Baltimore's best decks are sky-high

When Greg and Heidi Bathon gaze out over the rail of their Federal Hill deck, they have a breathtaking view of the city, from the stadiums to the harbor and beyond. But when they turn around, their view of the deck itself is just as compelling.

Greg Bathon, a retired businessman, is an avid gardener, honing his considerable skill on his deck. "When we moved in, the deck looked like a bowling alley," he says. "There was nothing there. We had arches and arcades built to put up vines so we could shade it. I never saw a plant I didn't like."

The Bathons use their 1,200-square-foot deck as another room of their penthouse condo, which at 1,700 square feet is only a little larger than the deck. "We eat out there at night, have people over and my wife plays bridge out there," says Bathon. "We use it all the time except for the dead of winter. It's an extension of our home."

The view from a deck like the Bathons' drives up the value of a home, says Cindy Conklin, a Prudential real estate agent and Federal Hill resident. "A really good harbor view could add $100,000 to the value of a house; a partial view could add $50,000. It's a significant amount of value. There's a finite number of good views from decks."

But even without a spectacular view, rooftop decks can add value to a home. Matt Knoepfle of Building Character, a construction firm specializing in downtown renovations, estimates that a rooftop deck adds at least an additional $5,000 to a house's appraisal, and usually more.

"With the demand for houses these days, a designer or architect would be crazy not to add a deck," he says, estimating that most decks cost between $10,000 and $30,000 to build.

All decks have an interesting view of something, he notes, whether it's the city, the water or simply the yard. Plus, he adds, they add a tangible benefit for city dwellers: privacy.

"In the city, where you're connected to your neighbors, there's not a lot of privacy on the back patio if you have one and out front, you're only 5 or 10 feet from your neighbors' doors," he says. "So if you can get on the roof, you have more privacy, just because you don't have people walking by."

However, privacy sometimes comes with a price: lack of easy access. Experts acknowledge that when deck access is even slightly difficult, people are far less likely to use the space.

"Ease of getting to the deck is what makes it most usable," says Knoeplfe. "Some have spiral staircases, some have staircases all the way from the ground. We build houses with internal staircases so you get to the deck from your living space you walk out a door. You might step outside just to read the paper if you don't have to climb 40 steps to get there."

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Baltimore's best decks are sky-high