Design Inspiration

Patio and Deck Ideas That Work as One Space

Most backyards end up with two outdoor surfaces designed years apart that have never agreed with each other. This guide is about the third option: planning them as one space.

See real installationsTalk to a specifier
20 yr
Warranty against fading
0
Visible screws
3
Material families
100%
Boards removable

The Words

Deck, Patio or Porch:
What the Words Mean

The three words get used interchangeably, and the differences matter once you start planning, because each carries different structural, drainage and permit consequences.

In practice the most useful distinction is not the name but the height. Many contemporary projects deliberately blur it by decking over a low structure at near-grade level, which gives the warmth and serviceability of a deck with the flush look of a patio.

Curved pale hardwood deck path running past planting toward a low modern brick house on a hillside
Height is the difference
01

Patio

A surface at grade, sitting directly on the ground. Traditionally concrete, stone or pavers. No structure beneath, no guard needed, and drainage handled by fall across the surface.

02

Deck

A raised platform on a structure, whether raised by three feet or three inches. The structure is what makes level changes, cantilevered edges and services beneath it possible.

03

Porch

A covered space attached to the house, usually at the front or back. Defined by the roof rather than the floor: a porch floor may be a deck or a patio.

Deck and Patio Layouts

Six Ways to Combine a Deck and a Patio

Each of these solves a different site. The right one is usually decided by the shape of the plot and where the sun falls, not by taste.

01

Continuous surface, single level

Deck and patio flow into each other with no step and no visible boundary. The most contemporary, and the most demanding of the levels: the decking has to finish flush with the adjoining paving.

02

Deck above, patio below

The classic split-level backyard. The deck sits off the house at floor level and steps lead down to a patio at grade. Works with sloping sites and gives two genuinely different spaces.

03

Deck as an island in a patio

A raised decked platform set within a larger paved area, defining a dining or lounge zone without walls. Reliable in wide, shallow backyards where a deck along the house would feel like a corridor.

04

L-shaped wrap

Deck along two faces of the house, patio filling the corner between them. Gives shade at some hour of every day, which in hot climates decides whether a space gets used.

05

Deck bridge over a patio

Where the ground falls away, a decked walkway crosses a lower patio to reach the garden. Dramatic, expensive, and worth it on the sites that call for it.

06

Covered patio with an open deck beyond

A roofed patio against the house for rain and midday sun, opening onto an uncovered deck for evenings. The most requested combination in warm climates.

Warm composite deck with curved stone bands set into it and built-in curved benches around a planted island, parasols overhead
Design Inspiration
Restaurant terrace under a slatted pergola, with dining tables on composite decking meeting pale stone paving, planting along the edge

Covered Outdoor Space

Outdoor Covered Patio Ideas

A roof over part of an outdoor space multiplies the days it gets used more than any other single addition. Four approaches, in ascending order of cost and permanence. Whichever roof is chosen, it changes what the floor beneath it has to handle: less direct sun but slower drying, and furniture that stays in one place year-round. Covered surfaces show wear patterns that open ones do not.

Pergola with open slatsStructure and shadow without a waterproof roof. Cuts direct sun and keeps the sky visible. The slat direction should be set against the sun path, not against the house.
Solid roof extensionA continuous roof off the house, usually matching the existing roofline. Genuine rain protection, and the option that most often needs a permit.
Freestanding pavilionA covered structure away from the house, turning the far end of a garden into a destination, and keeping interior light untouched.
Retractable canopyCover when you want it, sky when you do not. The most flexible option and the one with the most maintenance.

Patio Floors

Patio Floor Designs,
Compared Honestly

The floor is the largest single surface in any outdoor space and the decision that is hardest to reverse. Four families cover almost all residential work.

01Poured concreteCheapest per square foot, fully flush and needs no structure. But it is hard underfoot, hot in full sun, cracks over time, and nothing beneath it is ever accessible again.
02Stone and paversDurable, repairable unit by unit and available in a wide range of appearance. The trade-offs are settling and weed growth at the joints, and heat retention in dark stone.
03Gravel and loose fillInexpensive, drains excellently and reads informal. Not comfortable underfoot for furniture or bare feet, and it migrates and needs topping up.
04Decking over a low structureWarm underfoot, tolerant of uneven ground, and everything beneath stays reachable. Requires a substructure, and the fastening system determines how it looks and how it ages.
Light composite deck with wide low steps down to a stone patio on a residential terrace, no railing at the edge
Why the last row keeps winningThat last row is where most contemporary patio work has moved, for a reason that has nothing to do with appearance: services. Irrigation, lighting, drainage and pool equipment lines all want to live under an outdoor surface, and only one of these four lets you reach them again. See residential terrace and garden decking.

