Open roof over AZEK deck allows for breezy outdoor experience.

Ground view of deck. Outwardly visible structural elements are wrapped in pVC. Photo Credit: Johnna Harrison

www.caco.net.au

Roof top deck in Baltimore County, Maryland: This stunning roof top deck now provides a beautiful outdoor living space with all the amenities the homeowner was looking for as well as added value to the home. Curtis Martin Photo Inc.

The coordination of two AZEK Deck colors allows your individuality to shine through as you create a truly unique backyard experience. Shown here, AZEK Deck Sedona and AZEK Deck Kona have tones and colors that complement each other to make a truly impressive deck design. With 17 rich, color options from AZEK Deck, there are many opportunities to create your own personal deck masterpiece by choosing the color and style that matches your home's exterior. With excellent stain- and scratch-resistance, AZEK Deck is the premier option in cellular pvc decking.

geometric, lush, nautical, outdoor dining, teak, veranda

Add style and comfort to the courtyard with options like outdoor fireplaces, water features, and a fire pit.

Spin Photography

Ema Peter Photography http://www.emapeter.com/ Constructed by Best Builders. http://www.houzz.com/pro/bestbuildersca/ www.bestbuilders.ca

Greg Premru

Traditional Backyard Outdoor Room Project: Deck Bench and Pergola veiw - photo by Jeeheon Cho Photography

Amoura Productions Sallie Elliott, Allied ASID

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PROJECT The customer requested a large 22 foot 11 inch wide x 14 foot, attached, 2 span (3 post) water proof retractable deck patio cover system with front water drainage. The plan was to have rain water drain through the invisible downspouts (inside the posts) and exit through a hole at the bottom of the posts. The entire system used one continuous piece of fabric and one motor. The system frame and guides are made entirely of non-rusting aluminum which is powder coated using the Qualicoat® powder coating process. Frame color chosen was our vendors proprietary Grigio Ferro. The stainless steel components used were Inox (470LI and 316) which are of the highest quality and have an extremely high corrosion resistance. In fact, the components meet the European salt spray corrosion test as tested by Centro Sviluppo Materiali in Italy. Fabric is Ferrari 302 Precontraint color Avorio P741, light filtering and opaque, a PVC fabric that is fire retardant and totally water-proof (not water-resistant). This retracting patio cover system has a Beaufort wind load rating Scale 10 (up to 63mph) with the fabric fully extended & in use. A hood with end caps was also used to prevent rain water, leaves and debris from collecting in the folds of fabric when not in use. Purlin covers were requested to prevent rain water, leaves and debris from collecting in the space between the two sections of aluminum (purlins) running from the house to the front posts. Motor operated with remote control. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT The homeowners preferred a more modern design to their entire home. They are very active people and enjoy the outdoors (they both train as triathlete’s). Their desire was for the retractable patio cover system to provide shade on the desk that receives a great deal of afternoon sun. Prior to the installation, it got so hot, the client could not walk on the deck without shoes. Essentially, as much as they enjoy the outdoors, they did not use their deck. Again, with the modern design preference, a traditional roof structure was not their vision. They printed a retractable patio cover picture from Pinterest for the contractor. That was the start of the entire project. In addition to the upper area, they wanted to utilize the area below their deck, as well as create an area for their Jacuzzi Hot Tub. All this work was to be performed while keeping the overall design modern. UNIQUENESS OR COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT First and foremost was the initial design of the project. The contractor worked with the client for 11 months creating this living area using Chief Architect software. They created numerous different designs & elevations. They looked at every aspect of the design in great detail. For example, the slope of the retractable patio cover structure and if the retractable patio cover base plate would be above or below the transom windows on the house. They revised the width of the structure numerous times, which then affected the posts below with each design change. The width of the space was decided based on the clear span of the structure. There were multiple design options with the retractable patio cover & the contractor looked at each of those options. When ordering the retractable deck cover system, the contractor had to have it fabricated to a fraction of an inch because the cable railing posts where to be directly adjacent to the retractable deck cover posts. There was very little margin for error. Planning was essential! The deck posts below needed to be replaced, this included new footings. The layout of the posts and the sizes of the posts needed to correspond to the supports of the patio cover structure. The posts for the rail system were designed to duplicate the posts of the retractable patio cover structure. The contractor created a method for draining the rain water from the posts of the retractable patio cover structure to the ground below. PROJECT RESULTS One extremely happy homeowner and proud contractor. Our company is honored to work with a client who allowed us to assist them in providing a retractable shading system to keep the homeowners deck cool. We are very proud to have been a part of this project. This complex and time consuming project met every desire the clients had. After the project was complete, the homeowners told the contractor how excited and pleased they were with the space. That, to us, is what is so critical in our line of work. The comments related to how they enjoyed the entire process and are able to enjoy their lives even more now.

The concept began with creating an international style modern residence taking full advantage of the 360 degree views of Sarasota downtown, the Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota Bay and New Pass. A court yard is surrounded by the home which integrates outdoor and indoor living. This 6,400 square foot residence is designed around a central courtyard which connects the garage and guest house in the front, to the main house in the rear via fire bowl and lap pool lined walkway on the first level and bridge on the second level. The architecture is ridged yet fluid with the use of teak stained cypress and shade sails that create fluidity and movement in the architecture. The courtyard becomes a private day and night-time oasis with fire, water and cantilevered stair case leading to the front door which seconds as bleacher style seating for watching swimmers in the 60 foot long wet edge lap pool. A royal palm tree orchard frame the courtyard for a true tropical experience. The façade of the residence is made up of a series of picture frames that frame the architecture and the floor to ceiling glass throughout. The rear covered balcony takes advantage of maximizing the views with glass railings and free spanned structure. The bow of the balcony juts out like a ship breaking free from the rear frame to become the second level scenic overlook. This overlook is rivaled by the full roof top terrace that is made up of wood decking and grass putting green which has a 360 degree panorama of the surroundings. The floor plan is a reverse style plan with the secondary bedrooms and rooms on the first floor and the great room, kitchen and master bedroom on the second floor to maximize the views in the most used rooms of the house. The residence accomplishes the goals in which were set forth by creating modern design in scale, warmth, form and function.

Modern mahogany deck. On the rooftop, a perimeter trellis frames the sky and distant view, neatly defining an open living space while maintaining intimacy. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography