Think about how rooms of a house serve different purposes yet are arranged together to form a complete living environment. Bedrooms and Kitchens are both important spaces but are not interchangeable from a design perspective. You should begin to think about your deck this way. Most decks will be composed of a variety of spaces to accommodate various activities.

The space where you place your furniture and use for dining and entertaining will be considered your primary space. This area is usually the largest and most distinguished space on the deck. You may want to elevate this area to suggest a higher level of significance or change the decking direction or color to add emphasis. A grilling area can be smaller and more understated; a space to store your grill in an out of the way niche. Perhaps you will want to design a small bay to isolate this position. Landings and Stairs will serve another unique function and must be approached accordingly.

A deck design is only as good as the sum of its parts. How these spaces are designed and organized will determine the spatial layout of your deck. When a person walks onto your deck for the first time will your intentions be clear? You want the deck user to be comfortable and intuitively familiar with how to use the space.