Beautiful Walkout Rooftop Deck Design Ideas in Washington DC
We often work on decks that are built up off the ground. In most cases they’ll be about one level up above the ground, but in some cases are just a few feet above the ground, especially where there’s an entry door into the building on the ground level. Today we’re looking at a different type of deck though, built on a building balcony. These buildings weren’t originally intended to have decks, but patio and terrace type decks have been added as balconies as the building has been converted and renovated.
In the picture below you can see an example of an upper level balcony that connects to the rear of a condo. There is a guardrail around the perimeter of the balconies at the rear of the condos. Planter boxes have been added to softened space and add visual interest.
Another interesting feature that’s been added to sort of soften the feel of the deck is turf grass. It isn’t real, it’s fake grass that rolls out on a mat. Individual blades are only about a half inch tall and it’s sort of like a rug but it gives a bit of a green feel to the space.
The planters in your mixture of evergreen type foliage and deciduous and perennial type plants will generally die in the winter. Evergreens on the other hand can be kept alive year after year. Generally, we’ll recommend a mixture of plants around the patio or deck area. In some cases, it’s good to have trees that grow relatively fast and or state relatively short but still can create a bit of a canopy overhead. Trees like that can provide at least partial shade. In some cases plants that grow too thick will create too much shade. Too much shade can lead to choking out the smaller plants in the lower areas of the deck or patio installation.
There’s a highly resistant natural wood installed under the deck. This happened to be similar to ipe which is also sometimes referred to as Brazilian walnut. It’s nothing like the American walnut trees. Black walnut trees, for example, are common in our climate zone. Those trees have beautiful grain and moderately dense or hardwood. This particular type of wood used here though is exotic and has a high natural resistance to moisture and insects.
There’s a curb that is built from wood, essentially added to the space just to demarcate or separate between neighbors at the property line. If the neighbors are amicable both sides could essentially use that little curb as seating when they are using the deck to their capacity. We will often recommend a design that intersperses planters or small table tops with bench type seating.
It’s very convenient to have seating interspersed around the perimeter of a deck because when you’re really using the deck for entertaining you will push the usage towards the limit of capacity. For example, with a typical 12 foot x 12 foot deck, it would be designed to be used by roughly 4 to 6 people on a typical basis. During entertaining events though you could fit 8+ people on that deck relatively comfortably without much problem.
During those times, the furniture that is normally found on a deck might not be enough. In fact the tables, and chairs around the table, used on a typical 12 ft at 12-ft deck, would really only comfortably fit six people. Seating around the perimeter though could be used to expand to eight people or more without much stress or uncomfortableness.
In the picture below, you can see three tall planters. Using plantings and planters built at different heights does a really good job to break up the aesthetics and add visual interest of the space. Another detail to this particular deck, is that there is a guardrail around the perimeter built with horizontal bars. Horizontal balusters and bars are not incredibly rare, but here they built the spacing between the balusters closer than the minimum requirements. Generally, the minimum requirement, depending on the particular zoning, in our area will be 4 inches.
Even though it’s 4 inches, we’ll generally build with a 3.5 inch spacing so that no particular opening, with typical variances in installation ends up being outside of the acceptable range. Here, the next picture below, they put the spacing of the balusters at a height or distance and it makes the design look a bit more interesting.
On the other side of this tall planter there is a wide low planter with evergreen shrubs growing inside.
Use a contractor who understands and cares about doing things right. Always, feel free to reach out to us here at Dupont Decks and Patios. We are happy to help with almost all steps of the deck building and design process. A backyard and outdoor space should make a significant, positive impact on both quality of life and home value. We can help with more than just decks, we also build patios, pergolas, ramadas, awnings, gazebos, arbors, and privacy fences.
Have ideas for your outdoor space or questions about your project? We’d be happy to help bring your vision to life and enhance your home’s comfort, functionality, and value. Call us at (202) 774-9128 or visit our website to learn more and connect with our team through our convenient online contact form.
