Decks & Patios

Deck & Patio Design in Nashville — Where Your Home Meets the Outdoors

A great deck doesn't just attach to your house. It belongs to it.

The best outdoor spaces don’t feel tacked on. They feel like the home always extended this far — like whoever designed the house intended for you to step through those doors and land somewhere that made sense. The proportions are right. The transition is seamless. The view, the flow, the way the light hits in the evening — all of it feels considered.

That’s the difference between a deck that’s built and a deck that’s designed.

At Candid Home Design, we design decks and patios as genuine extensions of your home — not as afterthoughts bolted to the back wall. Because most of our deck and patio projects arrive as part of a larger remodel or addition, we have the rare ability to plan your outdoor space in concert with your indoor space from the very beginning. The door lands in the right place. The grade is accounted for. The roofline connection is solved on paper before anyone picks up a tool. The result is an outdoor space that feels like it was always part of the plan — because with us, it was.

Why Decks and Patios Need Real Design — Not Just a Build Quote

A lot of homeowners skip the design step on outdoor projects. They describe what they want to a contractor, the contractor sketches something out, and construction begins. It works — until it doesn’t. Until the deck blocks the kitchen window. Until the grade wasn’t accounted for and water runs toward the foundation. Until the structure doesn’t meet code and the permit gets flagged. Until the finished deck is perfectly built but completely wrong for the house it’s attached to.

Proper design prevents all of that. It means thinking through how the outdoor space connects to the interior, how it handles the site’s topography, how the structure attaches to the home safely and correctly, and how the whole thing will be used by the actual family living there — before a single board is cut.

We produce permit-ready construction documents for every deck and patio project we design. That means your contractor has real drawings to work from, your building department has what they need for approval, and your finished project is built correctly — structurally, legally, and spatially.

Decks and Patios We Design

Attached Decks

An attached deck is one of the most impactful ways to expand your home’s usable living space — extending the interior outward and creating a transition zone between inside and outside that both spaces benefit from. When designed as part of a remodel or addition, an attached deck can be planned in tandem with new doors, updated interior layouts, and exterior modifications that make the connection feel completely intentional.

We design attached decks that are structurally sound, properly ledger-connected to your home’s framing, and sized and positioned to complement the architecture rather than compete with it. Whether you’re working with a challenging grade, an awkward door placement, or a roofline that needs to be extended to cover the space, we design through those complications rather than around them.

Multi-Level Decks

When your yard has grade changes — or when you want to create distinct zones for dining, lounging, and transition — a multi-level deck is often the right answer. These projects are among the more complex deck designs we take on: managing structural connections between levels, designing staircase transitions that feel natural, and ensuring the overall composition reads as cohesive rather than stacked.

Multi-level decks also open up design possibilities that flat decks don’t — built-in seating at grade transitions, planting beds integrated between levels, lower patios that connect to the yard. We think through all of it at the design stage so the finished project feels complete from every angle.

Covered Decks and Pergolas

A covered deck or pergola transforms an outdoor space from a fair-weather amenity into a year-round room. Shade in the summer, shelter from a passing rain, a defined overhead plane that makes the space feel like a room rather than just a platform — coverage changes how much a deck gets used and how much your family enjoys it.

Covered structures attached to the home require careful structural design — the attachment point, the beam sizing, the post placement, and the roof or pergola framing all need to be engineered correctly and permitted properly. We design covered decks and pergola structures that are built to last, tied in correctly to your home’s existing structure, and proportioned to feel like a natural part of the architecture rather than a shade sail stretched between posts.

Patios — Concrete and Pavers

Not every outdoor living space needs to be elevated. A well-designed patio — whether poured concrete, stamped concrete, or a carefully laid paver system — can be just as much of a destination as any deck, with the added benefit of a ground-level connection to the yard that decks can’t offer.

We design patios as part of broader outdoor living plans, often in combination with decks, retaining walls, or covered structures. The design work focuses on drainage and grade, the relationship between the patio and the home’s entry points, and how the hardscape integrates with the surrounding landscape. A patio that pools water, sits at the wrong elevation relative to the door threshold, or fights the natural grade of the yard is a frustration you’ll live with every day. Getting those details right on paper first is exactly what the design process is for.

The Advantage of Designing Inside and Outside Together

Most deck designers only think about the deck. We think about the deck and the house it connects to — because most of the time, we’re already working on the house.

When your outdoor space is designed in concert with a remodel or addition, something important becomes possible: the two can be planned as a single cohesive project. The new great room gets doors positioned to open onto the deck at the right point. The kitchen addition is oriented so the outdoor dining area is immediately accessible. The addition’s roofline is extended to cover the deck transition. The grade of the yard is accounted for in the foundation design.

These aren’t details you can retrofit easily. They have to be planned from the beginning. And for homeowners who are already undertaking a larger project, bringing the outdoor space into that conversation from the start almost always produces a better result — inside and out.

Simple Decks to Complex Outdoor Structures — We Work at Every Scale

Not every deck project is a multi-level covered structure with an integrated patio. Sometimes you need a clean, well-proportioned attached deck with a straightforward permit set. We design those too — efficiently, correctly, and at a price point that makes sense for the scope.

If you’re not sure what your project needs, or whether your outdoor vision is realistic given your home’s site and structure, the consultation is exactly the right place to start. Bring us your ideas — rough or fully formed — and we’ll help you understand what’s possible.

Why Homeowners Choose Candid Home Design for Deck and Patio Projects

Outdoor spaces designed as part of the whole home — not as an isolated afterthought
Permit-ready construction documents for every project — drawings your contractor and building department can actually use
Experience with complex structural tie-ins, multi-level designs, and covered structures attached to the home
Close to 300 completed projects across multiple states — we’ve solved the site challenges, grade complications, and roofline connections that trip up less experienced designers
Family-owned and operated — we treat your outdoor space with the same care as every room inside your home
Remote-ready process — serving Greater Nashville and homeowners throughout the Southeast and beyond

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to build a deck in Tennessee?

In most Tennessee jurisdictions, yes — any deck attached to the home or over a certain height above grade requires a building permit. Permit requirements vary by county and municipality, so we always design to meet local code requirements and produce permit-ready drawings as part of every project.

What is the difference between a deck and a patio?

A deck is an elevated structure, typically built from wood or composite decking material and supported by a post-and-beam frame. A patio is a ground-level hardscape surface — concrete, pavers, or stone — that sits at or near grade. Both extend your usable living space outdoors; the right choice depends on your site’s topography, your home’s entry points, and how you want to use the space.

Do I need a building designer for a deck or patio?

For straightforward ground-level patios, a designer isn’t always required. For attached decks, covered structures, multi-level designs, or any project that involves structural connection to your home, having proper design drawings protects you — ensuring the project is built correctly, permitted properly, and structurally sound. We also frequently catch site and grade issues during the design phase that would have caused expensive problems during construction.

Can you design a deck as part of a larger remodel?

Yes — and this is actually where we do some of our best work. Designing an outdoor space in concert with an interior remodel or addition allows both to be planned as a unified project, with door placements, roofline connections, and grade transitions all resolved together. If you’re already planning a remodel, it’s worth bringing the outdoor conversation into that process from the start.

Can you design a deck or patio if I'm outside of Nashville?

Yes. Our design process is remote-first and we work with homeowners throughout the Southeast and beyond. Reach out and let’s talk about your project.

All projects start with our

Build Feasibility Study

Determine whether your project is feasible, BEFORE you spend thousands in design and construction.

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Serving Greater Nashville — Brentwood, Franklin, Gallatin, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, and surrounding Middle Tennessee — plus remote home addition design throughout the Southeast and beyond.