Great ideas for decks

Outdoor sitting area and spa

This L-shaped deck is a tropical escape off a master suite. Architects Ken Payson and Peg Denney designed the serene space as part sitting area off the bedroom, part spa off the bathroom.

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Colorful twist

The fir deck is painted spruce gray to complement the periwinkle stucco walls screening the hot tub. A low redwood bench along the deck’s outer edge is supported by horizontal cylinders of steel pipe bolted to the framing.

Design: PaysonDenney Architects

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Dinner on the deck

Bob and Cary Woll's seaside-inspired backyard in Los Osos, Calif., is as inviting for two as it is for a crowd; the Wolls have entertained as many as two dozen guests, comfortably, on the deck. Benches of ipe wood wrap around most of the deck, which also is made of ipe, providing generous seating.

Garden plants ― Pittosporum tenuifolium "Silver Sheen" and Acacia cognata ― require little watering or upkeep. A tiny succulent in a square pot serves as a simple table centerpiece.

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Create an outdoor bar

Outdoor chefs need a place to put their tools, and bartenders must have a bar. The concrete side table beneath the pergola provides room for both while also functioning as a serving counter or buffet table.

Two square cabinets on casters provide storage, and are tucked underneath. They can also be rolled into action as serving tables or additional seating.

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Warming fire pit

A raised concrete trough filled with recycled glass keeps the dining deck warm on cool nights. When not in use, the gas fire pit can be covered with a slab of ipe wood, which converts it into a coffee table.

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Connecting the dots

Our Summer Retreat Home project included a deck connecting a series of canvas and wood tent cabins from Sweetwater Bungalows.

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Billowy Bali retreat

Sit on this compact deck, pull the netting around you, and you'll feel almost like you're floating in a cloud above a jungle of exotic flowers.

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Guest lounge

The TimberTech deck around this prefabricated guest house creates a variety of outdoor destinations, including a barbecue kitchen and lounge area. On the other side of the structure, the deck connects the guest suite with an outdoor shower and a small office.

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Outdoor lounge

A new deck built of Mangaris, a brand of dark hardwood also known as red balau, spans the living room, kitchen and master bedroom of this Hollywood Hills, Calif., home, expanding the usable outdoor space from 120 square feet to nearly 900.

Triple and quadruple sliding glass doors on two sides of the living room bring in the view and create an easy transition between indoors and out.

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Taming a slope

A deck at the top of this sloping backyard transformed the space into an inviting destination for taking in the view. The rear edge of the 15-by-24-foot deck notches into the hill. A low retaining wall holds the uphill section in place and doubles as another bench seat.

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Small-home solution

A new deck off the back bedrooms helped design team John Jennings and Sasha Tarnopolsky make the most of their 1,100-square-foot home. The deck, made from ipe, a Brazilian hardwood, acts as an extension of the living areas, a private outdoor retreat and a graceful, three-step transition to the garden.

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Front-yard entry deck

Instead of stairs, a three-level deck steps up to the front door of this raised post-and-pier house on Oahu. Tropical accessories on the deck and throughout the garden turn this entry into a personal paradise.

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Room with a view

A deck off this cabin near Twisp, Wash., adds yet another room to a small home filled with creative living spaces. Concrete steps off the deck extend the house farther, leading to another hangout space on the granite rocks below.

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Reinvented living space

This home's floor sits 3½ feet above the ground, so the deck needed to provide a gradual descent into the garden. Seven steps connect the deck's three levels to a small ground-level patio with a portable fireplace. There's seating on the top and bottom levels, and storage beneath the deck for the couple's canoes.

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Outdoor living room

The deck in this Jackson Hole, Wyo., home acts as an extension of the living room. "In the summertime," says owner Eric Logan, "we wake up, open up the house and it stays open ― with the girls and the dogs running in and out all day."

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Fire-pit focal point

This deck more than doubles the home's living space with ample sunbathing, conversation and entertaining areas. Expanding an existing deck made of Trex, a composite material, architect Peter Pfau carved out an area for a new entry pavilion and another for a fire pit. A matching boardwalk connects the main house to two tented guest rooms. The cost was about $80 per square foot.

