You may think of your deck as just an innocuous wooden platform jutting out to your backyard, but with a little planning and a good design, that space can become a fabulous alfresco family room and entertainment center.

Original or new addition? The beauty is in not knowing for sure. The lines of this screened-in porch deck smartly match those of the existing home, right down to the railings, and add to the quaint feeling. A subtle flourish around the screen door emphasizes the home's traditional design and helps tie the new porch in with the existing architectural bones. And creative landscaping provides the finishing touch; a bushy shrub hides the stair profile and camouflages any visual disconnect between old and new. Photo: Archadeck.com