Flying Horse

Modern Composite Deck with Dining Rail in a Hillside Overlay Zone

Deck Replacement Project in a Hillside Overlay (HS-O) Zone

This beautiful home in Flying Horse already had a great backyard setting – but the aging redwood deck pulled attention away from the outdoor living space our clients were creating.  They reached out to Decks by Schmillen to replace it with a cleaner, more modern design that better fit the home.

Designing for the Hillside Overlay Local Requirements

This property sits inside the City of Colorado Springs HS-O Hillside Overlay, which requires added review steps and inspections tied to hillside protection (slopes, grading, height, vegetation, and disturbance limits).  As part of our process, we verify whether a property is in a Hillside Overlay or WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) area and coordinate with the homeowner and permitting authorities to help ensure the correct requirements are addressed and inspections are passed.

Layout Changes That Opened Up the Space

During the design, the owners asked for two key improvements:

  • Extend the deck footprint from the home
  • Relocated the location of the deck stairs to improve flow and usable space

After reviewing their ideas, we designed a 14′ x 21′ composite deck and relocated the 5′-wide deck stairs to the opposite end of the structure – opening up the main entertaining area and creating a more inviting, better-flowing layout.  This simple footprint change made the space feel larger, improved traffic flow, and positioned the stairs exactly where they made the most sense for everyday use.

Cleaner Sightlines Below with Smarter Structure

To improve the usability of and view from the patio beneath, we used three LVL support beams – which allowed us to eliminate two of the four stucco columns supporting the old deck.  The result is a more open lower-level outdoor living area and cleaner sightlines across the backyard.

While removing the stucco columns in order to replace them, we discovered the pressure-treated support posts inside were rotted, and in one case gnawed half-way through the post.

Materials and Finishing Details

Our clients reviewed the numerous decking options available and chose to use Deckorators Voyage Khaya decking, installed at a 90-degree angle to the joists with single end boards for a finished perimeter.

The deck railing is a Fortress AL13 aluminum railing system in a matte black with 3″ x 3″ posts and flat pyramid post caps.  This system was chosen because aluminum will ensure a sturdy, long-lasting railing with minimal maintenance.

Signature Feature

While reviewing our website, the homeowners saw a photo of a dining rail that was custom designed and built for a previous customer.  We used Deckorators Khaya composite material and built a 24-foot dining rail that we attached to the aluminum deck railing.

The Result

A modern, low-maintenance deck that fits the home, complements the evolving backyard design, and created an outdoor retreat our clients can enjoy for everyday relaxing or hosting friends and family!

Information on the Hillside Overlay Zones

Per the City of Colorado Springs, the HS-O is intended to help development retain unique characteristics while conserving aesthetic qualities and safeguarding natural features – and development requires careful attention to slopes, grading, limits of disturbance to the natural landscape, and vegetation preservation.

For more information, you can visit the City of Colorado Springs website:

https://coloradosprings.gov/planning-and-development/page/hillside-overlay

Click on images below to view larger…

Old wood deck in Flying Horse Colorado Springs that will be removed and replaced with a custom composite deck

Before – The original wood deck was aging and detracted from the outdoor living space our clients were building.

New composite deck with dining rail, closed deck stairs, and aluminum deck railing in Flying Horse

1 – The new, modern deck is a perfect complement to the new backyard design.

Elevated composite deck that features an aluminum deck railing with a custom dining rail added in Flying Horse Colorado Springs

2 – Our clients saw the dining rail pictured on our Custom Deck Railings web page (Photo #$) and asked us to design and build one for their new deck.

Closed deck stairs built on a new composite deck with an aluminum deck railing in Flying Horse

3 – In order to improve the view from the lower patio, we moved the staircase to the other end of the deck.  We built 5′-wide closed deck stairs which adds a touch of elegance, compared to the old wood deck stairs.

New composite deck in Flying Horse Colorado Springs with closed deck stairs, aluminum deck railing, and a custom built dining rail

4 – By moving the deck stairs, we were able to provide our clients with a beautiful view from the lower patio, and it also allowed us to extend the deck out an additional 2-feet.

Custom deck in Flying Horse Colorado Springs with Deckorators Khaya deck boards, aluminum deck railing, and a dining rail

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Custom built composite dining rail added to the aluminum deck railing of a new composite deck in Flying Horse Colorado Springs

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Custom deck built with Deckorators composite deck boards, aluminum deck railing, and a composite dining rail in Flying Horse Colorado Springs

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Interior support post from a stucco column supporting a deck that has been chewed half-way through

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