Design: Pfau Architecture, San Francisco (415-908-6408).

Construction: Woodworking West, Stinson Beach, Calif. (415-868-2265).

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Small-budget deck

When Pamela and Gary Marsh need some peace and quiet, they relax on a 9-by-25-foot deck covered with multicolored slate tiles. Handsome stone pavers ― a product called Stone Deck ― make it feel like a terrace on the ground. The building cost was about $40 per square foot.

These tiles rest on the same kind of framework a wooden deck does. A fiberglass backing underneath the 16-inch-square slate tiles strengthens the stone. The broad wooden steps are made of ipe, a rich, red-colored Brazilian hardwood.

• Video: Add zest to your outdoor patio

Read:  Make your own outdoor shower

• Glo: Unbelievable outdoor living rooms

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3 decks, 3 levels

David Polifko transformed his backyard with three decks of different sizes, at three different levels. A deck also wraps around an 8-foot-square teahouse, angled to fit a tight corner.

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Urban retreat

A deck surrounded by a fountain and pond creates an island of calm in the middle of San Francisco. The water features create an urban habitat that attracts birds and can sustain fish and turtles.

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Small is beautiful

This two-level backyard in San Francisco turns its outdoor space into a spalike retreat. Steps connect an upper bluestone patio to a new deck on the lower level with an eco-smart design: By installing the new deck ― built from sustainably harvested ipe ― on top of the old concrete one, that material didn’t have to be discarded.

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Give your deck a face-lift

Creating a colorful outdoor living room from an unruly yard can seem intimidating. But by breaking down the process into a series of manageable tasks, busy parents Trina and Mark Whiteley were able to refresh their small Palo Alto, Calif., deck.

• Video: Rescue rusted patio furniture

Read:  Make your own outdoor shower

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Light well becomes a shower deck

Measuring 6 feet by 9 feet, this former light well functions as an outdoor shower off a master bedroom in a San Francisco Victorian. A tall outside wall hides it from view; you get to it through French doors.

After owners Alison and David Cameron moved in, they hired a plumber to hook up the shower. The redwood 2-by-6 decking serves as duckboard; water trickles between the boards and falls to a lower area with a drain.

The deck opens to the sky and makes a welcoming, wind-sheltered location for houseplants that periodically come out for a shower of their own. A shelf along one wall provides extra space for smaller plants.

• Video: How to restore a weathered deck

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Creating usable space

Before this deck went in, this area between the main house and garage was a repository for old appliances and other discards. Now it's a fun place to relax. The wicker chairs, seashell mobiles and corrugated tin awnings were inspired by the homeowner's vacation in Costa Rica.

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A deck with a tub

A Japanese ofuro (soaking tub) turns an EverGrain deck into a personal spa outside the master bedroom.

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Deck upkeep

An annual maintenance check is essential to keep a wood deck looking good.

Step 1: With a screwdriver, remove debris. Reset any nails or screws that protrude.

Step 2: Apply a specially formulated deck cleaner to remove gray wood fibers. (Ideally, do this on an overcast day.)

Step 3: While the deck is still wet, scrub with a stiff-bristled brush, working with the grain.

Step 4: Rinse the deck using a garden hose with a spray nozzle or a pressure washer with a wide spray head.

Step 5: If nails leave rust marks, countersink them below the deck surface and remove rust with a dilute mixture of oxalic acid.

Step 6: Let the deck dry for two days before applying a clear wood preservative with mildewcides and ultraviolet-light inhibitors. Use a sprayer and roller to apply the product, then brush it in.

• Video: Rescue rusted patio furniture

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Ideas for sustainable decking materials

The old Western standards of cedar and redwood have been joined by imported lumbers: jarrah from western Australia, ipe (pictured) from South America and mahogany from Central America.

Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification; it means these imported lumbers have been sustainably harvested.

Choices in environmentally friendly wood alternatives are also expanding, such as ChoiceDek, Trex and TimberTech. These products reduce the impact of logging by blending plastic with wood fiber.

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