Guide

Deck vs Patio: Which One Your Yard Actually Wants

A patio costs a third of a deck and lasts twice as long. A deck recoups more at resale and works on a slope, where a patio needs a retaining wall. Your yard usually decides it before your budget does.

The table

Eight lines, side by side

The same 320 square feet both ways, which is a 16 by 20 outdoor space and about the most common size we build.

	Deck	Patio
Installed cost	$15 to $75 per sq ft	$5 to $17 per sq ft
Typical 320 sq ft job	$8,000 to $19,000	$2,560 to $5,760
Recouped at resale	65 to 75 percent	50 to 70 percent
Maintenance	Clean and recoat every 2 to 6 years	Occasional cleaning, resand pavers
Realistic lifespan	15 to 30 years in wood, longer in composite	50 years or more
Permit	Usually, once attached or over 30 in high	Usually not, it is at grade
Works on a slope	Yes, that is its advantage	Needs grading or a retaining wall
Hot underfoot	Composite gets hot, wood less so	Concrete and stone get very hot

Cost, resale and lifespan figures from HomeGuide's deck and patio cost comparison. Permit thresholds are set locally; 30 inches above grade is the usual trigger here.

Reading the table

What those numbers mean in practice

Three of those lines actually decide it, and the resale percentages are not among them.

Cost is not close, patio wins by two to three times

$2,560 to $5,760 for a 320 sq ft patio, against $8,000 to $19,000 for a deck.

Poured concrete is $5 to $15 a square foot and pavers $10 to $17. A deck starts at $15 for pressure-treated pine and runs to $75 for exotic hardwood. On the same footprint a patio is 30 to 60 percent cheaper, and that gap is the single biggest fact in this comparison.

The catch. On a sloping yard the grading, fill or retaining wall a patio needs can close the entire gap. Get that priced before you decide on cost.

The slope decides more than the budget, deck wins on any real grade

a deck spans grade a patio has to sit on it.

A deck is built on posts, so it does not care what the ground does underneath it. That is its genuine structural advantage, and on the sloped lots common across Durham and west Raleigh it is usually the deciding factor rather than a preference.

The catch. On a flat lot that advantage is worth nothing, and you are paying for framing you did not need.

Lifespan and upkeep, patio wins over twenty years

50 years or more against 15 to 30 for a wood deck.

Concrete and pavers need cleaning and the occasional resanding. A wood deck needs recoating every two to six years, and that recurring cost is the part left out of most comparisons. Over twenty years it is thousands.

The catch. Composite decking closes most of this gap, which is why it costs more up front. Our decking material guide has the arithmetic.

Resale, closer than the percentages suggest

65 to 75 percent recouped on a deck, against 50 to 70 on a patio.

A deck recoups a higher share, and because it costs more it usually adds more dollars. But you spent two to three times as much to get there, so as a return on what you laid out it is much closer than the headline percentages imply.

The catch. Neither one is an investment. Build the one you will use, because that is the return you actually collect.

What we usually recommend

Deck at the door, patio further out

The split that works most often is not one or the other. A deck at floor level off the back door, for grilling and sitting, then steps down to a patio for a fire pit or a dining table.

It works because the two materials are good at different things. The deck gives you level access from the house without a step down, which matters far more in daily use than people expect. The patio gives you a large hard surface for the cost of concrete.

It also spreads the spend. Deck one season, patio the next, which is how a good number of our clients do it and why we quote the two separately.

If it has to be one, the shortcut is the grade. A real slope means a deck. A flat lot and a tight budget means a patio. Everything else is preference, and preference is a fine reason.

Deck and patio work by Lamar Homes in the Triangle

Questions

Deck and patio questions

Is a deck or a patio cheaper?

A patio, by a wide margin. Poured concrete runs $5 to $15 a square foot and pavers $10 to $17, against $15 to $75 for a deck depending on the material. On the same 320 square feet that is roughly $2,500 to $5,800 against $8,000 to $19,000.

Does a deck or a patio add more value?

A deck recoups a higher percentage, 65 to 75 percent against 50 to 70 for a patio, but it also costs two to three times as much. In dollars added the deck is usually ahead; in return on what you spent, it is closer than the percentages suggest.

Which lasts longer, a deck or a patio?

A patio, easily. Concrete and pavers can run fifty years or more with nothing but cleaning. A wood deck is 15 to 30 years here and needs recoating every few years in between, and that ongoing cost is the part people leave out of the comparison.

Can I put a patio on a sloping yard?

Only after you deal with the slope, which means grading, fill or a retaining wall, and that cost can close the whole gap between a patio and a deck. On a genuinely sloped lot a deck is usually both cheaper and better.

Do I need a permit for a patio?

Usually not, because it sits at grade and carries no structural load. Some jurisdictions do limit how much impervious surface you can add to a lot, so it is worth a call either way. A deck attached to the house almost always needs one.

Which is better in Carolina heat?

A covered deck beats both. In the open, a wood deck stays cooler underfoot than concrete or dark composite, and a patio in full sun is genuinely uncomfortable barefoot in July. Shade matters more than material.

Can I have both?

Often the best answer: a deck off the back door at floor level for grilling and sitting, steps down to a patio for a fire pit or a table. It also spreads the spend across two seasons, which is how plenty of our clients do it.

Keep reading

Related guides and calculators

If a deck is winning, these are the next three decisions.

Deck cost calculator

Size and material to an installed range for the Triangle.

Types of decks

Six builds, and the ledger detail that fails most often.

The best decking material

Five materials on cost, lifespan and the upkeep nobody quotes.

Trex vs TimberTech

The two big composites, line by line.

Deck building and repair

What we build and what it costs here.

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