ᐅ Terrace Planning for an End-Row House with a Large Garden – What to Consider?

We basically framed our current terrace with a wall made of concrete blocks, which you could quite easily do yourself. We then screwed decking boards on top, creating a seating bench all around. Depending on the number of guests and their needs, we slide the table to one side, giving us additional seating options. You can also break this up with plants or cover the visible side with simple boards—whatever suits your taste.

If you want it to be affordable and attractive, you’ll probably need to think a bit outside the box. But as others have already mentioned, it’s especially important to reassess the actual need and necessity.

7x4 meters (13x8 feet) is not a particularly large terrace, but rather a "suitable" size. However, if you want to build it around a corner, it becomes quite large and – no matter how or with what you build – relatively expensive.

For me, as a DIY enthusiast, only a wooden terrace makes sense, which can be built fairly easily by yourself (I built a similarly sized L-shaped wooden terrace of about 70 square meters (750 square feet) a few years ago). Currently, I have a 40 square meter (430 square feet) wooden terrace again.

In your case, the two terraces could at least be connected by a "path" made of single large-format slabs. For the grill, I would suggest building a small recess on the 7x4 meter (23x13 feet) terrace so the grill is out of the way.

Our terrace is about 7 x 4 meters (23 x 13 feet), and then it extends with a structured planting bed and vegetation by another 4 x 4 meters (13 x 13 feet). However, this additional area is mostly unused by us, meaning we could have done without it and simply placed two lounge chairs on the lawn or similar. So, on a 7-meter (23-foot) terrace, you can already accommodate quite a number of people.

Our daughter also has an L-shaped terrace and married into a large family. On one side there is a grill and a dining table (2.40 meters / 7.9 feet long), and on the other side of the terrace, there is a large seating lounge. When guests visit, most do not stay seated permanently because there is movement—playing with the children, walking to the buffet or grill, going inside to the kitchen area, or to the senior table indoors for those who prefer to avoid unsuitable weather. There is also a fire bowl terrace. Additionally, a beer garden set is set up on the lawn where it is seasonally nicest. What I want to say is: you don’t need a terrace with a fixed number of seats reserved for every possible family member.

Also, where two terraces meet at the corner of a house, nobody usually sits because this spot is rarely the coziest. In their case, that place is now planted with a structured garden bed that transitions from the terrace.

Fundamentally, the same applies in the garden as in interior rooms: walls and furniture create structure and define spaces. In the garden, you create seating areas through planting. Shrubs, bushes, and woody plants require the least maintenance—these structure the space and provide protection from view, wind, and rain. Children’s toys should be placed on soft ground such as lawn or play sand. Lawn and paving require the most upkeep.

The area in front of the bay window is unclear to me, since people usually like to sit in corners. In the design plans, there is no wide area between the bay window and the main terrace. It’s also a question whether one actually exits to the garden from the bay window. Is it really the case that you cannot access the garden directly from the kitchen?

Regarding roofing: check with the local building authority (building permit / planning permission)! However, you do not need to roof everything. People sitting in the garden often want to enjoy open sky during good weather.

It’s a good idea to consult several garden magazines. A Google search or Pinterest often show the same ideas, and now there are expensive AI-generated designs that might not fit your budget.

Also, don’t hesitate to draw everything out to scale, including furniture and planting plans. Usually, good results don’t come without proper planning.

It would be great for the forum and its members to receive some feedback from you regarding the other questions. For example, many people put a lot of effort into the partition wall toward the neighbor.

If the budget is tight, I would set up seating for just the core family. Chairs for larger gatherings can simply be placed on the lawn as needed. This is quite common, for example, in Scandinavia. We do the same for big family celebrations.
The swing can also be placed on the lawn.
Are you even allowed to build such a large terrace (deck) / patio?

haydee schrieb:

Are you even allowed to build such a large terrace?

That’s also why it’s a wooden terrace, which doesn’t seal the ground. It doesn’t count towards the floor space index (I don’t know if there are still any exceptions in any region, but for the plot, it’s like that). So you can gladly build a 180 m² (1,938 sq ft) wooden terrace.

nordanney schrieb:

7x4 is not a particularly large terrace, but rather a "suitable" one.

It’s difficult to define what "suitable" means. As I said, I personally don’t mind larger projects. We recently built a third terrace ourselves as a DIY project, around 25sqm (270 sqft) for evening enjoyment, using larch wood for about €800. Naturally, there are no fixed parameters for what is "right."

Here, however, I read about contracting the work to a company with special materials, plus the 40sqm (430 sqft) area, plus the connection, all apparently with a rather limited budget. I also often see situations where a lot is invested upfront in one area, but then the financial resources run out elsewhere.

In my opinion, a terrace that size, if it should look good, also needs suitable furnishings and edging. Plants contribute as well, and while the entire terrace does not need to be covered, there should at least be sufficient shading options; I haven’t read anything about that, and with that budget, there probably isn’t room for it.

What @ypg wrote above reads like a sensible reality check to me. We also bordered our entire house side here with wood at 1.30m (4 ft 3 in) height, but all done ourselves with inexpensive materials, really just as a visual touch rather than out of necessity.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

Yes. My neighbor has 6 by 3m (20 by 10 ft), which I find much too small, so I want the large terrace, 7 by 4m (23 by 13 ft), so 28sqm (300 sqft).

I would be interested to know the specific reasons why you consider that size too small—is it functionality, appearance, or something else?

I say this knowing that I also usually want everything 1–2 sizes bigger than necessary. I’d rather spend my imagination and energy on nice details, creating niches, integrating plants, etc.

11ant schrieb:

Just put the swings on the lawn and a smaller terrace will be enough.

Exactly. At the time, we built a huge wooden swing set that stood right in the middle of the lawn. Since someone occasionally fell off, it was less of an issue on the grass. Having a swing on the terrace would seem like a design mistake and an unnecessary risk to me. Kids want to get away from the adults anyway—that was at least our experience...

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

I’m also just happy to hear your experience with terraces—what mistakes have you made, what turned out well, what would you do differently, and especially how much did you pay for your terraces?

The respective personal mistakes might not always be specifically named, but they are reflected in the advice given.