Pimp My Backyard

sleepy33 · May 2014

I have been debating this since we moved into our house 4 years ago. It's time to pull the trigger. Should we do a deck or a patio in the back yard? I will PIP the yard below. Please explain your reasoning if you're so inclined.

sleepy33 · May 2014

sleepy33 · May 2014

baconface said:

Deck because of the tree roots.

Oooh, excellent point.

sleepy33 · May 2014

azieber said:

I vote patio. We have an older deck that I'm wanting to tear down and replace with a patio. I have an ok sized back yard but feel the deck makes it look smaller. You also really won't need to worry about refinishing it/treating it often depending on the material of your deck. Easier to mow around, no worries of dropping things down cracks and no worries of LO falling off/down stairs.

Yeah, having to maintain it is really the big downside, and I don't know that we can afford to do it in Trex or whatever the maintenance free products are called.

trackgirlparis · May 2014

baconface said:
Deck because of the tree roots.

This was my reasoning, as well as I think a deck would just look better off the back of your house than a patio. I don't know why...

sleepy33 · May 2014

Also, where should this hypothetical deck/patio extend to? Like, not into the yard, but along the house?

bkeane619 · May 2014

If u did a deck what are those bottom windows to? I wouldn't want a room to be dark because of a deck.

carawasa · May 2014

I say patio only because of the windows...unless you're taking about it being attached to the door, then deck would work. My deck is attached to my house, so i can't picture it not being attached. Why am I always confused? Hello?

bkeane619 · May 2014

U could do a nice patio and awning on the left side.

vvg28 · May 2014

Patio bc it doesn't ever need staining. I just got my deck torn down and fixing to lay a patio.

jennlin · May 2014

patio - smores and windows. but mostly smores.

sleepy33 · May 2014

It would have to be basically a deck that was only a couple inches off the ground, like low enough to go under that first window to the left of the current little porch thing. And it would have to stop before it got to the set of 3 windows on the left. It would also have to either stop short of the a/c unit, or somehow surround it, which seems like a bad idea for air flow and access. Like, the deck wouldn't be as high as the current porch that is there at all, you would step down from that porch onto maybe a 6" high deck or something.

sleepy33 · May 2014

petdocd said:

I voted patio, especially if it involves a built in fire pit. Just throwing ideas out there. You could have smores every night.

I like this idea, and H would love it. He currently has taken a pile of extra pavers I had laying around and created a 'fire pit' that looks like Cam built it, aka stacked haphazardly in an egg shape, with the pavers in no way secured to one another. #myHisnothandy

sleepy33 · May 2014

Theoretical deck placement:

Amjoy25 · May 2014

I said deck bc I think it would look better, but the compromise a la @carriet2018‌ is tits.

sleepy33 · May 2014

carriet2018 said:

compromise? raised patio

#wut that middle one, how do they do that??

sleepy33 · May 2014

Also, I am thinking a deck would be cheaper. A patio involves a lot of labor to grade the yard, plus probably more expensive materials.

Jalee85 · May 2014

Patio if you make a nice one. Some patios are amazing. The fireplace idea is a great one. It is pretty easy to do to. DH works for Hebron Brick so I see a lot of amazing patios.

jennlin · May 2014

sleepy33 said:

Also, I am thinking a deck would be cheaper. A patio involves a lot of labor to grade the yard, plus probably more expensive materials.

i got a quote for both a deck and a patio at my house. same size....deck would be 3,000. patio was going to be 17,000.....but it also had a firepit in it

Jalee85 · May 2014

These are pretty easy to do, and look awesome. This isn't my favorite color but whatever.

sleepy33 · May 2014

jennlin said:

sleepy33 said:

Also, I am thinking a deck would be cheaper. A patio involves a lot of labor to grade the yard, plus probably more expensive materials.

i got a quote for both a deck and a patio at my house. same size....deck would be 3,000. patio was going to be 17,000.....but it also had a firepit in it

sleepy33 · May 2014

Jalee85 said:

These are pretty easy to do, and look awesome. This isn't my favorite color but whatever.

That is gorgeous! Looks pricey...

Jalee85 · May 2014

sleepy33 said:

Jalee85 said:

These are pretty easy to do, and look awesome. This isn't my favorite color but whatever.

That is gorgeous! Looks pricey...

