Multi-level decks
In many areas, an elevated deck is defined as one that is higher than inches above the ground and is attached to the house. Raised decks require a railing around the perimeter, and they require a building permit. Elevated deck plans also include the use of a ledger board in their design.
If you have a garden that sits at a lower level than your home, or an exit on an upper floor, you could use multi-level decking to create a balcony that extends out of your house and then use the space beneath it as a storage area, or even a sheltered patio.
Many gardens are heavily sloped, and multi-level decking can transform hillside gardens into more useable spaces. If your garden slopes so much that it is not comfortable to walk or sit on, you can add decking at various heights to create platforms for flowers and shrubbery, and to give yourself a useable walkway up and down the garden.
Multi-level decking can make uneven gardens and outdoor spaces accessible to elderly or disabled people. You can form broad stairways out of decking, and build platforms at very gradual inclines to help mobility-impaired people to move from one part of the garden to another.
Decks and patios are a great way to maximize the use of your outdoor living area. Cooking, relaxing, and reading are all activities one could do on a beautiful day outside. Therefore, if a deck replacement is on your horizon and you’re considering whether a single-level or multi-level deck may be best, consider your topography and what your space usage will be. Depending on the answers to those questions, a multi-level deck design could work well for your family. Below we’ve outlined the reasons to say yes, or why to pass.
- If you’d like to create useful space underneath a deck, a well-planned stacked design may make sense.
- If less yard maintenance is a priority, an additional entertainment space can offer a homeowner more options while eliminating costly regular lawn maintenance or landscaping design needs.
- If it’s important to you to have a separate space for specific functions like cooking and grilling, entertaining, and relaxing.
- If you have a sloped property and want to utilize more of your lot, a multi-level design can be a great option to maximize the space you have.
- If you’d like to have a covered space and one that’s totally open to the elements.
- If you already have a drainage challenge on your property, a stacked design could make this worse. There is also the potential for water, dirt, and tree detritus to overwhelm the lower level requiring more home-owner effort to maintain.
- If you have a short lot, this design option may not provide large enough dual spaces, even if you implement a spiral staircase to connect them.
- If your budget is tight, a multi-level deck will likely cost more than a traditional one-story version in both engineering, materials, and skilled labor.
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