Building a terrace built is an exciting project! Opening onto your garden, it allows you to take advantage of sunny days and, at the same time, increase the floor space of your home. But how do you design the terrace that best suits your situation and your desires? Here are 6 key questions to ask yourself to make sure everything goes as planned.
Build a terrace, yes, but where?
The choice of the location of your future terrace is essential. Several criteria come into play to determine its optimal position.
Orientation: at what time of the day do you want to enjoy the sun? How much weather will the patio be exposed to? This orientation will also have an impact on the choice of the coating of your terrace, and more particularly on its color.
Proximity to trees: is the location shaded? Are there trees nearby that might get in the way, drop leaves or fruit, or on the contrary bring welcome shade?
Access: will you access it from the living room, kitchen, bedroom, or directly from the outside? If you want to have meals there in particular, this question takes on all its importance!
Building a terrace: how to prepare the ground?
Before building a terrace, you have to take care of the ground: level it, flatten it, all in order to erase any roughness. Depending on your situation, earthworks and / or raising may be required. Then, pedestals, concrete blocks or a slab (all concrete-based) are installed to serve as a support for the terrace: we speak of “covering”.
The leveling of the ground is therefore an essential point to be addressed before embarking on the work. Especially since these earthworks expenses, linked to the choice of the location of the terrace, will impact your budget.
According to your tastes and, above all, according to the nature of your house and your land, you can build a terrace:
Adjoining, or called “on one level” since it is built at the same level as your accommodation;
Raised, from 60 cm above ground level;
Suspended, or on stilts, that is to say supported by a frame hanging perpendicular to your facade. It is generally based on several load-bearing beams fixed to the ground;
On the roof, we speak of a “roof terrace
