Deck versus Patio!
Monday, February 25, 2008 10:09We have a choice to make concerning our pretty French door. As you can see, something is missing:
We both would love a multi-level deck leading to a patio. Our house however seems to want steps leading to a patio. Why? As you can see in the photo, there are two major issues; first the location of our air conditioner, and second, the location of a basement window.
To add a deck the AC unit would have to be moved, which could be a real problem. Also, to add a deck would cover up the basement window, creating a safety hazard. We had talked about making a trap door in the deck to solve the safety problem, but we would still be missing out on natural light in our basement that way.
To add just a patio simple stairs could be added and could be made to avoid the AC unit. And since the patio would be on level with the window well there wouldn’t be a safety issue. We have seen a lot of really nice patios, and we have even heard that patios are the new “it” thing because people don’t want to care for wood decks anymore (we were going to use Trex though, so upkeep is simple).
What would you do if you were us? Let the deck versus patio battle begin!
amy purple says:
February 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I would just make the patio a beautiful terra cotta. It would be less hassle than dealing with the a/c and basement window.
amy purple’s last blog post..Letterpress + Papered Together
Corey says:
February 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Patio, definitely. Sure it takes a bit of digging and a whole bunch of heavy materials, but I think they look better. They just fit into surrounding landscapes much better as I think plants fit around them much more naturally. When I used to have my landscape design company I usually recommended patios instead of decks for this reason.
Also, decks can have a lot of permitting issues, so not sure you want to deal with that. For now, I suggest taking a look at the $/sq ft cost and see if that helps you decide.
Corey’s last blog post..Mango Dining Furniture
Bill Hutchison says:
February 25th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
We had to make this decision and decided to go with the patio. It’s going to save us a lot of money as a patio will be less than the deck, and a patio cover will be a lot less than having to build a roof over our deck.
I say go the patio. I know that I am looking forward to finally getting ours done…
Jennfier says:
February 26th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I would say patio, too… moving all of those things won’t be worth it!
Jennfier’s last blog post..Some Back Room Ideas
Lisa says:
February 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
If you would rather have the deck, you could have a cat walk as wide as the doors and long enough to pass the ac unit right on to a great deck.That would give you the room you need for thw windows. You can always add a patio as a second level later.
Fred says:
February 26th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
The catwalk suggestion is certainly an interesting one. Without looking at the whole back yard its tough to tell whether a patio or deck would look better. If you go with the patio, which seems to be the general consensus from the commenters, you definitely want to think about how to add stairs that are not awkward/a trip hazard since you’ll have to step over the door threshold, I like it when there’s a landing there. I don’t think code requires it, but I think its a little easier to negotiate–particularly when you are walking up the stairs and have to slide it open with something in your hands.
If you weren’t dealing with the basement window and A/C move, I’d go with the deck b/c I prefer the deck look. But, given those constraints, I think I’m swayed to the patio as well.
Fred’s last blog post..Insulate Your Hot Water Heater
Jen says:
March 1st, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I am in the same situation, and I’m going with a lose brick patio. I think a patio would look great back there. And, yeah, I woudln’t move the AC.
Jen’s last blog post..The Granite State
troy says:
April 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
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