IMO yes it is an issue and be grateful your contractor brought attention to it now, IMO you either have abit of astep or you provide some type of cover for that section of exposed deck. We have aMCM ranch with large overhangs which prevent all but really big storms form even getting close tou patio doors on the notrh side of otr hoouse where we have 2 sets of patio doors that are very close to the same level as the deck in 15 yrs we had one huge strom that allowed a small amount of water to intrude

What ^ she said.

If the french doors are alrady there is there a deck currently? Are they wood or clad? I have a 2" step down to my deck which feels pretty level honestly, you have to step over the threshold regardless. Will your open deck area be permeable?

Yes its a huge issue. The last house we had, before this one, one of the neighbors had a flush deck, and ended up with a huge issue. It cost them a lot of money to make everything right, and that included tearing the deck down, and rebuilding it with a step down. The day I walked over there, they had an enormous hole in the floor of the dining room. Many floor joists had to be replaced, and all new flooring because, they couldnt match it. I would not take that chance. A step down isnt that bad to have. In your screen area, you could build the floor up a bit, to make that part flush.

I can't imagine how a properly installed door would be affected by the height of an adjacent deck.

What type of sill is on the french doors, wood or aluminum? Joe, wind driven rain that sits on a deck surface and continues to get blown again the door will cause issues for sure. Hopefully the bid new door that will be flush will have a drainage sill or you may very well have issues there as well.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting thanks for sharing your experience.

@cat_ky yikes!

@HALLETT & Co. yes there was a prior (pressure-treated lumber) deck @ the French doors with a step down. New deck will be Trex which I assume is permeable (?? - I'm assuming meaning a gap between planks for water drainage).

@Joseph Corlett, LLC this is what my sister says. They have a similar thing @ their house - one set of French doors nearly flush to their deck and they've not had a water issue since it was built 12 years ago.

I think I'm leaning toward lowering the open deck area by a step, keeping the screen porch area flush to the LR. But I'm sure this will complicate the deck build at who knows what cost.

Is there no deck product that would perform a draining function like this one does for showers? (obviously wrong application but same idea) https://www.build.com/product/summary/876556?uid=2234856&jmtest=gg-gbav2_2234856&inv2=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_2234856!c1674457819!a65373557499!dc!ng&gclid=CjwKCAiAwc-dBhA7EiwAxPRylCZ6Edd7GPP8LCVAXAA0Qc8yiwL-u2KKtvd9h7RDtItiCXXBMBEO_hoCMC0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Ah! This is what I was looking for. Would something like this solve the problem?

My FIL built his house so that everything was flush entering it. As most can guess it has been a disaster when it comes to keeping water away from the house. You want a step.

" Would something like this solve the problem? "

That is designed into the sill and has a drainage pan. You want a step or at least a couple inches in my opinion.

@aziline was your FIL's place that's flush everywhere at grade, or above grade?

Everywhere at grade. Even the garage floor is flush with the house.

@aziline thanks for the quick response. Sorry to hear what happened to your FIL.

In our case, the whole deck is raised 4' off the ground; it's not at grade. The ground underneath the deck was prepped last week to slope downward away from the house.

So the specific issue for us isn't whole house flooding; it's the risk of water pooling on top of the deck boards at the base of the French door and/or splashing up onto the door frame during an extended rainstorm.

@millworkman thanks for weighing in.

Wind driven rail being forced inside thru the doors as well. What type of French doors are these? Multi-point locks? Interlocking sill?

This is the old deck - a biggish step down from the French doors in question:

This is the current state of things, pre-new-deck-build:

@millworkman not sure how to answer your questions about what kind of French door it is. Only the left side is an operable door; it has a deadlock; and we've never had water issues. It's on the southeast side of the house, which backs onto woods on three sides (ie some degree of protection from wind, unlike the opposite side of the house).

"Joe, wind driven rain that sits on a deck surface and continues to get blown again the door will cause issues for sure."

Not if the installation is properly detailed.

So not really a french door, but a single swing hinged patio door.

Thanks for correcting me, @millworkman. Does that change your thoughts at all?

@GN Builders L.L.C thanks for your input. I'll share it w/ the contractor.

" Not if the installation is properly detailed. "

I do not disagree or agree completely but I am not an installer, just having been in the business of selling for years. I have seen many that have caused issues. Quite probably most were not installed 100% correctly.

@course411, look at the photo you posted of the multi-slide door with the drain. It isn't just the step down you have to look at, but also the way the floor rails/guides for that particular door is designed ... some of them are worse than having to step down. You can try not to have a step down, but usually still have the rails/guides that stick up slightly. You basically have to walk across "ruts". A truly flush installation is not easy to achieve with multi-slide doors.

" A truly flush installation is not easy to achieve with multi-slide doors. "

Actually it is quite easy, not inexpensive and the install is very easy to screw up. But all it takes is money, the correct installer AND PLANNING from jump street, not thought about at time of install as this requires the framing and everything else to be planned. This is from the Fleetwood site but most of the better companies all offer this system today.

I see absolutely no issues with water problems at the doors. Realize that with exterior doors you will not, and cannot, have a perfectly flush floor transition. An exterior door will have a threshold and sill, and the floor on the outside of those doors will have to sit under the sill that protrudes beyond the wall. I don't understand all the comments about getting water problems - these doors are no different from ANY door in the exterior of the house. And a deck ledger (if used) is no different than ANY deck ledger used in any house. When those items are installed and flashed properly, just like any roof, window, or vent, then you will not have water problems. The lack of a step can be a common occurrence in multiple places on a house, even in snow country, but that does not guarantee you will have rot.

What I do see is your screen wall bottom rail will have water sitting against them, but I imagine they will be man-made materials and water can enter through the screen to inside anyway.

Were this a commercial application that required ADA access, it wouldn't be a problem.

Thank you everyone. I'm okay with not-100%-flush due to there being a threshold & sill. Aiming for "as close to flush as possible" so as to avoid a noticeable step. I think I've gotten the input I need to make a decision w/ the contractor. Will let you know the final outcome :)

Circling back to share the final decision (painting is an outstanding to-do).