Yeah I just saw your quote...yikes. A lot of people around here DIY it. However, it needs to be done right otherwise it falls apart..lol DH has gotten paid on the side many times to fix homeowners mess ups.

sleepy33 · May 2014

Jalee85 said:

Jalee85 said:

These are pretty easy to do, and look awesome. This isn't my favorite color but whatever.

That is gorgeous! Looks pricey...
Yeah I just saw your quote...yikes. A lot of people around here DIY it. However, it needs to be done right otherwise it falls apart..lol DH has gotten paid on the side many times to fix homeowners mess ups.

I have a few pavers I have laid down at the base of the current mini porch that is there, just to help keep the dog's feet from getting muddy and believe me, there is no way I could DIY it sufficiently! It would need somebody to come in with a little skid loader and some sand, and I am not handy like that.

jennlin · May 2014

sleepy33 said:

jennlin said:

sleepy33 said:

Also, I am thinking a deck would be cheaper. A patio involves a lot of labor to grade the yard, plus probably more expensive materials.

i got a quote for both a deck and a patio at my house. same size....deck would be 3,000. patio was going to be 17,000.....but it also had a firepit in it

that's how i felt when we got the quote. wanna guess which one we decided to go with?

neither.

hartsl01 · May 2014

I said patio just because of your windows to the left and the AC to the right. It will definitely be more expensive (dependent on how fancy you want to go), but if you get it done right the first time, there should be absolutely no maintenance in the future. With a deck, you'll have to re-stain every few years. Plus worry about splinters and tripping with LO's. Unless you go with that new trek-deck stuff, that is awesome, but also pretty pricey.

megs1409 · May 2014

Deck because of the roots. You could also have a patio off the deck in the future!

Ballstategrad · May 2014

We are having a patio built next week. The idea started out just to build an extra space to have a fire put and conversation area, and now includes walls and a built in sandbox...

We went with patio since there should be less maintenance in the long run.

sleepy33 · May 2014

Ballstategrad said:

We are having a patio built next week. The idea started out just to build an extra space to have a fire put and conversation area, and now includes walls and a built in sandbox... We went with patio since there should be less maintenance in the long run.

OMG, that sounds awesome! Post pics when it's done!

sleepy33 · May 2014

Snowboarderbritt said:

Am I the only one who thought decks and patios were the same thing? I've kind of always used them interchangeably, unless it was on another floor, then it was a deck. Oops!

Haha, to me a deck is wood and a patio is stone or concrete. And a porch has a roof.

Phalaenopsis · May 2014

hartsl01 said:

I said patio just because of your windows to the left and the AC to the right. It will definitely be more expensive (dependent on how fancy you want to go), but if you get it done right the first time, there should be absolutely no maintenance in the future. With a deck, you'll have to re-stain every few years. Plus worry about splinters and tripping with LO's. Unless you go with that new trek-deck stuff, that is awesome, but also pretty pricey.

This. Any realtors out there? I imagine a properly-executed patio holds value longer than a deck, which requires maintenance, etc. Is this your forever home or will you look to move in a few yrs? Plus, petdocd mentioned s'mores. Nuff said.

taylormarie923 · May 2014

That is a really tough call. You could always do large stone pavers, you can usually find pretty good deals on slate or stone, it is the trendy stuff that costs a lot. Also, buying materials yourself and then paying for labor separately can save you a lot of money because you can control sale shopping. Do you have any tile and stone wholesale places nearby? Same principle goes for deck wood. Home Depot just had a huge sale on 1x6 cedar planks. If you catch a good sale you could cut the total cost in half.

Anywho... I voted patio but everyone makes great points about decks too.

ashleymarie512 · May 2014

I voted ss because I think both too! A deck off the door and then off the deck a little patio. Room for a fire pit, grill, chairs, whatever. The stone pavers are a cool idea too!

sleepy33 · May 2014

I feel like my heart is saying patio, but my wallet is saying deck.

megs1409 · May 2014

A note regarding maintenance...we just had our house built with a deck (patio to come at a later date). We used composite decking (more expensive up front, but virtually no maintenance or splinters). I'm freaked out and petrified of getting a splinter so this was non-negotiable when we had our house built!

blondolphn · May 2014

I feel like decks are usually fairly raised and patios are built on the ground. Based off the door I'd do the compromised patio or a patio. But that's me.

norbert5 · May 2014

Just a thought or your AC. If you do a deck you could put up a lattice partition to hide it but without taking away the airflow.

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