The Front Porch

A porch deck is judged differently depending on which side of the house it is on. A front porch is seen by everyone who approaches, is usually narrow, and its job is to frame the entrance.

Board direction running across the facade widens it; running toward the door, it pulls the eye in. Both are legitimate and the choice should be deliberate.

The Back Porch

A back porch is used rather than seen. It absorbs furniture, grills, shoes and everything else that migrates outdoors, which means the floor takes concentrated wear in a narrow band by the door.

A surface that stains or needs sealing will show that band within two seasons. This is the strongest single argument for composite on a back porch specifically.

Transitions, Thresholds and Edges

The difference between an outdoor space that reads designed and one that reads assembled is almost always in the transitions. At the house, the smaller the step from the interior floor to the deck, the more the outdoor space reads as an extension of the room, and that is a decision made at structure stage.

Where deck meets patio, either resolve it as a deliberate line, with a change of material in one clean edge, or make it disappear entirely with a flush junction. Halfway, with a small unexplained lip, is the version that looks like an afterthought. And where the surface meets the garden, a hard edge against planting or gravel held in one consistent line does more for the finished look than any furniture choice.

See how the system works

Materials for Patios and Porches

All three run on the same aluminum substructure and the same patented Shark Clip, which is what makes a continuous floor across a covered patio, an open deck and a porch possible without a change of system.

1
Exterpark Tech, composite

For back porches, covered patios and any surface carrying permanent furniture. No staining or sealing, consistent tone, and a twenty-year warranty against fading under normal use.

2
Exterpark Wood, premium hardwood

For front porches and feature terraces where real timber sets the tone, with a maintenance schedule accepted from the start.

3
Exterpark Bamboo

For projects wanting a natural material with a highly uniform appearance across a large single surface.

Common Questions

Patio and Porch Design

Answers to the questions that come up most often when planning this, from the design decisions through to what your local building department will want to see.

01What is the difference between a deck and a patio?
Height. A patio sits at grade directly on the ground; a deck is a raised platform on a structure, even if raised by only a few inches. The practical consequence is access: a deck lets you reach drainage, irrigation and wiring beneath it, and a poured patio does not.
02Can you combine a deck and a patio in one backyard?
Yes, and it is usually the better answer. The six layouts that work most often are a continuous single-level surface, a deck above with a patio below, a decked island within paving, an L-shaped wrap around two faces of the house, a decked bridge over a lower patio, and a covered patio opening onto an open deck.
03What is the best flooring for a covered patio?
Something that tolerates slow drying and permanent furniture. Covered surfaces get less sun but stay damp longer, and furniture that never moves leaves wear patterns. Composite decking over a low structure is the most common choice, because it needs no sealing and individual boards can be lifted for access.
04What are good outdoor covered patio ideas?
In ascending order of cost: a slatted pergola for shade without rain protection, a solid roof extension off the house for genuine cover, a freestanding pavilion that keeps interior light untouched, and a retractable canopy for flexibility. New roofs and freestanding structures usually involve a permit; confirm with your local building department.
05How do I make a deck and patio look like one space?
Keep the floor continuous where you can, keep board direction consistent across both, put any level change at a deliberate threshold rather than mid-space, and hold the edge against planting in one clean line. Where a single material can run across the whole area, that is the strongest option available.
06What is the best surface for a back porch?
One that hides concentrated wear by the door and needs no annual maintenance. Back porches take a narrow band of heavy traffic where people enter and leave, and any surface that stains or needs sealing shows that band within a couple of seasons.

Plan the Two Surfaces Together

Deck and patio decisions are cheap on paper and expensive once the structure is in. Send us the backyard dimensions in square feet, the level difference and where the sun comes from, and we will walk you through the layouts that fit.

Talk to a specifierSee terrace and garden decking

Or email usa@exterpark.com. Back to all design inspiration.