Venice Elevated Composite Deck with Covered Screened Porch

About this project

Elevated composite deck wrapping a wooded walk-out lot, anchored by a gable-roofed screened porch with a vaulted cedar tongue-and-groove ceiling, black aluminum railings throughout, and a composite staircase down to grade.

Venice is the kind of build that turns a steep, wooded backyard into the best room in the house. The open deck runs the full width of the home in two-tone wood-grain composite, wrapped in black aluminum railings that keep the tree-line views wide open, with a self-closing gate at the top of the stairs. At one end we framed a full screened porch under a peaked gable roof that matches the home's existing roofline — the ceiling is exposed cedar tongue-and-groove climbing to the vault, a dark ceiling fan moves air on humid evenings, and screen panels on every wall keep the bugs out without closing off the woods. Because the lot falls away behind the house, the whole structure sits well above grade on engineered pressure-treated posts and poured footings, leaving a dry, usable walk-out area underneath. A composite staircase with matching black aluminum railing drops to a concrete landing and the yard. Composite decking and aluminum railing mean it looks like this photo shoot for years to come, with nothing to stain or seal.