How do you get into your house? Neither door shown gets you to ground level! :-)

I would definitely go with composite. We installed our deck & porch with TREX, and it still looks new. When I look at my neighbor's wood deck, I just think how it needs to be restained and refinished.

I think I would use a color in the same family as your siding: the gray family.

These pictures are from Fall/Winter so its a lot better since they've completed our final grading. Thanks for the reply. What color of Trex did you go with?

Our installation was over ten years ago, and I don't know if they had anything other than the original dark brown, but that is what we have; it coordinates well with the colors of our house. I haven't regretted having something so dark, but I don't think it's what I'd choose for your house.

What direction will the deck face? If it is south facing you will need a roof or pergola, awning etc for shade. How do you intend to use the deck? What room will the deck be off of?

The deck will be facing the south but for now we aren't looking at adding a pergola or anything. The deck will mostly be used for grilling, lounging, etc. The door is from the open kitchen/living room area and the window there would be looking into the living area. Attached is our floor plan although we are not planning on doing a wraparound deck anymore.

There are other options such as my custom decks ( PATIO DECK ) no staining ever they incorporate stone instead of standard decking materials , still a deck but built strong . With my deck system you can choose any color of slate, exterior tile ,travertine, less expensive than TREX more Durable and more attractive . Wish I could build it for you . Go to Allied Building Materials they have excellent ideas and samples of TREX.

We put on a deck on the south side without a roof and had to buy a canopy the first week after it was up. It would not be usable from June to Sept without a roof. I would definitely contact a builder to design one with a roof of some kind.

What did you decide to do with the entry steps ?

Here are some more options for your deck . Its always nice to have overhead cover but it can get expensive . First build the deck if it gets to hot or uncomfortable then invest in a wind sail for cover under $200 bucks .

YOU HAVE YOUR OWN GRILLING AREA PLENTY OF ROOM FOR FAMILY . HEY SAVE ME SOME RIBS .

For the entry we had a landscaper come out and give us an estimate on paver walkway like the ones people suggested on here. He recommended waiting until next spring/summer to do it since there would still be some settling around the house.

Thanks for the ideas! Everything Beautiful Home Designs those renditions look great!

I have a light blue house and used Harbor Stone by Timbertech and RDI white railings. Think it would look great with your house

Your deck plan.

You definitely know your stuff!! A lot of good advice and you went beyond just giving suggestions! Appreciate it!

We love Trex and actually have a big deck and gazebo we did 15 years ago and just had a deck, dock and boat lift installed at another home all Trex, love it. You have to remember with any composite, the darker the hotter, hurting hot. You could do grey with a black border and white soffit to tie in the windows and doors. Trex has a really great website, interactive. Good luck.

I went through this about 8 years ago and stumbled on extruded aluminum decking that is typically used for docks etc... I researched it well and took the leap. All my neighbors said their next deck would be the same. I DO NOT work for the company at all and never have but I have several friends who have since used it and they rave more than I do about it. I think as they begin to market it to homeowners instead of just for docks it will gain market share. In the meantime, I won out with lower cost of purchase and ownership. It installed easily and almost zero maintenance. I had two sets of stairs and a landing that are easily done.

Pros: structurally superior can span 30", lighter, fire resistant, stronger, weatherproof, provides complete dry area under the deck (I turned mine into a 700 sq.ft. Storage area) looks great year after year after year. Various colors to match or contrast home. COST was less than half of TREX and other composites but mine included the railing, the tough coating on the aluminum is cool touch although in the hot summer I can't walk on it barefoot but it is cooler than the wood was.

Cons: I honestly cannot think of any. Just pressure wash once a year and it is like new. I ordered samples from Arid Dek and Versadek. In the end I went with Arid Dek because their tongue and groove allowed installation in corners where the Versadek's J hook joint would have been very difficult to place on inside corners. Again, the cost of TREX decking only for my 700 sq.ft. Deck was $11800, I paid about $6200 for Arid Dek with the railing. This was back in 2004 and it still looks like new.

I forgot to mention that the Arid Dek aluminum boards have an integral drainage for water runoff and the one thing I worried about was the noise of rain hitting the deck. It was actually much more quiet than the wood deck it replaced because each aluminum board sits on silicone footings placed during installation with a caulk gun as recommended by the manufacturer. Cheers!

We used the gray blue trex and our house is a gray blue as well...it looks really sharp and has stood up extremely well

We invested a lot of time three years ago comparing various decking materials to rebuild our existing deck. We finally decided on TimberTech PVC solid decking. It is not a composite, but solid PVC. We preferred the looks over Trex, but one of the main considerations for us was that it was cooler than Trex. We have had it almost 3 years now, and are extremely happy with it. Here is a photo of a portion of our deck.

The problem I have with most deck construction is not so much the materials but it's construction. If you look at my site you will see under the decks tab some examples of what I mean . First the TREX is pliable especially in the heat coupled with standard joist spacing 16" on center you have a recipe for warping and I don't mean space travel, well maybe it is. Build it at 12" ON CENTER YOU WILL HAVE BETTER SUPORT AND NO WARPING. Watch that when the deck is built that they use joist hangers, very important and not a wood strip the length of the ledger board as supports . That would be wrong . Believe it or not it passes . Second the footers is only a minimum standard. Make sure they dig them deep and wide your family, friends and guest may be standing on it. You want them to be safe. That is why I build everything above minimum code as a standard and designed a deck system to zero deflection. I had an engineer put his stamp on the design, sounds expensive ? well its not. Just several hundred dollars more in material to build a safer deck. Worth the expense to have something under my feet that won't giggle when walking on it. There are many excellent deck builders out there, find one, look at his work, get familiar with deck construction and demand the best .I also designed my own brand of railings, they are very strong. Material to make them is in abundance, they are welded together in large sections. professionally powder coated to a satin durable finish, 8th " gauge thick aluminum. why ? I just got tired of all the extras that come with todays railing systems. First you buy the railing, then the post, then the caps, then the shoe caps, then the brackets and so on. Once up with all those pieces they still rock and wiggle after a few years. Hence the need for a better railing system that cost less is more durable and less expensive than PVC any day. That's part of my make up if the solution is not available I develop it .TREX is good just as is most materials. Most homeowners focus on materials for the decking but fail to look into the details of the construction trusting that the contractor knows his stuff . Nothing can be further from the truth you must do your home work. I am always concerned for my clients safety. I simply advise you to build at 12" on center. The better the support the better the job. BE well and Be safe. Oh The flooring system on my decks is not just stone or tile on a piece of wood. IT is a five part system that is water proof and once finished locks in as one unit. Must have a pitch for water run off . Send houzz pictures of the construction. Thank heavens for all you guys giving good advise . It's about time homeowners have someone on their side.

EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL HOME DESIGNS- I finally got to check out your website. Very well designed and your work is amazing! The 2D/3D renditions you do with landscaping, etc. is great! I liked the before/after pictures of the decks you posted as well.

Thanks. When I get the chance I'll work on your front entrance . Did you see what I was referring to in the deck tab ? That's pretty common . I make my footers 3' wide x 3' deep. Have them do a 9" pour first in the footer, let it dry solid then place the post on top of that 9" base fill it up to the top with concrete the rest of the way. Why ? IF the footers are a bit light on the pour the weight of the deck after time and settling may loosen the concrete around the post leaving the post resting on nothing but soil . That is why I do it my way, just extra support from the ground up. The post has something other than soil to rest on . You won't find that in any book. Working on this now. Best regards.

Here's the front of your house.

Let me know if this will do or something simpler . I included a new door , new shutters, flag stone entryway , bullnose edging, stack stone retaining walls as planters, and edging. You 'll need security lighting so I also added 4 columns with lights . Your entryway has stack stone steps,use stone cement to bond them together and blue stone for steps. I also added one wall In the entryway as accent , using the stack stone or a similar veneer for the wall. Not in the drawing is a pergola type overhang using 4 # 4by4 post only connecting to the wall . Add 2" by 2" by 8' strips on topic the 4 by 4 s giving the entrance a breezeway feel. Any questions you can call me # is on houzz .

Here it is with the pergola in the breezeway. I also updated your 3d deck drawings.

We love what you did with the front! My wife's first comment was that she liked what you did with the entryway and the pergola. Those images are awesome! I was wondering if you had any ideas for the front that included more grass. I do like how that flagstone looks though.

We also love what you did underneath the deck with the area. The only issue that may arise would be that it is sloped right by the house. I'll try to get a better picture sometime today.

Thank you too. I am glad you both like it . Now you have a better direction which way to go, that is the purpose of the 2D drawings to open up dialogue to get to a final idea you like . You can have grass on either side of the entryway but leave the flagstone down the center of the two columns . I'll add the grass to see what that looks like. If you like what we did you can hit the review button and let others know as we'll . Thanks again . We'll be there for the inside when your ready . Best.

Yes send that to me . Depending on the slope you can add a retaining wall .

You can still do the patio under the deck just level the soil to the bottom of the door up to the bump out . Build a retaining wall at the bump out . If you do it yourself check for building codes on the height of the wall . Always add drainage pipe behind wall you don't want water to build up behind the wall that would weaken it . Don't forget the landscape paper backing for the wall .

You didn't see the basket ball court I put in your back yard .

You now have grass in the front entrance like you wanted .Hope you like mowing. I also added the retaining wall for your patio under the deck.

Thanks once again! I'll try to get some pictures sometime of the back slope. I hadn't noticed the basketball court until you pointed it out (usually browse on iPad so might not have shown up fully on the app). Love your ideas!

Thank you once again for the compliment . Did you see the retaining wall under the deck ? You have to own a Basketball court, spent a lot of quality time with my boy on the court . Trying to promote my drawings on houzz, What specifically did you like about the drawings ? Would you recommend getting one as a visual tool to houzz home owners ?

I think you'll like this one. Drawing complete with basket ball court ,movie theatre outdoor kitchen and more.

Specifically I like how your drawings give me, a first time homeowner, a vision of what it could eventually look like! When I showed the front rendering to my wife she loved it, especially the new front door, sidelights, and pergola in the breezeway. I would highly recommend you to other Houzz homeowners as you have went beyond what I expected from someone who isn't getting paid by me to do anything. Thank you again!

I am glad you enjoyed the drawings and thanks for the many compliments . Thats what I am trying to show houzzers . How the 2d or 3d can help homeowners and others here on houzz visualize there projects at an affordable price. Had you paid for them would the 2D front of house been worth paying $ 199 .Regular price ? Houzzers get it for $125 for a drawing like yours and less for say something like just shutters and a color Change on the house . The 3d deck without animation like what you have $250.- $350 is it worth it to see the project on your home ? Of course free is always better in a perfect world lol .

Love how it is in the 2d. You have a lovely house. We also have a terrace with composite which was installed 8 years ago and still good as new, with no maintenance whatsoever. Attaching a photo too.

I like this idea as well that is partly why I install stone or tile on my patio decks system, you wont get any water falling through the deck boards and a wider range of decking material.

Here's is your deck with a closed system .

For the composite decking color, you can choose Teak or Redwood color, It will be better. and use Six round hollow decking, it has higher strength but not too expensive. and in your back garden, you can install a Pergola or Pavilion,it provide someone for rest or read or chat.

If quantity is ok , you aslo can conside import from Manufacturer in China.

Garden Ideas and Designs with composite decking | back garden WPC composite decking