Refined Rustic Porch, Deck and Patio

Our Sandy Springs clients had decided to remove their existing deck and replace it with a refined rustic porch, deck and patio. After the deck had been ripped off, they were ghosted by their contractor and gave us a call. We inherited the original architectural plans. While there was a strong design concept there, but we had to redesign it significantly, engineer it properly and deliver a more sophisticated final product. The result is a refined rustic porch, deck and patio that suit the home’s architecture.

Style Issues

The front and back facades of the home felt disjointed because they had different styles. The front facade of this home has Craftsman-meets-Adirondack style. The mix of brick, shingles and stone gives it a polished rustic look, while the multi-gabled roofline and window styles conjure a cozy cottage ambiance.

However out back, the house lost this clever mix — the French doors, turret-like shapes and window styles made the back facade feel more formal and stately. Our goal was to bring that Craftsman-meets-Adirondack style from the front of the house to the back.

We composed a structure with a cedar timber-frame construction look, stone columns and a two-tiered porch roof to bring rugged, handcrafted character. This gave it a refined rustic porch atmosphere that helped marry the front facade to the back.

Our clients’ wish list included:

A cozy, protected spot to relax under a porch roof
Unobstructed views from the two-story great room windows
A sheltered grilling area
A custom fire table
A daybed porch swing
A new covered patio beneath the deck
New stairs connecting the porch and deck to the patio and backyard
Smart-home integration for Alexa control of lighting and the fire table
Refined rustic porch style

Construction

We used a steel and LVL post-and-beam structure but gave it the look of traditional cedar timber-frame construction.

Challenges

This was a very challenging build, and we executed the following solutions:

Concealed Steel: Deck and roof systems hide multi-story steel columns inside stone and PVC-clad posts.
Integrated Support: These posts support both the lower and upper roof structures.
Custom Fabrication: We fabricated custom steel gussets, beam hangers and connections on site.
Protected Views: We used large spans with minimal posts to preserve the views and basement windows.
Cedar Wrapping: We wrapped the steel posts and LVL beams in cedar for a handcrafted timber-frame look.

To create the beautifully curved boards that fit the deck’s shape, we had to heat the decking material with blankets, then mold them into forms we made.

This process required meticulous attention to detail, but help us put the “refined” into the refined rustic porch!

Two-Tiered Roof Scheme

Our clients wanted the two-story great room windows left unobstructed. We designed a two-tiered roof to preserve the view while scaling the lower section to provide comfort and rain protection.

Here you can see how the two roofs work together in harmony.

And here you can see how the two-story windows in the great room are unobstructed.

Porch Program

Our clients wanted a porch they could enjoy during the hottest summer days and a fire table to warm them on chilly nights. The space includes a grilling area, a dining table and a porch swing daybed. We customized the fire table with a stone top and base cladding that matches the home’s stone columns.

The lower portion of the room is human scale, making for cozy seating areas and adding increased protection from precipitation. It also accommodates a large ceiling fan to create breezes during Georgia’s very hot summers.

The new porch swing was very important to our clients. It is a piece they had custom made when they started to envision their new refined rustic porch. In addition, the new outdoor space also has smart systems that are Alexa-integrated to control the lights, music and fire table.

Refined Rustic Deck

The TimberTech deck spans the rear of the house and connects to several rooms for easy access between indoors and out. Decks on both sides of the covered porch area provide access from rooms along the back of the house, while spiral stairs connect the porch to the patio and backyard.

Black railings provide contrast while traditional posts tie into the home’s original architecture.

Backyard Connection

An important goal of the project was to create easy access to the backyard. A custom black metal spiral staircase matches the railings and leads to the new patio below

Refined Rustic Patio

We poured a new concrete patio that follows the rounded profile of the overhead deck. This structure required precise engineering and a new patio base to accommodate the proper structural footings.

Under the deck, we wrapped the steel posts with stone and white wood-look PVC for a traditional look. The latter have custom-made lock joints for durability.

Refined Rustic Porch Plan

Here the deck plan shows the curved patio that takes its cues from the fire table seating area, the bed swing to its right and the spiral staircase on the right.

Results: A Refined Rustic Porch

By completing complex structural solutions and hiding them within thoughtful architecture, we were able to give our clients a new refined rustic porch, deck, and patio that incorporated everything on their wish list. Custom fabrication, curved decking, bent railings, timber detailing and millwork created new outdoor spaces that perfectly complement the home.

Personalized features like the custom fire table and swinging daybed combine with solutions for every technical challenge to create a unique retreat our clients enjoy year-round.

Ready to start thinking about remodeling your outdoor space?

Whether it’s a porch, deck, patio, landscape, fire pit area, pavilion, guest house, studio space, garage or more, we’d love to help. All the designing and building will be done in-house, from architectural plans to the final finishing touches.

Click to schedule a free consultation.