Cary Deck and Porch Combo Provides Enjoyment from Every Level of the Home
Basements are a popular housing feature among homeowners in the Raleigh-Durham area. They are loved for their versatility: basements can serve as an at-home workout room, a home office, or as an overflow entertaining space. Another benefit is that they provide additional square footage at a lower price per square foot than above-ground space. Walkout basements also help take advantage of a sloping landscape, allowing a homeowner to maximize his or her home footprint.
One Cary couple with a walkout basement and a sunny backyard asked us to design and build an outdoor living space overtop of their basement patio area. They wanted their new space to include a screened porch for shade, a deck for grilling, and easy access down to the basement and yard.
Outdoor Entertaining with Sun and Shade
To meet our clients’ needs, we created a 13’ x 17’ open gable screened porch off of the main floor. The new porch features a cathedral ceiling with a beadboard finish and Eze-Breeze windows. Protection from the natural elements, a ceiling fan for air flow, and built-in lights for evening usage allow the family to relax outdoors for more of the day and for more of the year.
Outside of the screened porch, a 16.5’ x 15’ deck provides the new space for grilling that they requested. The pressure-treated pine decking boards are set in a 45 angle with a parting board in the center. The deck and porch flow together nicely to create greater flexibility for outdoor entertaining.
Stairs Can Make or Break a Deck
Stair location and design can make or break the functionality of an elevated deck. If the stairs are too steep people may not want to climb up them. If the stairs don’t lead to a well-used area of the yard, people may not want to climb down.
For optimal usage, we designed the stairs with a turn and a landing so we could offset the steepness without having the stairs extend too far into the backyard. We also situated the stairs to end directly in front of the basement door, making the deck as easily accessible from the basement and backyard as it is from home’s main level.
Archadeck’s stunning, custom-built outdoor living spaces are designed with important considerations that marry function with convenience. View the photos of this Cary project to learn more about every detail of this backyard space. If you are interested in building an outdoor living space, give us a call today: (919) 446-5585. We look forward to working with you!
