The only space I would have inside is a spare bedroom and if my son and liberal sister-in-law and husband came, the three bedrooms would be used.
No one can see in my garden. This is a row of townhouses and there is a very high solid thick brick wall between our gardens. It takes a ladder to get high enough to look over the brick walls. There are older people here and I think in an emergency situation, the families of these people would come get them. That is what happens when a hurricane comes through - the families get their parents out of here.
This place is gated and no one gets in. It’s also so hidden no one can find the street that goes to this place unless they have been here before and even then, it’s hard to find. I have to watch or I will pass the street myself.
Point is, my small garden is hidden from eyes. I have a rather large deck out there and think that’s where this project would be. Less bugs should happen too if it’s not on the ground.
Your deck sounds like an ideal space for some plants to me. You could even do a little sq foot gardening which also takes up less space than regular gardening. Mels got a book that my daughter loaned me when I first got started with my raised beds.
http://www.squarefootgardening.org/whatissfg#!__whatissfg/vstc74=newsnphotos