Do you enjoy having friends over for backyard cricket, beer and barbecue? Consider installing a deck or a patio for entertaining and incorporating more of the outdoors into your indoor living spaces.
Deck vs. patio — which one should you choose? A deck can be an excellent vantage point to enjoy the sunset or rousing cricket matches. Sipping on a cold lager as you shoot the breeze and cook chops on your patio barbecue should also be lovely. With outdoor track blinds, you can even enjoy your deck or patio (and your friends’ company) year-round.
This brings us back to our original question. Should you build a deck or a patio? First, let’s learn about decks and patios. After that, let’s proceed with a point-by-point deck vs. patio comparison.
A deck is a platform built outdoors, made of timber, treated wood, composites, plastic, or some other material. It is often attached to the house, directly extending an interior living space outward, but it can also be a freestanding structure (i.e., not affixed to an exterior wall).
A deck is built-up and always elevated, so decks often have posts and steps. When they’re higher than one metre above the ground, regulations require that they have a one-metre-high balustrade or railing to prevent falls.
Note: There are other regulations on deck construction and addition in Australia. For instance, you can’t build an attached deck in alpine areas,where significant snowfalls are expected. Decks attached to external walls must also be no more than three metres from the top of any supporting footing to the deck’s uppermost finished floor surface.
While a deck is always elevated, it may be on-grade (i.e., built on or just slightly above the ground). Such low decks do not have steps, posts and railings, but the deck surface is still raised and rests on a steel or timber frame of ledgers, joists, beams, and joints built on a level block of land.
A deck can have a roof to protect it against rain, snow, hail, and the sun. You may even enclose it entirely using straight drop outdoor blinds. Clear straight drop blinds are great for keeping pesky bugs out, tinted options provide better light and privacy control, while woven-fabric blinds offer the best ventilation.
Some homeowners fully enclose their decks with a low wall and ensure outdoor views with a bank of tall glass windows. Note that fully enclosed decks are subject to additional building regulations.
A patio is a flat, paved area on the ground constructed by pouring concrete or by laying out paving materials, such as the following:
The above is not an exhaustive list. You may even use wood if you like, but a patio’s location on the ground makes that rather impractical. The lack of elevation can lead to faster deterioration and, thus, more frequent (and higher costs of) maintenance.
A patio can be attached to the house. For instance, the indoor dining room can open onto a paved courtyard with an outdoor kitchen, a bar, a barbecue, and an open-air dining area. Your patio may even wrap around the entire house.
A patio may also stand alone. You can build a patio in your garden, enclose it with outdoor sunscreen blinds, and add an outdoor fireplace (maybe even an outdoor heated spa pool) or a sitting area for relaxation and entertaining. It may or may not have a roof, which can be a full one or a grid of beams and rafters like you find in pergolas.
Finally, a patio (also a deck) can be any shape. It doesn’t have to be square or rectangular at all.
Should you build a wood deck or concrete patio? Use the following point-by-point criteria to arrive at an answer:
When deciding whether to build a deck or a patio, first check your terrain. Is your yard uneven?
If the ground is sloped, build a deck. A deck is a raised platform, so you don’t need a level base. You can adjust the height of your posts according to the lay of the land.
This is not to say you cannot build a patio on a sloping yard. However, that would require extra preparation, like levelling the ground or building a retaining wall.
If your land is flat, you can build a deck or a patio. Of course, the latter would be less expensive (see next point).
If the land is part flat and part sloping, you can build a patio on the flat surface and connect it to a deck built on the uneven portion of your lot.
What is cheaper, a concrete patio or a wood deck? If your yard is fairly level (so you can build a deck or a patio) and you wish to minimise costs, choose the patio. Since patios are constructed on the ground and generally do not require the same level of structural support that decks do, they typically cost less to build than decks.
Paving materials are also usually less expensive than decking materials. In fact, the construction cost of a simple treated pine wood deck can be over three times that of a plain concrete patio.
Both patios and decks require maintenance, but patios are generally lower-maintenance than decks. Therefore, build a patio if you want lower maintenance costs and fewer maintenance requirements. Just power washing once every few months and resealing once every three to five years should work. Of course, high-traffic patios, particularly those made of natural stone, must be resealed more frequently.
Decks, particularly those made of hardwood, look gorgeous. However, patios — especially ones made of natural stone — can be beautiful, too. Choose to build whichever satisfies your aesthetic sense.
If you want an outdoor fireplace and weekend barbecues are an integral part of your lifestyle, build a patio. A fireplace and a barbecue on a wooden deck are not impossible but not advisable. Even if you can get around the fire hazard, a barbecue or a fireplace can scorch and damage your beautiful wooden floors.
A deck vs. patio home value comparison is essential if you want to maximise your home’s resale value.
Build a deck if you want better returns on your home-improvement investment. Zonda’s 2024 annual Cost vs. Value report says you can recoup 83% of installation costs on wooden deck additions and 68% on composite decks. Generally, patios provide a 55% return on investment.
Decks are more suitable for uneven terrain. They also generally look better and offer a higher return on investment than patios. Patios cost less to build and maintain than decks, and they’re a better space for outdoor barbecues and fireplaces.
Whatever you decide, make sure to consult a professional to ensure your deck or patio complies with regulations and can stand the test of time. You can also enhance its design and function by furnishing it with appropriate furniture, adding lights, decorating it with greenery, and installing outdoor blinds for deck or patio.
Modern Group is Australia’s leading provider of roller shutters, plantation shutters, louvre shutters, and outdoor blinds. Choose from our sunscreen, straight-drop, tracked, and blind chain guide blinds for your deck or patio. Contact us now for your inquiries or to book a consultation.
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