Ideal size for verandah?

[vbplease]

I'm trying to finalise my house reno plans and am unsure about a length of 3.5m or 4m for the verandah..

Pros for 4m
there will be no shortage of space

Cons
I'm not convinced space is an issue? there should be room around the dining table when the bifolds are opening.. and there is no shortage of width.
my main concern is 4m looks a little out of proportion when viewed in elevation? slightly too big? its a pretty small house.

As much as I'd like a large entertaining space/chillout area (the difference in cost shouldn't be an issue), I'll have the second one downstairs as well and the two may be out of proportion if 4m?? What do you think?

 

[Jamie M]

Hiya

We've got a 5m x 5m (I thought the proportions would look weird but it looks quite good).

It's enough space for some outdoor furniture, a small table/chairs set up in one corner for eating and some kids play equipment (small slippery slide).

I though it would be massive when we were drawing up the plans but that space gets used up quite easily.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[A Jeremy]

I don't think you can ever have enough space.

You don't often hear people complaining that they have too much room.

 

[depreciator]

Bigger the better, I reckon. How often will you view the finished house in elevation?

 

[Jamie M]

Bigger the better, I reckon. How often will you view the finished house in elevation?

From the helipad maybe?

Cheers

Jamie

 

[wylie]

I agree to make it as big as you can, especially a back deck (because if it looks out of proportion, who sees it?)

Edit: Have just looked at your links. Definitely go 4m.

 

[vbplease]

Oops! I forgot to mention we have a corner block.. that's why I was concerned with the side elevation.. Judging from the response it's not too out of proportion? sounds like 4m is the safest bet regardless.

 

[Michael Kelly]

Hi vbplease, Yes I would go with 4m if you can afford the bit extra.. I normally recommend 3.5m as a minimum (1.5m for a small table and 1m either side to walk past, that's enough room but with people sitting at the table it's a bit tight). The extra 0.5m will make a big difference..

I don't think the size would make it look out of place at all.. If you want to improve the appearance from the side of the block you could use a gabled or hipped roof which would probably look better than a flat roof.

 

[vaughan]

I don't think you can ever have enough space.

You don't often hear people complaining that they have too much room.

Agreed.

I reckon the hardest part is not working out how large to make a space/room, but how SMALL it can be made and still be functional.

Some of the design going into granny flats is pretty impressive, what they do with a very limited amount of space. Ikea also have some demo living areas that are tiny, too.

 

[FrugalOne]

With decks, I think the bigger the better

 

[Redwood]

I had a 2 X 7 m balcony at the beach house - to maximise space and the view I made it 7 x7 - it is now huge with plenty of room. I went bigger and I had space and cost was not huge for the extra square metre or 2. It is a water view and I had it covered as well.

In yours i'd make it 5 or 6 metres, assuming you have the space - why not?

Cheers, Ivan

 

[wylie]

I had a 2 X 7 m balcony at the beach house - to maximise space and the view I made it 7 x7 - it is now huge with plenty of room. I went bigger and I had space and cost was not huge for the extra square metre or 2. It is a water view and I had it covered as well.

In yours i'd make it 5 or 6 metres, assuming you have the space - why not?

Cheers, Ivan

I agree with Ivan. If you have room, make it even bigger. We put a deck across the whole back of a queenslander and made it four metres deep (maybe five?).

There is room for a large seating section, a table and chairs and more to spare. It is a huge selling point when we offer the house for rent, and being in Brisbane it flows through large french doors to the living area, and can be used probably nine months of the year to extend the living area.

Equally, our own house has a rather narrow front deck as we were limited by the setback to the street. We use it a lot but the doors opening are a PITA and we often have to push chairs into the table to swing the doors. Sliding doors would have helped I guess.

 

[charlieandkath]

Hi vbplease, Yes I would go with 4m if you can afford the bit extra.. I normally recommend 3.5m as a minimum (1.5m for a small table and 1m either side to walk past, that's enough room but with people sitting at the table it's a bit tight). The extra 0.5m will make a big difference..

I don't think the size would make it look out of place at all.. If you want to improve the appearance from the side of the block you could use a gabled or hipped roof which would probably look better than a flat roof.

Agree with this post from Michael.
In my opinion 3 metres is too small. 3.5 metres would be minimum. 4 is great. Anything over 4 is better again.

 

[vbplease]

you've all got me thinking it should be bigger than 4m now.. despite it being 11.5m wide?

I can see 4m+ will get the wow factor.. I definitely want it as a selling point for renting or if we were to sell.

Backyard space isn't a problem.. the only problem is the floor and roof framing is quite economical spanning from back of house to back of deck at the moment. If I go over 4.4m I will be adding intermediate beams.

3.5m to 4m added about $1k in materials (peanuts)
3.5m to 4.4m will add about $3k as a guess? Still economical design.
3.5m to 5m might be $7-10k as a guess. Adding intermediate beams.

The wow factor of a 5m deck will probably make the extra $10k seem worthwhile?

 

[wylie]

you've all got me thinking it should be bigger than 4m now.. despite it being 11.5m wide?

Our IP verandah would be at least 10m wide. Our son has just bought a house where the huge verandah was the major selling point. Without the verandah, the house was too small but the verandah shouted "WOW" and he spends most of his time on it.

I can see 4m+ will get the wow factor.. I definitely want it as a selling point for renting or if we were to sell.

Backyard space isn't a problem.. the only problem is the floor and roof framing is quite economical spanning from back of house to back of deck at the moment. If I go over 4.4m I will be adding intermediate beams.

3.5m to 4m added about $1k in materials (peanuts)
3.5m to 4.4m will add about $3k as a guess? Still economical design.
3.5m to 5m might be $7-10k as a guess. Adding intermediate beams.

The wow factor of a 5m deck will probably make the extra $10k seem worthwhile?

I know you say 3.5m to 5m might be $7-10K extra "as a guess". That sounds really expensive (but what would I know?). I'd be asking a builder for a ballpark figure. That "extra" sounds way too much to me. I'd be surprised if it came to that cost for the extra 1.5m.

 

[vbplease]

I know you say 3.5m to 5m might be $7-10K extra "as a guess". That sounds really expensive (but what would I know?). I'd be asking a builder for a ballpark figure. That "extra" sounds way too much to me. I'd be surprised if it came to that cost for the extra 1.5m.

Your son's house sounds like mine - ours is only 70square meter internal at the moment - adding a 5m deck (57.5sqm) nearly doubles upstairs.

Such a small internal upstairs probably needs the wow. We'll probably spend most the time there too.

I'm designing the structure so can find the cost. It will be interesting to see what it is.. I have a feeling going from 4.4m to 5m will be going from economical to slightly non-economical. Will see..