Deck design ideas for my backyard

by Mike
(Canada)

Sketch of home dimensions (in inches)

I'm having some issues visualizing and coming up with a design for my deck. I have an irregular shaped home, and the patio door is 5 feet off the ground. I've attached some pictures of the backyard, and was wondering if anyone could offer some deck design ideas.

Should the deck be flush with the patio door, or given the height, would it be better to have one or two steps?

Also, is there any place that I could buy a deck design specifically for my home? I have no problem doing the work, but the design part trips me up.

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Jun 16, 2013
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Some deck design ideas for a small backyard
by: Editor - Rich Bergman

This is a great question. And a couple design ideas I would suggest for a house that has the first floor about 5' above grade is to build a first level not too big and about 4"-5" inches below the door sill. This deck is just big enough to give you some room to get in and out of the house and maybe quick access to a gas grill or a couple chairs and some flower pots.

You are not going to hang out in this area. Its way too high up and you will likely be uncomfortable being so visible to your neighbors. Its kind of like a stage. Who wants that for a deck? But you then build a lower deck just below it maybe near ground level or so and have one or two access points from that upper deck with stairs. This promotes movement of people down from the house to the main purpose area of your deck.

The lower elevation means you have more privacy and it feels more intimate.

I know this is a really quick run down of deck designs and ideas but this is a classic concept you should consider and will get your mind moving in the right direction.

Also please watch this video where I discuss many of these deck design ideas and actually show you a very similar type of small backyard deck where the first floor was about 5' above grade. Check it out and see what can be done!