Two floors above the downtown Fayetteville square, Ted and Leslie Belden are settling in for a family movie night. Leslie’s curled up on the sofa with the couple’s five-year-old grandson, Hayden; Ted is relaxing in an upholstered armchair nearby. As the opening credits roll, a quick flick of a switch lights a terra-cotta fire pit nestled into the seating area, and the family catches a glimpse of the sunset through the terrace hedges.
It may be on a roof, and it may be a deck, but to call the Beldens’ recently renovated outdoor living space simply a roof deck would be an understatement. When the couple moved into Fayetteville’s historic Campbell-Bell building 10 years ago, the empty nesters were delighted to trade yard work for the ease of city living. But as their daughters’ young families started to grow, the Beldens knew they needed a more family-oriented retreat.
“What we wanted most dearly was an outdoor space to enjoy with our family,” says Leslie, “a place where our grandkids could go out and spill their juice and ride a tricycle.”
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