Decks for all budgets: take full advantage of summer with ideas from three spaces that celebrate outdoor living

Sunset, August, 2006 by Jess Chamberlain, Peter O. Whiteley

MARIN COUNTY, CA

Beach boardwalk

There's little reason to leave this home near the ocean, since the deck more than doubles the living space with ample sunbathing, conversation, and entertaining areas. "We wanted to create an informal compound that could lovingly accommodate the messy reality of life at the beach, complete with sandy feet and wet kids and dogs," says architect Peter Pfau.

Reshaping and expanding an existing deck made of Trex, a composite material, Pfau carved out an area for a new entry pavilion and another for a firepit, while using a boardwalk to connect the main house to two tented guest rooms. Big sliding doors open every part of the house to the deck. "The design is like a well-organized campsite," Pfau says.

DESIGN: Pfau Architecture, San Francisco (www.pfauarchitecture.com or 415/908-6408)

CONSTRUCTION: Woodworking West, Stinson Beach, CA (www.woodworkingwest.net or 415/868-2265)

MEDIUM BUDGET

$80/sq.ft.

KEY FEATURE

A sunken concrete firepit that acts as focal point

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SANTA MONICA

Ocean blue retreat for two

Surrounded by houses and apartment buildings in Santa Monica, this L-shaped deck is a tropical escape off a master suite. It's where owners Tom Fuller and Bill Kelly relax in the evenings. Architects Ken Payson and Peg Denney designed the serene space as part sitting area off the bedroom, part spa off the bathroom. The deck had to be built over a sandy hillside, so Payson and Denney supported it on a heavy-duty concrete foundation.

The fir decking 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 inventively supported by horizontal cylinders made from steel pipe and bolted to the deck framing.

DESIGN: PaysonDenney Architects, Santa Fe and Santa Monica (www.paysondenneyarchitects.com or 800/927-8551)

LARGE BUDGET

$150/sq.ft. (including hot tub)

KEY FEATURES

Extensive foundation, built-in benches, and a hot tub

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NOVATO, CA

Side-yard nook of slate

When Pamela and Gary Marsh need some peace and quiet, they relax on a 9- by 25-foot deck covered with multicolored slate tiles. It's three steps above grade, but the handsome stone pavers--a product called Stone Deck--make it feel like a terrace on the ground. Unlike conventional pavers, which require a concrete base, 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 to permit the span. (Stone Deck West's tiles are also available in quartzite and granite at www.stonedeckwest.com or 877/686-4759.)

At the open end of the deck, Gary added the broad wooden steps made of ipe, a rich, red-colored Brazilian hardwood.

DESIGN: Gary Marsh Design, Novato, CA (www.garymarsh design.com or 415/897-7623)

SMALL BUDGET

$40/sq.ft.

KEY FEATURES:

Slate tile surface, wood steps, and privacy panels

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