Thanks, Christopher! Super helpful, and excellent points on the shape. I don't like the curves either, so anything new will be linear. I'm not sure I'm totally following your initial sentence though: are you saying there is not enough vertical space for a deck (I was thinking something like a grade-level deck. (Excuse me if I don't have the right terminology, LOL!)

A wood deck is a deck. A paver, cement, stone or tile patio is a patio. It is not a good idea to have a wood deck at ground level because they will rot much faster when they are more prone to staying wet. It could be done with plastic lumber like trex to avoid the rot, but in this situation a hardscape patio makes far more sense.

Thank you’

Wood should not be touching raw earth. A 'deck' is suspended in the air...even if it is just 18" high. A patio is sitting on the ground. Stone and pavers (like what you have already) are the go-to products for anything that is imbedded in dirt.

The amount of effort (ie. MONEY) it would take to get wood as a ground-level deck would be ASTRONOMICAL. Like 5x the expense of stone/tile.

You would have to DIG OUT (excavator rentals are expensive) the ground in front of the windows. Then pillars (let's imagine cement footing with metal posts) would have to be added. Then the deck could be built. And now you have issues with water running under the deck and up against the foundation. If there's a basement you can then expect moisture intrusion.

Wow.

I suggest you work with stone or porcelain tile pavers....make sure you go with a low-slip surface and a colour that doesn't stain.

That all said, there are stone and porcelain pavers that look just like wood. The patio height relative to your floors is also a major consideration. If the transition is not well covered with excellent drainage you will want to step down to the patio from the house at least 1.5-2” to prevent flooding in the home. But also depends on thresholds.