Access to Backyard; Concrete
We are in the process of purchasing a house with a very nice backyard (20×50). I have two problems: 1) I’d like to be able to access it from the parlor. We can (and will) convert one of the windows into a door. Our first thought is to build a deck? But, lately, I’m of…
We are in the process of purchasing a house with a very nice backyard (20×50). I have two problems:
1) I’d like to be able to access it from the parlor. We can (and will) convert one of the windows into a door. Our first thought is to build a deck? But, lately, I’m of the mind to just put some kind of a staircase there, in the interest of getting it done sooner. Is that the way to go? Deck sounds lovely, but I suspect is more expensive and would take more time. Any thoughts?
2) Our backyard is mostly concrete. I’d like to remove it all. What could that cost?
Thank you
We have a deck and come July it is much less buggy than the garden. Big consideration for bklyn backyards, IMO.
We removed cement in our old backyard and it’s not expensive (sorry it was the mid 90s and I don’t remember the exact cost), just a dirty job. I am not very handy but laid the new brick patio myself, you basically need bricks, sand, a friend to help and some patience. Very rewarding project. I found used bricks in borough park and they looked lovely and quaint immediately. I like slate too, but do consider the effect of color, brick will brighten and warm a space and slate is much cooler looking.
We put in a small balcony/deck/porch and dog leg stairs. I loved the dog leg stairs. Maybe they do occupy more space, I don’t know, but they feel intimate and designed and it was my favorite part of the project. I will say this, our porch was 4′ deep and it was too small to really use as living space. I loved having it as a place to grow herbs and grill, and I did sit there, but we didn’t use it a lot as a hang out space because it was narrow.
My advice would be to decide which is the nicer hang out space, above or below? A lot of brooklyn back yards are not so nice to sit in, sometimes buggy, damp or dim, if yours is low like ours was at least. If you’re facing north a deck might be the better spot to sit with drinks and bbq…
When I did my yard all those years ago it completely transformed the apartment. I think the best renovation money you can spend because you are literally making new space.
Enjoy it.
I’m with going4broke, although I had originally planned on the full deck. We opted with a small landing and stairs going down. Blocks much less light and just gets us into the garden, where we actually want to be. Consider aluminum grating instead of wood or wood-like planks. The snow and water and light goes through.
And the dog-leg stairs actually cover more ground than straight stairs. It all depends on where you want your stairs to land. A dog-leg stair will also cost more. If you are going with iron or aluminum, it can add up.
Good Luck
While we haven’t committed to a stair down from the parlor to our garden yet, I would respectfully disagree with the above posters for 2 reasons:
1. By installing a deck you will overshadow to some degree the garden floor even if the deck is shallow (and if it is shallow what is the point?). Garden floor rooms are always darker than the rest of the house given low ceilings etc -> why make it worse?
2. You will have a lovely big garden to enjoy so why not enjoy it directly rather than floating above it, halfway there on a deck?
My plan when I get to it is to put in a small landing outside the door (not across the whole house) and then staircase down from there…
Sketch & Hammer did mine too. Very fast, very efficient.
Put a deck. Sketch & Hammer did my 10×10 deck in exactly 3 weeks, including custom metal railings, so it should not take long. I’d go at least 6′ deep and as wide as code allows (3′ back from each side). Spiral of 5′ diam or more is quite negotiable if you want to save space.
And consider a dog-leg stair (90 degree) with a landing if that works better and takes up less yard space underneath it.
That’s right. You’ll basically need at least some sort of landing to stand on when coming in or out. And as soon as you go that far, I’d suggest a small deck/balcony to give some walk-out space, even just three or four feet across the width of the building will make a huge difference. We often do them in metal bar grate to let light in below and avoid the non-combustibility issues near lot lines, and then a cable rail to maintain as much visual openness as possible.
Jim Hill, RA, LEED AP
Urban Pioneering Architecture
Agree with both previous comments. Even a short 6 foot deck will help make the transition between house and garden much nicer.