Columbus, OH and Central Ohio
Multi Level Decks in Columbus, OH
When the garden falls away or the house opens at two different levels, a single flat rectangle fights the ground it sits on. Stepping the deck down with the grade usually works out cheaper than one tall platform.
- Piers set below the frost depth
- Approvals and sign off dealt with
- A written scope first
Columbus Custom Decks designs and constructs stepped and two storey decks across Columbus and Central Ohio, shaped to the fall of the ground instead of fighting it.
When the garden drops away, or the house opens onto two different heights, a single flat rectangle is the wrong answer to the problem in front of you.
Layouts that work
Two levels, stepped
By far the most common. A main level at door height with a second level two or three risers below, offset so each one ends up with a usable shape. It answers most gently falling yards and adds surprisingly little over a single level covering the same total area.
Walkout deck above a lower patio deck
An upper deck off the kitchen and a ground level deck or patio outside the basement door, linked by a stair run. The natural solution on a walkout lot, and it doubles the usable outdoor area for far less than doubling the upper deck would cost.
On the wooded, falling ground around Powell this is close to the standard job, because walkout basements came with most of the housing stock there and the land simply does not allow a single level.
Three levels in a cascade
Where the ground falls sharply, along the ravines that cut toward the Scioto and the Olentangy. Levels step down the slope, each kept small enough to read as a distinct space. More stairs and more guard are involved, and it avoids the retaining wall that one large level would demand.
Second storey deck with a stair tower
Off a kitchen or bedroom on an upper floor, with a stair descending to the yard. The engineering leads the design here: tall posts, lateral bracing, a stringer run landing on its own footing, and a house connection detailed for lateral load rather than weight alone.
Designing the levels
Where the steps land
Two or three risers between levels. One riser is a trip hazard because nobody sees it, so we either find more fall or keep the deck flat. Four or more calls for a handrail, which changes both the look and the cost, so most stepped decks are drawn to land on two or three on purpose.
Giving each level a purpose
A level too small to furnish is decoration. We size each one around what will actually sit there: a table and six chairs wants roughly twelve by twelve feet of clear space, a pair of loungers and a fire table wants less than most people assume, and a grill needs clearance from the house and from the guard.
Sight lines and guard
Stepping down turns the guard on the upper level into a visual wall when you stand on the lower one. Aluminium or cable keeps that view open, while heavy wood balusters close it off completely. It matters more on a stepped deck than a flat one, and it is easy to miss on a drawing.
What holds it up
More footings, shorter posts
Every level wants its own beam line and its own footings. That means more holes and more concrete than a single level, offset by posts a fraction of the height, and that trade is exactly where the savings in material and bracing come from.
Lateral bracing where it runs tall
Wherever posts pass about six feet, diagonal bracing or an engineered moment connection keeps the frame from racking. Older tall decks in this market often lack it, and it is a routine finding on our repair visits rather than a rare one.
Water between levels
Rain leaving the upper level lands on the lower one, which is harmless until the lower one is furnished. On a walkout that is precisely the case for an under deck drainage system, catching the water at the joist line and piping it clear so the lower level stays dry and usable in rain.
Where we build multi level decks
Across Columbus, Dublin, Upper Arlington, Westerville, New Albany and Powell.
Powell produces the most by a wide margin. The ground falls on most lots there, walkout basements were standard with the subdivisions, and on that kind of land a deck has to go up rather than out.
Deck cost in Columbus, OH
Set the size and finish, then read the installed range we price from before anyone picks up a phone.
Why homeowners pick Columbus Custom Decks
Piers set below the frost depth
Ground in central Ohio lifts and settles with every freeze. Each post lands on a poured pier that reaches past the frost depth, and that is what keeps a deck flat across a decade of heave and thaw.
Approvals and sign off dealt with
We prepare the drawings, lodge the permit and stand with the inspector, then hand you the signed approval. A deck built without one belongs to the seller at closing.
A written scope first
Boards, framing detail, fixings, schedule and cost all on paper before work begins. Any later change is documented and agreed, never verbal.
Multi Level Decks questions we get asked
Does a stepped deck cost more than a single level one?
Per square foot, normally a little more, since you are paying for extra stairs, extra guard and additional footings. In total, often less, because the alternative on falling ground is one very tall platform with long posts, heavy lateral bracing and a stair tower at one end. Following the grade down removes most of that structure and most of that cost along with it.
Why would my property need a stepped deck?
Where the ground drops more than about two feet across the depth of the deck, a single level either floats awkwardly high at the far end or needs a retaining wall to make any sense. Stepping follows the natural fall, keeps each level close to the ground beneath it and creates distinct zones instead of one large platform you must furnish all at once.
How many risers belong between levels?
Two or three reads best and walks most naturally. A single riser is a trip hazard because the eye does not register the change, so where only one riser of fall exists we either hold the deck flat or look for another eight inches of drop somewhere else. Anything past four risers requires a handrail, which alters both the look and the price.
May each level use a different material?
Technically yes, and we do it now and then, most often composite on the main entertaining level and treated on a lower utility one. The join has to look intentional and the transition has to be clean, or it reads as the budget running out halfway. Most people end up happier with one material across a slightly smaller deck.
Do two storey decks require extra bracing?
Yes. Tall posts need lateral bracing to resist racking, and the connection back into the house must carry lateral load rather than only downward weight. Code on this tightened considerably over the last fifteen years, and missing lateral connections are the most common serious defect we find on older tall decks around Powell.
What happens in the space under the upper level?
Left open, it becomes shaded storage and the place the mower lives. With an under deck drainage system and a finished ceiling it turns into a dry outdoor room, which on a walkout basement is the best value square footage anywhere in the project and the feature people most often wish they had planned from the start.