As the concept of outdoor rooms continues to evolve before our eyes, our vision of what a deck can be is following right along. Capitalizing on their design flexibility, decks can be suspended in the trees, cantilevered out over ravines, and outfitted with roofs that angle skyward—taking outdoor living to environments where traditional porches and patios dare not go. And given a deck’s relationship to the great outdoors, it isn’t surprising that new deck designs are going green—making the most of emerging environmentally-friendly construction techniques and sustainable materials.
Built by architect Lorena Checa, this deck is coined a "flying gazebo" by the homeowner. Photo by Omar Salinas.
The Tree House
Thirteen years ago, Ronda Cole, a homeowner in McLean, Virginia put in a call to architect Lorena Checa of Takoma Park, Maryland, about reconfiguring a bathroom. The house was a 1970s era contemporary built into a hillside lot surrounded by old growth trees. The bathroom project led to a kitchen project, which then led to a major renovation. Cole’s instructions to Checa were simple and to the point. “I told her I wanted to live in a tree house,” says Cole.
Simple enough. Checa surveyed the space and determined that the 3,800 square foot space was plenty big enough for a tree house but it was laid out in a way that closed it off from the outdoors. The two women kicked the design around, eventually adding 1,900 square feet of decking and 17 new windows. “We replaced or redesigned all the windows,” says Checa, “the windows that were already there were in the wrong place.”
The deck at Cole’s front door welcomes guests. The deck off the master bedroom holds the hot tub; the center deck is off the living area, convenient for entertaining. The gazebo is just off the kitchen but pulled far enough away from the house to achieve a feeling of separation. “I call it my flying gazebo,” says Cole.
The decks and gazebo were all built while Cole was living and working in the house. She uses the bottom level to teach violin and lists the renovation chaos as the biggest challenge of the project. “It was like a war zone going on upstairs,” she says. But the battle was worth the fight as the house not only garnered rave reviews from the owner but also caught the attention of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which bestowed the design with a Presidential Citation for Sustainable Design for its inventive use of daylighting.
A Stacked Deck
Another multi-purpose deck built using sustainable methods and materials can be found in Westminster, Maryland at the home of Kenny Krome, an outdoors loving dude in the horse business. In 2000, Krome bought the abandoned farmhouse from the original owners hoping to restore it. But after painstakingly peeling back the interior layers he found that the foundation was cracked beyond repair.
Krome hired architect Andre Fontaine of Glenelg, Maryland to build a replica of the old place in the same footprint. The major portion of the project was completed in 2002 but Krome decided to hold off on the deck. “We designed in a door that for awhile went nowhere,” says Krome, “because I knew the deck was going to be something special.” Krome and Fontaine huddled over the client’s wish list until a plan was hatched to deal with the second story door to nowhere. “The deck is on two levels,” says Fontaine, “the active level has the hot tub, cooking and eating areas, the passive level has the hammock.”
But Krome’s multi-station outdoor space has one other semi-private feature. “I wanted an outdoor shower,” says Krome, “I do a lot of biking and running and I’d seen outdoor showers at the beach.” The shower is plumbed so the lines can be drained in the winter to prevent freezing. Building the deck as green as possible was important to Krome due to his strong connection to the land. Fontaine honored the request by using wood framing that’s not treated with arsenic or chromium. Other environmentally-friendly materials included cement board and stone that was collected on site.
Natura-Link
In Baltimore County another earth-friendly super deck sprung from the pen of architect Laura Thomas, principal of Melville Thomas Architects in Baltimore. The design goal was fairly straightforward. “They were asking for a better connection to the outdoors. They have a spectacular view off the back so they needed a tree house or a screened porch.”
The screened-in structure that Thomas drew picked up the contemporary lines of the house and took things to the next level by employing a dramatically angled shed-style roof. The project was folded into a major renovation project at the house that also included the kitchen, master bedroom, and garage. Construction lasted a year.
To disturb less earth the architect opted to use sonotubes (concrete pilings) for the foundation as opposed to pouring a full footer.
The end result is a beautiful link to the natural world. “In the summer you see nothing but trees,” says the homeowner, “you get hooted at by owls and deer walk around under the deck.”
Melville Thomas conceived this deck as a "tree house" that naturally connects to the outdoors. Photo by Anne Gummerson.
Contemporary Deck-adence
Deer aren’t as plentiful in Bethesda, Maryland but if you know where to look you can find another outstanding and sustainable deck. It was not part of a larger major renovation but instead was added to the already renovated home of Michael Schoenbaum and his wife, Elisa Rapaport, by architects Petros N. Zouzoulas and Rick Harlan Schneider, principal of Inscape Studio in Washington, DC.
“We definitely wanted a screened porch protecting us from the bugs,” says Schoenbaum, “we also knew we wanted modern, and we knew we wanted green.” Because the house is located in a suburban neighborhood, the design was conceived using a combination of slats and planks to provide privacy and highlight pleasant views.
To give the structure a modern look, the architect called for a dramatic “butterfly” roof. “It’s actually very practical,” says Schneider, “the V-shape helps gather rain water in barrels and it’s open, which lets in more light.”
Adjacent to the kitchen, the deck is located in a perfect spot for dining alfresco. The builders even laid screening under the floor to keep creepy crawlies from entering below. Pulling the deck away from the house preserved the amount of daylight coming into the kitchen and streaming into the deck. Some basic cabinets and a counter top make this deck sustainable in more ways than one—you can cook up a good meal, sustaining the body and satisfying the appetite of family and friends.
Bene-Deck-tion
Whether you are looking for a simple outdoor connection or an extravagant multi-leveled outdoor entertainment center, the cutting-edge decks of today are being conceived in surprising ways. While the 10-foot-square pressure treated lumber variety continues to be a mainstay, architects and design-savvy homeowners are demanding more, pushing the deck into new territories—adding stylish built-in grills, showers, hot tubs, screens, roofing, cabinetry, and more. Once second-fiddle to verandas, patios, and porches, contemporary decks are making a play for first chair with sophisticated multi-functional designs that are more and more often in harmony with Mother Nature as well.
Click Here for more photos of Super Sustainable Decks.
Scott Sowers is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Lorena Checa Associates: lorenacheca.com or 202-328-1314
Andre Fontaine Architect: 410-531-3925
Melville Thomas Architects: mtarx.com or 410-433-4400
Inscape Studio: inscapearchitects.com or 202-416-0333
