What about a floating deck for the pizza oven patio? February 2025

Yesterday, I posted the first step in the build-out of our pizza oven patio area with the elevation change calculation that I was able to complete using a length of string and a couple of stakes.  I observed a 26" elevation difference between the grade of our 'upper' patio and the top grade of the pizza oven slab.  

Back in January, I laid out what I think are the 'order of operations' of the build and included a number of 'to be solved' steps - including that above mentioned elevation change.  Here's the rest of that 'to be solved' list:

1. Figure out utilities. Primarily electric. where they go, how they get there. in
2. Figure out 'level' for the floor and base of retaining wall. That requires decision on material. 2 depths - sunken prep area. 26" delta.
3. Wall and floor details: placement, material, size, height, length, stairs, drainage and even stairs. This determines the floorplan.
4. Lay out floorplan. Size of roof. size of bar, etc. Landing size/depth. storage. utilties, stairs
5. Concrete foundation locations. For posts of roof structure and prep counter (and tie in utilities)
6. Determine oven doghouse and landing and veneer.

#3 in the list - materials is where I'm focused for this post.  Earlier this week, I shared a photo of some European Fan cobblestones that I think would make a spectacular patio.  I fear the cost is far out of our budget.   But, it is CERTAINLY an option.

What are the other options for the floor?  

Concrete.  Stamped or not.

Pavers. 

Or....what about a 'floating, ground-level deck'?  

Yes, a deck.  

I've been puttering around the Web and found a bunch of interesting, inspiration images of ground-level decks.  Some floating, some not.   Some are multi-level.  Some are one-level.  

NONE OF THESE PHOTOS ARE MINE.  If they are yours, I'm happy to provide a SOURCE link.  

This first one below using long, linear lines and bright-white stucco raised beds and walls.  Foliage spilling over onto the deck softens everything.

Water feature adjacent to the floating deck.  And, an interesting set of stairs leading down to the patio.

This one below uses thin deck boards, has multiple levels and includes a large cutout for an existing, mature tree.  

Below is another multi-level, thin-deck-board floating deck with a built-in bench and raised planting bed.  

This simple, one-level deck below has a wide step and floats in the back of the yard.

Reminder...NONE of these photos are mine.  If they are yours, let me know and I'll add a SOURCE link to the caption(s).

The deck below runs the decking one-direction and uses a simple edge board to create a skirt.

This deck below wraps around an existing tree and uses a long-running pattern to connect into this unusual, but eye-pleasing shape.  It has a patio right next to the deck, one small step down.

Below is a 'floating deck' with a canopy cover. 

Below is another one with white stucco raised planters.  

Below is a deck and stone patio with a pergola (modern design), raised bed and a set of stairs.

Below is another ground-level deck with wood-slat walls and a modern pergola.

Below is another look at that same deck: 

Gravel, boulders, steppers, a modern pergola and multiple-level, wood decks that overlap.  

A pond with a bridge connecting a few wood decks with a raised planter.

This deck is raised a couple feet off the ground - too tall for our use, I think.

Below is a relevant example showing a block retaining wall butting right up to a wood deck.  

Below is another white stucco raised bed with multi-level wood deck.  

This footbridge below has been an inspiration for me for years.  I posted about it Summer 2017 and haven't forgotten about it since.  

There are a lot of photos there and plenty of inspiration to draw from if we went this direction.

What I'm feeling is that I like the idea of mixed materials.  Pavers, deck, gravel, steppers, stairs, walls, etc.  

As for the value of a ground-level deck over a hard-surface patio, they both provide useable space for our pizza oven patio area.  However, if we went with the deck-route, there are a few benefits:

1.  Installation.  Yes, there's excavation required for both.  But, there's more 'wiggle' in a deck in terms of getting the level *exactly* right vs. pavers.  I've also built decks, whereas I've never laid pavers.

2.  Drainage.  See above for excavation.  But, a deck allows for water to more-easily move through the surface into the dry well below.  

3.  Cost.  Just using the Menards deck builder and patio builder, the deck *can* come in far, far, less expensive.  That's, if we use treated lumber.  Using composite, the price goes up.  But, so too does the cost of the pavers if we went above the 'base' version of Belgian pavers.

4.  Look.  There's something striking about some of those examples above, isn't there?  The idea of a deck brings a different 'feel' to the area.  Less utility and more softness.  Maybe that's a bias I am bringing myself, but my eye 'reads' decks differently - and more pleasing. 

5.  Levels.  I can work with different heights/levels in a more straight-forward way than I could with pavers.  

As for the cons of a deck - the primary one is durability and the length of time before needing replacement.  Pavers will (mostly) outlive our time in the house.  They might need to be 'reset', but the material itself will mostly still be here in more than 15 years.  A deck, on-the-other-hand is going to be need to be rebuilt/repaired in 10-15 years.  

I'll explore other surfaces (pavers) and need to start to figure out sizing/placement/dimensions. 

That sizing matters because it determines the joist size.  2x6's?  2x8's?  2x10's?  Important detail as it relates to excavation and level of the deck.  I learned via my boardwalk project that I can use those black, plastic CAMO bases to create a floating deck.  I also like the stairs in one of the very first photos and want to think about how to best incorporate those into the design.  

If I have to drop 26" from the current patio to get to the oven slab grade, could I utilize a 'sunken' kitchen prep area that steps-up to the seating area?  Even if it is 4" of change, that would mean that I would need to ONLY have the deck grade be 22" from the top.  With joist excavation, we're probably looking at 30" of depth - allowing for joists + decking. 

Another way to look at this is to think about what the minimum-viable product looks like - could it *just* be gravel and/or decomposed granite?  That could have a deck built on top?  (or pavers?)

The other thing I need to figure out is *where* the floor and *where* the walls actually get placed.  That's a project for when the snow melts, I suspect.