Quote Originally Posted by StriderShinryu View Post
Eh, it's pretty much impossible to "design around" them when they literally butt up against the wall of my house in the one corner I'm allowed to place them. I'm not even sure I'd be able to walk around it.

As for making the stargazing deck smaller while still retaining the same design, all they would really have to do is lop off the section with the bookshelf and shorten the seating into a love seat size as opposed to the full four section it is now. That alone would nearly reduce it's footprint by half.
I wonder if your choice of housing skin is playing a role. When I was previewing, I found a decent amount of space still available for decoration on the door side of the house (though it meant placing it against the fence) and a good amount if I tested it on the side of the house.

Don't forget it's also possible to place part of it inside the house skin, further reducing the amount of space it takes. I've done that with the large garden ponds on many occasions.

On the Stargazing Deck, they could make the changes you suggest but I very much doubt they would since it is a Design contest winner and they try to keep the item as close to the original design as possible. You may want to submit an entry with your own idea for a raised deck during the next contest.