Hi Susan, thanks for your question. It sounds like you have similar issues to the ones driving our design!

Keeping access to light into the basement was a big part of it. Also, the rear entrance to the house is about 2 feet above the deck. Dividing into two zones allowed us keep the flow of traffic in and out of the house separated from the activities taking place on the deck. (Less bumping into people who are enjoying good drinks and good conversation)

We also maintained a narrow ring of space around the long portion of the deck to allow for tall grasses and flowers to surround it - making it feel like an outdoor room floating in a garden. The plantings were not in place at the time of the photo posted in the article. Hopefully we will have some new pictures to upload soon! In the construction photo below you can see that gap left around the perimeter.

Hope this is helpful to you!

What kind of wood was used for the deck?

Hi Peggy. The wood we used is 1x4 Ipe with a light penetrating sealer. We retained as much of the natural color as possible because we enjoy the way Ipe lightens up with a little weathering. The surface is holding up beautifully.

Where are you located?

Hi Peggy. We are based outside of Boston, MA, and take on projects throughout New England and NY.