A deck can have enough square footage and still fail in daily use. Doors can open into furniture, a grill can block circulation, stairs can arrive in the wrong part of the yard, or railing posts can interrupt the view people cared about most.
For a Taylorsville project, sketch the major zones with real dimensions and resolve the stair route before finalizing the footprint. That gives decking color, board direction, fascia, railing, lighting coordination, and finish details a sound layout to support.
Replacement projects deserve the same discipline. Rebuilding the old footprint without questioning it can preserve the exact problems the new project was supposed to solve.