My raised terrace or balcony dilemma. Connecting house to the garden
I am struggling to decide, so would love some help from the kind people of Houzz.
Last year we moved in to out first proper house. We love it, but one downside is that the house is raised above the garden so there is no way to get to the patio apart from out by going down a side passage, or down steep stairs from the kitchen/dining room.
We'd love to construct a raised deck that we could use for breakfast and evening drinks, and would also allow us to get to the garden from the kitchen/dining room.
This is a picture of the back of the house:
And close up:
I was thinking to replace the steps there, with either decking (a bit like this):
or, my preference, a properly constructed raised patio that would be like part of the house. Something a little like this:
Or maybe do nothing and just replace the existing patio.
What do you think?
What would you do?
Thanks for any opinions & ideas!
Comments (42)
mv5869
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Decking/raised bed dilemma
Comments (21)@pete_bon_9838, @brian_impey, synthetic = plastic in the sense you use it. Polymer. Stretchy molecules. Plastic is acceptable as a material these days, mainly because it has well proven properties in a wide range of applications across a variety of the polymers blessed by the expression. Synthetic comes across more as, hum, well, synthetic? Pretend. Not substantial. Fly-by-night. Pixel imagery without substance maybe? The best plastic decking manufacturer I am aware of uses the word plastic in its name and would not dream of using the word synthetic. Come to think of it, when describing anything of substance, neither would I. Lecture over. 'night folks. :-)...See More60s townhouse exterior dilemma...
Comments (17)One has to question what is going on here, as you appear to feel your house does not make a 'good enough' statement? My first reaction to the exterior was to recoil at the rather 'pushy' cars parked outside, plus the tragic pvc door and weatherboarding! Apart from that the house looks to be quite a sensible, space-efficient design with the reduced heat losses that a terrace brings... Your house is not an individual, but is part of a row of three or even more, meaning that anything you do should take into account the others, be sympathetic and integrate with them. My attitude as a sustainable design consultant would be to only spend money on things that really need upgrading, and only do that with the greatest care so that you do not harm the structure and take into account condensation risk etc. Think carefully about the effect all your changes will make to heat loss and your space heating requirements! Also consider any possible overheating via glazing and be aware that glass has one of the highest carbon footprints while insulation is really low. Remember that every penny you spend earning money comes with an environmental footprint, and when you spend this money you then add a further environmental impact! The obvious areas which could be improved are wall insulation, glazing, doors and air-tightness. Any new glazing should be designed to give really low whole-window U values and should use warm-edge spacers. For me PVC is out of the question as it is rubbish, looks tacky and reduces glazing area. If you are using timber, then look into using Accoya, douglas fir or oak. Velfac certainly make quality windows and doors, but it would be better if all the houses installed them to keep the facade consistent. Thermally broken Nordan, SAS Pure, Aluprof slimline are other windows/doors to check out. If the weatherboarding is to be replaced, then I would advise using Marley Eternit Cedral or Cedral Click (Cembrit also offer a pressed cement board) which will never rot, but again, consider getting your neighbours to join in). You can paint this yourself with Dulux weathershield. Most cedar cladding looks awful once the UV light starts to break it down and the rain gets in. To me, the way we live our lives on the planet is much more important than the way things 'look'. People are exploited by the fashion and interior design companies into spending money on short-term whims and froth which all impact on the resources the planet creates for us. That is not to say that good design is unimportant -take a Harry Bertoia chair for instance - classics that just go on for ever. My motto is KEEP IT SIMPLE & SUSTAINABLE - QUALITY RATHER THAN QUANTITY. Hope this is helpful....See MoreTerrace house layout
