This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Building a two level patio. Advice needed...
dominoman
Posts: 150
A downside of our house is that it 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:
How would you design this? Is it even worth the cost do you think?
I think I'd prefer a proper rendered brick, rather than a raised decking area (as next door have - you can just about see it in the photo).
Thanks hugely for any advice...
0
Posts
There is an issue with preserving the integrity of the damp course, which appears to be at the top of the white part of the wall on the left side (half way up the steps on the right).
I would just widen those steps to the full width of the windows so they look and feel more generous and less steep. You can always decorate them with pots at either end to add interest.
Keep your terrace area down below for privacy but maybe extend it and smarten it up. You can disguise that dull fence with pots and/or climbing plants on stretched wires with their roots on the bed and make the whole area feel greener and more welcoming.
Having gone down the decking route in a previous house I would not recommend it. Unless it is in a very sunny spot it becomes lethal as the moss takes hold. We spent our life treating it with Algonon to stop ourselves falling.
Hi dominoman, I think it would be worth the expence of an architect as if done well could be a beautiful addition to your lovely house and make your home more connected to the garden.
Def agree with obelix that to widen and deepen the steps into a stair case would be amazing
Thanks everyone.
Yes, it would be better to be lower down and snug, rather than directly level with next door.
If we replaced the existing fence with a wall (or built one on our side of it) and then we could have a patio that is 2 wide steps down from the house. That would make it almost a halfway platform, with another 2-3 steps down to the rest of the patio, which needs to be relaid anyway.
Obelix. Widening the steps is a nice idea. Only thing is they still end up being really steep unless they come out further (and then we might end up spending almost as much as with a raised platform)
Beaus Mum - I think you are right about an architect. It would be false economy to plan it myself.
I love the cast iron railings that are there now. They are original and very solid,so if I could find a way to retain or reuse those I would love to
You can maybe use them again on wider steps or use them as barriers to stop people falling off a platform. You could also make the steps come further out in two stages at shallower intervals and use the space beneath for storage.
I'd invite a few people to come and look, do some drawings to show their ideas and give a ball park quote before doing anything yourself.