Deck Plans

We are working on plans to build a deck in our backyard - possibly this fall when the weather is cooler.   I thought I would show you a picture of the back yard and the back of the house.   If you look closely there are some flowerbeds along the house, but the flat facade of the house needs some work to make it interesting.

See here's a closer shot.

And here is the same area from the side of the yard.

Just so you don't think we have a bare backyard - here it is looking in the other direction.

We have been pondering the deck situation and here are the requirements that we have come up with:

1.  We don't eat outside so this deck does not need to be big enough for a table and chairs - just a couple of chairs and a small table for a cup of tea outside.
2.  We would prefer not to have to move the bush that is to the left of the sliding door as it is well-established and has pretty purple flowers - I think it is a butterfly bush.
3.  We would like the area to have an intimate and cozy feel.
4.  We would like the stairs to be over at one side, rather than in a direct line with the sliding door, so that the deck is a cozy place to sit rather than being a walkway.
5.  We would like the deck to be low to the ground to avoid having animals make their home underneath.

There don't seem to be as many inspiration photos for decks, as compared to patios and porches, but I did manage to find a few, each illustrating some of the elements we are looking for.
 
I like the simple end-cuts on the pergola in the photo below.  I think hubby and I could pull that off with our simple tools and our simple skills.  I also like that the deck is quite low to the ground.  I was hoping for a cozier feel to our deck, though.

from DIY network

Yep cozy and intimate like this is just what I'm looking for.  We don't need it quite as big, though, since we don't want to eat out there.  While I think the white paint on the pergola is gorgeous, we want low maintenance, so we're going for composite wood.

Source

I like the cozy feel of this deck and pergola.  I think this one is probably a good size as it just seems to fit a small table and a few chairs - morning coffee or afternoon tea furniture.

Source
 

I like the lattice backdrop in the photo below.  I also like the fact that it is basically the same arrangement with the sliding door that we have.  We are thinking of doing long low stairs along one side, like this deck has, and I like how low to the ground this deck is.

Photo from Kent Development

This next deck is from fellow blogger, Kim at Savvy Southern Style.  I love the simple railing (that we could build ourselves) and the cozy size of her deck.  I asked Kim if she would mind measuring this side of her deck for me so I would know what size 'cozy' is.  She very obligingly emailed me back to say it is 9 x 10 1/2 feet.  Good to know! 

 Savvy Southern Style

Look how cozy and welcoming this deck looks from the inside - this is exactly what I'm going for.  Do you think Kim would mind if I moved into her house?

And this last photo is my very, very, very lame attempt to draw a deck using Paint.  Are you able to figure it out?

What do you think?  Any suggestions for us? What size deck do you have?