Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Right now our house has neither deck nor patio in the backyard and we are probably going to do one or the other this summer.

I was wondering which one you prefer and why... And possible pros / cons to each.

I am so confused. I live further upstate so it's a little colder and we get a bit more snow than LI so I am not sure if I should factor that into my decision...

Thanks!

Here is a pic of my backyard... which do you think would go better? Thanks!

Image Attachment(s):

Message edited 3/27/2008 10:32:38 AM.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

We went with a patio for the privacy aspect. The only "pro" for us for a deck was that you just walk right out with food to barbecue, as opposed to walking down a few steps, but decided a patio was more worth it to us. The quotes we got for our patio were also lower than to have a deck built.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

We have a deck but it was here when we bought the house. A deck is considered a structural (semi-permanent) attachment to the home and also affects your property taxes.

A deck does elevate your view and brings you closer to your neighbors We have great neighbors that have become true friends to us so it is not an issue...

HTH!!!

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

i prefer patios

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

I prefer a deck- mostly because I like the look of one better. We have one that was already here when we moved in but it is low so we don't really have the privacy issue.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

Patio b/c
1) you won't be taxed on this (decks are taxed as living space)
2) lower so more privacy
3) stay in good shape longer than many decks

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

We like the patior a lot better but that also has to do with the fact that our main living area is on the bottom floor of our house. It is nice to walk out my sliding glass doors & be on the patio. Other reasons are:
1) You are not taxed on the patio since it is not considered "permanent"
2) More convient for us & allows us to entertain right outside our kitchen
3) A lot more privacy
4) Bigger area without taking away from our backyard

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

I prefer the deck. I find it really interesting that people feel that a patio is more private than I deck. I feel the opposite, I like the private feel created by the walls. I also really like being able to just walk out from the kitchen and BBQ. The difference could be that ours are covered, which maybe makes them of a porch? We have a patio on the front of the house and we don't hang out there because I feel it is too open.

I live further Upstate too and I don't think snow is an issue.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

we have a large wrap around deck & small patio. We don't really have privacy issues because of the way or house is situated.
I like decks if the door that goes to it is off the ground, I like patios if the door is level with the ground.
Most patios are much easier to mintain than decks. We need to powerwash & stain ours again this year

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

I find it interesting that a deck is considered a "semi-permanent" addition to your house and therefore raises your taxes whereas a patio (which typically lasts LONGER than a deck and requires less maintenance) doesn't. I just don't get it.

My house is a couple steps down to the ground (probably 3.5 feet) so if we do a patio we'd probably have to do steps down... unless there's some way to build it up a little higher... Hmmm... decisions decisions.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

well we have a hi-ranch, so we have sliders from our DR/Kitchen area that goes right out to our enclosed deck on the upper floor. We also have decking that is low to the ground and around our semi-above groud pool. We are actually going to put a patio in our side yard this year. Which we will put a gazebo over for privacy. I actually like both. As far as I know the only deck structure that raises our taxes in the enclosed deck off the upper floor. In our town as long as the decking is 18in or lower, you don't pay taxes on it. I would just call up your town and see what their rules are, this way your decision might be easier. GL with your project.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

From our kitchen, we can see right over the 6 foot fence into our neighbor's yard. We have a wood deck that is a few feet off the ground, so it's still a privacy concern.

We agreed to remove the deck, which is way too big for the space anyway and in bad condition, and put in a flagstone patio.

We love the look of thyme or moss growing in between the stones like this:



But want flagstones with different colors and straight edges like this:



Our taxes are already really low so we probably wouldn't even notify the town when we take the deck down. I'd be afraid that the taxes would actually go up because the house would be re-appraised.

We also have a very small backyard and a smaller patio would make more sense.

I've heard that hardscape adds more value to a house than wood decks but with the advent of Trex decks and the like, that might be changing.

My father did bring up the drainage factor though. We would have to ensure the patio is graded correctly so water would drain away from it, and the house.

Lastly, the steps down to the patio would be fairly steep from our back door. But we can have wide steps put in with stone to match the patio.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why?

Patio:
They look better longer
Privacy

I have a small deck right now and would love a patio in its place

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Greenfreak - I love the two patios you posted...

I think I like the look of a patio better, but I thought most people preferred decks for some reason.

Bumping because I added a pic of my actual backyard.

Thanks everyone! It is a lot of money either way, and I want to make sure I make the right decision & don't have any regrets (for once)!

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

I seem to be in the minority here, but I think your house lends itself to a deck.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

I agree, your house is beautiful and I think a deck would look great. I see there doesn't seem to be any fencing around the property, so you could do a deck and then have lattice work on each side for privacy or do some kind of pergola and put up some white netting for privacy. just a thought. GL!

ETA: See the lattice work on the left for privacy.

Message edited 3/27/2008 11:50:30 AM.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

I think a patio would look beautiful in your backyard.

I have a patio but we walk right out from the house to the patio. If we had a deck built, we would have had to step UP to the deck and we didnt want that

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Wow. You have an awesome property there! Totally jealous.

You could do both. A deck right out the back door with a step down to a patio. You could do them in complimentary colors even. Have one be the bbq/prep area and the other be for casual seating & eating.

I think a trellis (someone posted one this week that was gorgeous) with a raised deck would look great too.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Our house has a deck in the back. I love it because we can walk right out of the back of the house and onto the deck. If we had a patio we would have to have some stairs. Also, the property behind our house has a bit of a slope to it so a patio would probably not lay flat.

We also live upstate and to protect the deck you have to clear the snow off fully each time it snows which isn't a lot of work, but something that we had to do this year no matter what.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Posted by greenfreak

Wow. You have an awesome property there! Totally jealous.

You could do both. A deck right out the back door with a step down to a patio. You could do them in complimentary colors even. Have one be the bbq/prep area and the other be for casual seating & eating.

I think a trellis (someone posted one this week that was gorgeous) with a raised deck would look great too.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Posted by Lucky09

Posted by JldDolphin

I agree, your house is beautiful and I think a deck would look great. I see there doesn't seem to be any fencing around the property, so you could do a deck and then have lattice work on each side for privacy or do some kind of pergola and put up some white netting for privacy. just a thought. GL!

ETA: See the lattice work on the left for privacy.

Thanks so much for the pics!!! Our neighbors on the other side actually have a fence that you can't see in the pic.

DH would LOVE the lattice work. It is defintely something I am considering because the neighbors whose house is next to ours in the pic are sort of "busy-bodies" who will butt their noses into any bbq we have.

I want to put up a fence eventually, but 1 thing at a time right now.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

This isn't a real backyard, but these are pretty good drawings. Maybe this will give you some idea of what Greenfreak was talking about. You def. have the yard for it.

ETA: pics didn't work, here is the link.
decking & patio

Message edited 3/27/2008 2:50:21 PM.

Re: Deck vs. Patio - which do you prefer and why? (etd to add pic of my backyard)

Posted by Lucky09

Thanks! The property is nice, but it's a lot to maintain! I would have preferred a smaller lot with more trees, but DH wanted a soccer field

I do like the idea of having both... I just need to figure out the layout.