Comments (10)Hi Ben, are you in a position to have the bathroom upstairs above the current bathroom? If it were me and budget allowed, I'd move the bathroom upstairs and close off the lounge from the dining room. That way, you could have a separate living space from a kitchen diner, and still have space for a small sofa or storage unit. I'd put in a patio door leading to the garden where the bathroom currently is. I would use what is the current kitchen area as a laundry/utility space-keeping that access to the garden too and avoiding the need for a steel....See MoreHelp with patio dilemma
Comments (7)Don't listen to your paver/builder as they will always put the terrace there! Is your floor in your extension floating or solid concrete with a dpc under it? Your best place for your main terrace is away from the house, you can always have an area with a pergola over it for very hot days. Make sure it is big enough with space to spare for what you require. A nice transition from your patio doors leading to the terrace is important. I would suggest getting a proper landscape designer to come out for at least a consultation, if not a proper design. You will end up saving money in the long run by getting it right on paper first, and you can get multiple quotes as they are all quoting from the same design. There are many factors to take into consideration when developing a garden, remember this is probably the biggest room of your house, and if it it done right, on of the most enjoyable and relaxing! Please don't rely on your paver/builder saying "I can slap down a lovely patio for you right outside your patio doors" it won't be. Good luck....See More
Sven
8 years agomv5869
8 years agoembzop
8 years ago
Anne Macfie
8 years agoYou have a choice for the decking if that's what you decide, you may consider trying one of the composite decking products ( there are several on the market). Try looking at Timbertech or Millboard. They tend to be more hard wearing, available in several colours, UV stable and won't splinter. In areas of the country where it rains a lot ( here in west of Scotland) this product weathers well. As Sven pointed out there is a vent on your wall (damp proof course level here) and whilst decking allows the air to circulate under the house a hard patio would block this off and cause damp problems. Here is an example of a large composite deck we have just finished which was raised to accommodate the level change from the kitchen to the garden. It's available in different colours so that you can choose to match it with paving or the colour of your house.
John Bolland
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI would go for a Winter Garden room on a raised decking area with underneath a storage area closed with decking sliding doors - less trouble and neater and space saving than bi-folds. It would need to be water proofed with a membrane under the deck with drainage to a water butt. See picture of ours made in Germany with glass tough enough to stand on and very slim frames. It now connects the dining room to the conservatory & library and rest of the house, giving a great circle route. We left the terrace floor of York stone slabs so we can water the Lemons, Limes,Orange, Fig, Peach, date trees etc and if we spill water it just drains away. Fantastic and very warm to sit in on windy sunny days, or if no wind just slide most of the glazing back. Also has cheap to run Infra red heating and roof ventilation via remote control. circa £27K but worth it. We are retired so love morning coffee in here and the light for reading week-end papers is excellent. It has revitalised the use of our south facing terrace.
mv5869
8 years agosilyab53
8 years agomv5869
8 years agoJohn Bolland
8 years agosilyab53
8 years agosilyab53
8 years agoEmily O'Byrne
8 years agomv5869
8 years agosilyab53
8 years agomv5869
8 years ago
PROPaul D'Amico - Period Design
8 years agomv5869
8 years ago
PRO
PROBoConcept Manchester
8 years agoWe would go with decking which would allow you to have some storage underneath. If you can keep your original staircase leading from the doors that would be great to keep some of the character there.
If you are planning on using the space for breakfast, drinks and entertaining I'd recommend our outdoor concept furniture. Please see the images of our Adelaide collection. Click link for further details on our product = BoConcept
- PRO
PROINsitu
8 years agoUser
8 years agoGeorge Mahoney
7 years ago
PROThe London Tile Co.
7 years agoTry outdoor porcelain tiles in place of decking, they won't get slippery and are extremely hard-wearing.
Valverdi Rock White Quartz Indoor Outdoor Tiles · More Info
PROGarden Design Guru
6 years ago
PROPearpod
6 years agoEventually adding a hand crafted willow pod could look FAB! Let me know what you think :) They can be made to be both hanging or free-standing.
Fiona
2 years ago
VRP
2 years ago
Sara
last yearSara
last yearhopperb87
9 months ago
Sven