Outside the Box

Homeowners are looking outside the box - literally and otherwise - for room to relax and entertain friends. They are expanding the mix of rooms in their homes, adding family rooms or great rooms casual enough for everyday use but handsome enough for guests. They also are adding on to these add-ons, attaching covered decks. We're not talking the basic, shoebox-size rectangular decks of old. These are substantial outdoor rooms that extend the living space right out the door. No longer extras, decks are combining with family rooms to form polished indoor-outdoor living areas that make any home feel bigger and function better.

The family room and deck addition is the pride of this Jacksonville, Fla., home. It is the hub of activity for the family and the center for entertaining, whether the family's three teenage boys invite a few friends over or their parents host big parties. "It's a great place," the wife says. "We use it every day."

Along with the indoor-outdoor area, the addition includes an adjacent bedroom, an art studio and other rooms. The house sits by a river on a point of land, so a top priority for the homeowner was to add these rooms without compromising the expansive, multidirectional views.

Mission accomplished. Ken Atlee, a partner in the Jacksonville design/build firm Kendale Inc., designed the addition as a stepped structure, giving the family room and the adjacent bedroom unimpeded front and side views. He attached the deck to the existing porch, wrapping it around the addition and toward the tip of the point for a wide, dramatic vista. Built-in benches along the edge of the deck double as seating and a low-profile, view-preserving rail.

Oversize windows open the family room to the outdoors, and a 12-foot ceiling over the deck admits plenty of light while providing rain and sun cover. Those "big, beautiful picture windows" are a highlight, says the wife, but not an overly expensive one. Atlee specified the biggest stock insulated windows Pella offers, framed them with slender wood strips and topped them with smaller units for a classy, custom effect. The wife loves the indoor-outdoor connection of the addition. "It allows the outside to come in," she says. "You never feel like you're closed in."

Complementary colors and materials extend the interior space outward as well. The exterior window trim, deck floor and benches have a natural color that harmonizes with the rich tone of the pine molding, floor and media center cabinetry in the family room. The deck ceiling was painted with a stain to blend as well. (The lofty, double-vaulted ceiling in the family room is wood, too, but lighter to brighten the space.)

The family room floor is "a showpiece," says the wife. "It's the first thing people comment on." That's because it's antique heart pine from a dismantled, 200-year-old building. Atlee found the lumber at a small specialty shop in Georgia and had it milled and shipped to the job site. He used additional pieces of this lumber with fewer knots to build the media center. You would think that a household full of teenagers would stain this floor with spills, but not so. Atlee oiled the wide planks to saturate and seal the wood, making it water-resistant. The oil also gives a richer sheen than polyurethane.

By definition, indoor-outdoor spaces are multipurpose areas. They need to be designed for versatility. Atlee made this deck as deep as a room, 14 feet, to accommodate crowds, family cookouts or other gatherings. Several doors to the deck, leading from the new family room as well as other rooms, ease circulation and expand use possibilities. Step-downs and curves subtly separate the deck into sections that can be used as conversation areas or private getaway places. Recessed lights in the family room and over the deck are controlled by banks of three switches in two locations, all on dimmers, so that ambience is a matter of wide choice. Fans keep the deck and family room comfortable, even in hot weather. The sound system in the family room connects to speakers on the deck that can be turned on independently for deck-side ambience.

Regional distinctions in housing styles and climate mean that indoor-outdoor spaces differ in the details around the country. But the six key elements of these up-and-coming home enhancements are universal.

Light: Decks and indoor-outdoor spaces are a specialty of Anthony Wilder Design/Build in Bethesda, Md. To admit and reflect as much light as possible, Wilder makes the deck roof light-colored and high. The goal is "to see the sky beyond the column line," he says. Wilder also pops skylights into the roof, especially near the entry doors, and never installs darkened glass doors and windows. In Denver, Keene Smith of KZ Smith and Co. likes to use overhead trusses on decks, or trelliswork that creates a sense of enclosure while bathing the area in filtered light.

Views: The more glass the better on view-facing walls. But not to worry if window size is limited, says Kacey Fitzpatrick of Avalon Enterprises in Mountain View, Calif. "Windows that frame the view invite you outside even if they are not so large," she says. Of course, decks become part of the view themselves and need to be designed as part of the vista seen from indoors. That means they should add interest without obstructing the view beyond. Wilder suggests using planters, architectural columns and simple decorative trim to dress up decks.

Climate-worthiness: Smith's Colorado clients can enjoy their outdoor rooms almost year-round. When the weather is cold, they turn on the catalytic heaters installed in the trelliswork; when it's hot, the large roof overhangs provide relief. In rain or snow, they roll a canvas cover over the deck roof (mechanically or with a hand crank). Tempered glass in railings can cut the draft without blocking views.

Wilder takes the chill out of his decks with baseboard heating. He turns porches into outdoor rooms by installing glass panels that can be replaced in warm weather with screens or the open air. Another popular option is to install an electrically operated roll-down screen. As an extra shield against insects, Wilder screens even under the deck floor. Ceiling fans keep the air moving during the Washington area's steamy summers.

Easy maintenance: Engineered plastic and wood composite products such as Trex and TimberTech are top choices for construction of outdoor rooms. They don't splinter, rot or need to be refinished. Paint them (with manufacturer-recommended paint) and they don't stain, either. Fitzpatrick adds that they are cheaper to install than tile because they don't require a concrete pad. Wilder recommends synthetic rails such as Azek's wood-core PVC pieces, which never need to be painted. Smith recommends easy-care wrought iron for rails. In more contemporary designs, he uses pipe rails that support stainless steel cables or wire mesh.

Integration of spaces: Stone, brick, tile and concrete are good choices, too, not only because they are durable but also because they can be used indoors and out. Smith often stretches stone flooring from the family room to the deck. He strengthens the integration of spaces by repeating shapes and colors in beams, columns and casings.

User-friendliness: Indoor-outdoor spaces are platforms, so to speak, for a wide range of activities, and they need to be ready for them all. Wide entries between the indoor and outdoor areas enable them to function separately or as one open space. Multiple levels and angles segment decks into activity areas. Deep steps, landings and rails double as seating. Built-in deck tables, kitchens, showers, fireplaces, fire pits, and sound and even television systems are taking all the comforts of home outside.

Wendy A. Jordan is senior contributing editor of Professional Remodeler magazine, and the author of numerous remodeling books for contractors and homeowners.