ᐅ Step down from the living room to the terrace?

Hello dear forum,

we are currently planning our garden. Now the question is whether to have a step leading onto the terrace or to have it almost level with the floor.

We have a concrete slab that is about 15 cm (6 inches) lower than the indoor floor level.

If we decide to have a step, we would place a prefabricated step in front of the terrace door and lay the paving slabs on a layer of crushed stone on the concrete slab.

If we want the terrace to be level with the floor, we would first need to put a layer of gravel on the concrete slab, then crushed stone, and then the paving slabs.

Our gut feeling is that a step might be useful because of rain and snow. However, everyone says that it’s not a problem and that a step is not necessary. If we use gravel to raise the level, we would have to fix the outer terrace slabs in concrete and could only lay the inner slabs on crushed stone to keep everything stable.

What do you think about this topic?
What would you do, and what should we definitely consider?
We would be very grateful for your opinions and tips, as we unfortunately have no experience.

Best regards,
Ivonne

neutri80 schrieb:

What would you do and what should we definitely keep in mind?

Always without a step. I find that really annoying.
For a slab flooring, don’t forget the drainage channel. You could easily install wood without a step on the concrete slab. In that case, I would also skip the drainage channel.

nordanney schrieb:

Always without a step. I find it really annoying.
If using slab paving, don’t forget a drainage channel. Wood could be installed fairly easily on the concrete slab without a step. Then I would also skip the drainage channel.

Thank you very much for your reply.
We were thinking about concrete slabs. We are considering the Kann Fiori. They are not too expensive.
So, would we need to install a channel in front of the door? Or can it be placed under the surface? Sorry for the silly questions, but we really have no idea.

neutri80 schrieb:

So, would we need to install a channel drain in front of the door then?

Example (but it would also have to be connected to the drainage system):

nordanney schrieb:

Example (but it must then also be connected to the drainage):

That looks like a sliding door, so it’s completely flush, right? We don’t have a sliding door. So we basically have to step over the frame. Do you need to do it like that as well?

Always without a step whenever possible.