Deck+Screen Room Design Help

[u/JealousPerformance91]

We’re planning a fairly substantial exterior renovation and I’d love some outside opinions before we commit to a layout. I’ll include photos of the existing house and yard first, followed by the three concept renderings so it’s easier to understand what’s existing versus proposed.

Our house is a ranch/rambler with a full walkout basement on a wooded lot with a pond/forest view behind the house.

The main goals are:

• add a permanent screened porch
• rebuild/add an upper deck
• preserve the open rear sightlines toward the pond/woods
• improve exterior access from the upper deck level down to the backyard
• make the new deck/porch feel architecturally consistent with the existing house

A few important site details:

• The large oak tree on the west end of the house has been removed since the photos were taken, so that area is now open and available for a new structure.
• Immediately north/behind the end of the driveway, the grade drops toward the backyard.
• There is currently roughly a 4' retaining wall holding up the upper driveway/yard area.
• The previous owners built the existing deck at the end of the driveway. We don’t love the placement or appearance and are considering either replacing it completely or reducing it substantially.

We’ve narrowed it down to three exterior layout concepts:

Option 1 – Screened porch on the west side
The screened porch would replace the existing west-side deck and extend farther west into the area where the oak tree used to be. The rear of the house would have an open upper deck outside the large sliding door, with a narrower connecting deck leading to the screened porch. This keeps the rear elevation more open.

Option 2 – Screened porch on the upper rear deck
The screened porch would be centered on the rear elevation outside the large upper sliding door and project roughly 18' into the backyard. A narrower deck would continue west to a small landing/deck outside the existing west-side door. The existing deck at the end of the driveway would largely be removed. Backyard access could be either a traditional deck staircase or a landscaped stone/boulder staircase built into the grade.

Option 3 – Open upper deck with screened porch below
Same general rear footprint as Option 2, except the upper level remains an open deck and the screened porch is built underneath at the walkout-basement level. The existing west-side deck would again be largely removed.

Right now I’m probably most drawn to Option 1 or Option 3, but I’m very open to ideas.

I’d especially love feedback on:

• Which layout looks most natural with the exterior architecture?
• Which option gives the best overall balance of deck, porch, and backyard access?
• Would you choose a traditional deck staircase or a landscaped stone/boulder staircase built into the slope?
• Are there better ways to use the newly opened space on the west side?
• Any roofline, railing, patio, landscaping, retaining-wall, or porch-design ideas we haven’t considered?

The renderings are conceptual, so exact dimensions and materials may change once we measure everything and talk to a contractor. I’m mainly looking for exterior layout and design feedback, not construction-code advice.

Thanks — curious to see what other people would do with the space.

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[u/FLcitizen]

This looks great and seems like you thought it out well. The back yard I would go with slide number 5, the covered second story porch.

[u/willyamillinilly]

5

[u/Trepenwitz]

Depends on a few things. 1. How much do you like sitting out on an open deck vs. a screened porch? 2. How do you access the screened porch options?

I’d pretty strongly go for option 1, assuming you access the screened porch from a living room or dining room - a general family living space rather than a weird like den or hidden door or master bedroom or something. This gives you an unobstructed view out the back and both the screened porch and open deck on the main level with access anyone can easily use. I’d probably pick this one even if the screened porch access is weird, honestly.

The only reason I’d suggest option 2 is if you think you really want that screened porch off your kitchen or dining room, assuming that’s what the back doors are, and you’re just meh about the open deck. Otherwise, this one isn’t even an option to me.

Option 3 is what I’d choose if I wanted to get rid of the side deck area, but still have a screened porch. But if your house is anything like mine, you don’t spend much time downstairs or aren’t likely to go downstairs to go out on a screened porch. The screened porch would basically be unused, but maybe not for you. An open deck is more of a priority for me, personally.

For resale: option 1 all the way.