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njbuilding143

Deck and patio combo? Or better off just sticking with one?

njbuilding143
9 years ago

So I was planning ahead a little and thinking about the backyard and was trying to think of a nice layout.. We were 50/50 on doing a deck or patio but we opted for a deck.. Currently the deck that is being factored in to the plans is an 18 x 18 deck.. I was looking at pictures online and really like the look of an outdoor kitchen.. Nothing crazy.. We figure that since we are factoring in a gas line to the yard for grill we should do it right and do an outdoor kitchen.. I have seen some of the DIY kits out there and really like the look.. However I would think they look better on a patio vs a deck.. That got me thinking about doing a deck/patio combo.. As I said the deck currently comes off the right side rear of the house and is set to be 18x18.. We still have the entire left side of the house open which is an additional 15ft or so.. I was thinking of maybe having the stairs from the deck lead down to the patio where we can do an outdoor kitchen..

I wasn't sure if this would have "too much" going on and should stick with doing one of the other.. I was thinking of doing something like the picture below... The black "L" shape would be the outdoor kitchen.. The overall size would be approximately 15.5 wide (left to right) by 12 feet deep (front to back).. I figure the patio could be the cooking area while the deck would strictly be the sitting and eating area.. We want to have enough space for entertaining and figure on normal gatherings of about 20-25 people..

Comments (9)

  • luckyme7
    9 years ago

    if there are more than say 3-4 steps between house and patio I would put a deck. I feel if the outdoor is ideally at the same level as indoor you are likely to use it more. In our areas, it is not uncommon to see around 12 steps to get to your back yard from the same level. So most houses have a deck from main level. If there is a basement I would like the basement to open to a patio and for the steps from the deck above to land in that patio.

  • dekeoboe
    9 years ago

    How often do you grill and eat in the house? If you do that often, remember to consider how often you make the trip from inside the house to the grill to check on the food when making your decision on where to place the grill. If the trip ends up being too much of a pain to take while working on the rest of the meal, you may end up grilling less often.

  • rmsaustin
    9 years ago

    What she said -- if I had to walk around the peninsula, through the morning room, out the door to the deck, down steps and across a patio to get to the grill, I'd never grill.

    But to answer the question -- I'd do all one level -- whether it's all deck, or all patio is another question. I prefer patio so everything is one with the rest of the outside, but if that is not feasible, then all deck.

  • lizzieplace
    9 years ago

    Agree on distance from kitchen to grill. It might be too far if you need to go back and forth between the 2. Even just getting food out from the kitchen to the deck is already a little cumbersome to me, because you have to navigate the morning room just to get out to the deck.

  • mrspete
    9 years ago

    I think a deck + patio as you've planned is fine. The two materials will meet at a logical place, and you'll have a difference in heights.

    I think I'd consider built-in benches or flower boxes between the two areas -- both for function and to divide the two areas.

    However, from a maintenance standpoint, I'd look into whether it's possible to go 100% patio. A patio of stained concrete looks good, and it doesn't need to be cleaned and painted with protectant every other year.

    I also agree with the point that's been brought up: If you plan to grill out frequently, make the door to the outside as convenient as possible.

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago

    I was recently at a home that had a covered porch off the dining room that then led to a deck and I thought it was ideal. The deck had the grill on it (smaller area) and the covered area held the seating. I think you get a lot more use that way. I love that you can have the door open and not worry about rain coming in, but still enjoy the breeze. For that matter, with it covered you can enjoy the porch too!

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago

    DH is addicted to a Canadian HGTV show about decks. They almost always do a deck and a patio. If they don't do a patio, they do multi level decks. The host hates a large expansive deck all on one level. The different levels allow them to set up multiple "rooms". So there'll be a cooking "room", a sitting "room", a lounge, the hot tub room, the kids' play room, etc. All defined by a step down or step up.

    I agree that it needs to be near the kitchen, though. I could see a BBQ up on the deck, and then a lounge area with a fireplace down on the patio. Or, can you put in a door and some steps down to the patio from the morning room?

  • njbuilding143
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the input.. What we normally do now is if we are grilling then we are outside the entire time.. We normally just go outside and lounge and grill up burgers, hot dogs, steaks, etc.. We don't usually have much to do inside.. The most we would do is run in for something small.. It is a HUGE improvement with what we have now which is the kitchen on the second floor in the front of the house.. So imagine walking from the kitchen and going down a flight of stairs and then walking to the yard which is approximately 70+ feet to the yard.. So just having to walk through the morning room to get outside is a huge improvement..

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