This question gets treated as a style preference. It is really a site question, and your yard usually answers it before you do.
Start with grade
If your back door sits well above the yard, a deck is the natural answer — it brings usable floor out at door height without truckloads of fill. If the door is close to grade and the yard is reasonably flat, a patio sits lower, feels more connected to the landscape, and skips guardrails entirely.
In between, a deck stepping down to a patio is often the best of both: dining at door level, lounging or a fire area below.
Then drainage and frost
- Decks let water through and sit on footings below the frost line, so seasonal ground movement matters less.
- Patios need a properly compacted base and a deliberate slope away from the house — this is the step that separates a patio that stays flat from one that heaves.
- Poor drainage next to a foundation is a house problem, not a patio problem. Solve it first either way.
Living with each one
A modern composite deck asks for a wash and a look at the hardware. A paver patio asks for occasional joint sand and the odd re-leveling. Neither is difficult; they are just different chores.
Elevation decides the structure. Use decides the shape. Budget decides the finish — in that order.
The under-deck opportunity
On an elevated deck, an under-deck drainage system turns the space beneath it into a dry, usable second area — often the highest-value square footage in the whole project. If your deck is more than a few feet off grade, ask about it during design.
See our decking work, or call 920-949-6892 to have someone look at your actual grade.
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