Merit Award, Residential Exterior $50,000 ñ $100,000: Hit the Deck

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Hit the Deck

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Hit the Deck

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Nick Marx

Alex Martinec of Bright Ideas by Martinec gave the owners of this Keuka Lake, N.Y., home a new way to enjoy their view. Martinec removed an old tube and cloth canopy system and an awkwardly placed spiral staircase to create outdoor living space, control sunlight, and improve access from the driveway. Straight and angled round metal posts stabilize the deck for everyday use as well as during times of high winds off the water.
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Nick Marx

Taking down the original railings and installing the half glass wall improved the view of the lake.
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Nick Marx

New glass half walls also improve neighbors’ lake views…
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Nick Marx

Yet operable screens provide privacy and shade.
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Nick Marx

The new roof allows for more outdoor living options as well as protects against early evening sun.
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Nick Marx

LED deck lights mark the deck’s perimeter and reflect off the glass railing for added ambiance. The new side staircase now offers access from the front of the home.

Priorities

Replace an existing tube-and-cloth canopy that regularly had to be removed in bad weather and which blocked natural light from entering the home.
Better manage late-afternoon sun, which struck the façade full on, making the deck unusable.
Create better access to the deck from outside the home.

Solutions

Architect Alex Martinec and his crew removed the deck’s centrally located spiral staircase and installed stairs off to the side for easier access from the driveway.

To address the intense afternoon sun: they built a large roof, which both offers protection and creates an open space for outdoor dining; installed floor-to-ceiling blinds; and added sliding screens on either side of the deck to create balance and offer privacy. “Usually on a lake remodel you have to be aware not to disturb the neighbors’ views,” Martinec says. “Here, removing the existing railings and putting in the glass actually improved the neighbors’ views.”