well laid-out and not conducive to hosting. It is more useful as a stairway to get down to ground level where there is an existing concrete patio and covered area that we'd like to utilize more, so my thought was to remove the deck and extend the concrete patio...but I'm afraid the existing two exits are too high to accommodate this and would look strange if they were converted to staircases only. The pictures probably tell the story best because it is a somewhat odd layout, but we'd prefer a ground-level patio to a deck for additional privacy from the neighbors...but deck ideas wouldn't be out of the question. I'm looking for ideas and inspiration on how to best utilize this space and make it more useful for hosting and BBQs and the like! Thank you in advance!!

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Comments (7)

PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago
It looks pretty nice but I can see where it could be better. It would look better if it was the color of your trim. What material is it? I think you could modify it to do a multi-level approach possibly integrating a spa pool on down to ground level. All depends on your budget. Do you entertain a lot outside?
fnmroberts
3 years ago

We prefer our patio to a deck. Patio is pretty much maintenance free whereas the decking requires almost annual care.
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What about concrete with exposed aggregate. It's natural and neutral and not too expensive. We had this around our pool when we were growing up and I remember as a kid it stopped me from running around the pool because of the roughness-not a bad thing I think!
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We were in a similar situation. We have a gray stamped concrete patio (block pattern). We put in a light tan color Koolcrete (sp?) that's what it was called when we had it installed. On the link below they call it Frontier Desert Deck (don't know if it's the same product but a different name) It looks similar we have the Sand Buff Color. Looks good, stays cool, cleans up well. It's been installed for approx. 3 1/2 years. I would use it again. Here is a link that might be useful: frontier desert colors (scroll down)
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Thanks. Wow, my patio is now gone, but that was a lot of work... and it was HOT out. I hired a guy with a BobCat ($50/hr)... the patio was thicker/heavier than he thought. His BobCat struggled, but we did it. (I was swinging a sledge hammer in an attempt to create cracks and lighten his load). While he was there, I did some improvised grading of the property. I basically walked around the backyard. I envisioned how the water flowed on my property and how it should flow and directed him accordingly. I think it went well. That was actually the fun part. Removing the patio was a hassle. One thing I do like about the patio is that the concrete is essentially a water proof drain that allows the water to flow off of it a well away from the house. I can think of two more things that worry about regarding patios: 1) cracking: Is it possible to make a patio that is VERY unlikely to crack? 2) It might be tough to get the concrete around to my backyard which would make it more expensive for labor. As it stands, it's depressing to look out on my dirt backyard lawn. It looks like a construction site. I like low maintenance, though. That's a big deal.
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Your plight is very similar to ours more than 15 years ago. A backyard waiting for something. We planned, then built a brick paver patio. An egress porch covering the original steps was part of the plan, as was a free-standing pergola. Footings for these were installed in conjunction with the patio build. We don't experience any visual obstruction with the pergola from inside the house - it is approximately 14' from the house and 9' tall. Our patio is graded about 22" below the first floor. Following completion of the patio, we paid a local nursury to design the flanking gardens. I've linked photos of our patio and its' features. Comments are below some pictures. There is another album with more details about the pergola. Hope this helps get you started. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Patio
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superj300
Original Author
3 years ago
Great idea with the tiered deck, Flo, thank you for the images. Fnmroberts, that's a beautiful patio... my concern is how to cleanly transition from my existing 2 doors down to ground level. A tiered deck might remedy that... thank you both for the ideas!
superj300
Original Author
3 years ago
@Flo Mangan, the deck is Trex, it's a textured composite. When you say to match the trim, what do you mean? Match the white aluminum house trim?
Fori
3 years ago
I'd prefer the color changed as well--probably just the railing. White or the sagey color of the house body would be nice. But it looks okay as it is!

Without any dimensions, I'm going by the photos. It looks like the deck is not much bigger than a landing. If you get rid of it and go with a patio, you'll still want a landing of some sort before the stairs. I think Flo has the right idea about adding a middle level. (That middle level might be where the grill goes?)
PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
What rooms do the doors represent? If the deck attached to the left door was enlarged some, could it actually be useful? It seems like it could be a nice and semi-intimate conversation area, or place to read a book if it has some shade and some comfortable furniture. It's not going to look good to convert the deck into merely a utilitarian outdoor hallway (which is what shrinking it would do.) The lower patio could be better furnished and if necessary, easily enlarged to accommodate whatever crowd is planned.
Embothrium
3 years ago
Existing deck detracts from house design - expanded patio with just a couple flights of stairs coming down might actually be best. Instead of even more decking. All the more so if the existing deck is serving merely as a walkway to the patio, for the most part.

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