Designing an Outdoor Living Space Around a Lake View

Design from a seated eye height, not standing

Nearly every disappointing lake deck was designed by people standing on the site. Standing, you see over the rail. Sitting in a chair, your eye is roughly 44 inches off the deck — which is barely above a 36-inch guardrail once you add a top cap and a chair that reclines. We stake the deck, set a chair at the planned elevation, and look. That fifteen-minute exercise changes more designs than any drawing.

Railings: the single biggest view decision

Code requires a guard at most lake-lot elevations, so the question is which one disappears. Glass panels disappear entirely and show water spots. Cable rail nearly disappears at distance and needs periodic tensioning. Thin powder-coated aluminum pickets are the middle ground and the most forgiving on a windy, pollen-heavy site.

• Glass — best view, most cleaning, highest cost.
• Cable — excellent view, minimal visual weight, requires tension checks.
• Slim aluminum — very good view, lowest maintenance, best value.
• Wood pickets — most visual obstruction; we steer lake clients away from them at seated height.

Roof pitch, headers and the framed view

A covered structure frames the water like a picture. Drop the header too low and you crop the sky and the far shoreline; raise it and the porch gains light and air but takes on more sun and rain intrusion. On west-facing Lake Murray lots we usually extend the overhang or add a lower shed extension over the seating end, because afternoon glare off the water is intense from spring through fall.

Zoning the space so the view isn't blocked by your own furniture

Cooking, dining and lounging all want different relationships to the water. The rule we use: lounge seating gets the water edge, dining sits behind it, and the kitchen or grill goes to the side against the house where the hood, gas and water runs are short. Keeping the outdoor kitchen off the view wall also keeps smoke and heat away from where people sit.