Integrate Seating and Outdoor Kitchen

going to be used. So, what I've done here is this railing section on the outside of the deck. All we're going to do is build a little bit of a bigger top on this. We'll do two deck boards wide instead of just one cocktail rail. And now we've created a spot that you can put six stools here. This is a really effective design change because we've added six additional seats with almost taking no extra square footage. So, by taking this railing and turning it into a bar top, we now have six seats that look out to the yard. If you are a family, you know, kids are going to be playing out in the yard. It's a great place to just sit there, keep an eye on everybody. If you're having a larger party or gathering, you know, people are going to be in the yard, people are going to be on the deck. It helps bridge that gap in between the two spaces. And like I said, number one, it really doesn't take away much usable space at all. Most effective way to add six seats by far. What we've also done here is created an outdoor grilling kitchen area in this 8x4 area. So you can see up against the railing on this side. Decided that's where the grill is going to go. Fits in the space perfectly. Um doesn't take up too much space. And now we have designated that 16x6 area as a conversation set. It's a really great use of the space. And by incorporating the furniture into the design, we're able to see any red flags with, oh, this isn't going to fit here. We need to tweak this a little bit. So, that's a really, really important tip no matter what is make sure you're thinking about the furniture during the design process. You don't want to build this deck and then realize the furniture that you wanted or envisioned isn't actually going to fit here and function properly. So, for a deck this size, we've got essentially 1 and 1/2 entertainment spaces. That's how I like to look at it. We've got the 16x6 kind of lounge hangout area that's up against the privacy screen so it feels like a more intimate roomy kind of space. And then we've got the other area which is acting as kind of an entrance into the rest of the backyard. And we've maximized the functionality by incorporating the grill on this side. Fits in perfectly. Not too much of a traffic jam. It doesn't feel crowded, but it really feels like it flows well and everything is here intentionally. So, that's five tips for you to really elevate your deck design process, but doesn't look quite finished yet. And we're going to do one bonus…