To help with visualizing possible deck designs, I started by building
a model of our current house in a software package. (Better Homes
and Gardens' Landscape and Deck Designer 7.0 ). I
didn't bother modeling anything inside the house, but the exterior is modeled
quite accurately, including doors, windows, the front porch and several
exterior elements. (If you look carefully, you'll even see our dog Kirby
sitting on the front porch). The model also includes accurate elevation
data within about 50-60 feet on all sides of the house, to help see
where the deck will be located, in relation to the terrain. Finally, I
added a series of backdrop images from actual photographs, taken looking away
from the house.
The result is a nice looking model of our house, as it looks
today. Here are various images, taken from the model:
| Bird's Eye Views: |
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We'll
start with a couple of aerial views of the house. All the trees shown are
placed in their proper locations. |
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And
here's a view showing the back of the
house—where
the deck will be located. |
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| Front of House: |
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Here's
a view of the front of the house, from a spot on the driveway.
This is our view of the house as we drive up the hill. |
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And
a view of the front of the house, looking towards the front door and
porch. |
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Here's
a view from the left. Note that the terrain is accurately modeled—we
are standing downhill from the front of the house. Also note that
the porch wraps around, though not all the way to the back. |
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Continuing
to move around the end of the house, here's a view of the end of the
house. You can now see the bump-out on the back of the house. |
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And
here's a view of the other end of the house—the
garage. |
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| Back of
House: |
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View
of the back of the house, starting with a view from the left. |
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Now
moving to a view straight at the back of the house, looking at the
bump-out. |
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And
a view from the right. You can see the garden shed in the
background. |
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Here's
a slightly higher view from the left. |
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Higher
view, looking at the center of the house. |
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And
a higher view, from the right. |
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| Some front porch
views: |
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Looking
down the length of the porch, shed visible in the background. |
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View
from the porch, looking towards the North. |
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And
a view looking out to the East. This is our actual front porch
view. |
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Another
view of the front of the house, with actual photo as backdrop. |
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| Back of house views,
with photo backdrops: |
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Looking
from the right, with view of neighbor's house in the background. |
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And
a view from the left. Elevation is modeled, and accurate.
And backdrop shows pretty much what you'd see from this vantage point.
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