On Deck

Decking Trend - A Time that Tries Men's Souls

Someone once said that “these are the times that try men’s souls”.  I think we’re living in such a time again.  Economic events are such that contractors are switching industries in order to make a living.  We’ve felt this shift in the decking/remodeling industry as many contractors in the “new construction” area have migrated over in search of work.  But the inherent problem is that new construction contractors aren’t remodelers!  So what we’re already seeing are prices being driven down (good for the consumer).  But something that is all too predictable is that somewhere down the road, the dirt-cheap work will start to bend, brake, crack and fade…leading the consumers to have to spend even more on replacement (bad for the consumer in the long run).

This is really the driving reason why we’ve done less work than last year.  Our marketing has actually improved, but the available work has largely been eaten up by a tsunami of new “remodelers”.  And while I can’t blame them for trying to feed their families, I must attempt to educate consumers on what’s going on.  Fortunately, due to the good relationship we’ve built with our past customers, we still have some work.  I credit the close relationship with them to a couple of things.  First, we’ve made a big effort to maintain all originally-built Tailor Decks since the company’s inception back in 1994.  And second, we’re prompt with maintenance and/or warranty issues.  Our commitment to stay close has meant (in addition to a phone call from time to time), mailers that are sent two to three times a year telling our past customers (or new “inherited” deck owners) what’s going on.

As far as new business, lowering prices to compete with the new contractors is a no-win situation.  The truth is that someone else is always willing to go out of business faster than you.  So, we at Tailor Decks will not compete when it comes to losing money or building an inferior product.  We have the most competitive pricing we’ve ever offered but still have a minimum cost line that we must adhere to (including cost of materials, workers comp, insurance, taxes, etc.).  Unfortunately, we’ve have to watch the spectacle of competitors pricing themselves out of the market and consumers “getting what they pay for” from the sidelines.  It’s a time of real evaluation for all.

Exotic Hardwoods

I’ve written some posts on composite decking but haven’t yet touched on the “elegant” stuff, namely the exotic hardwoods.  Needless to say, you can find some very beautiful wood in the exotic group.  But as with most things, there are down sides.

I’m going to here on Ipe (pronounced EE-pay), the most popular of the exotics.  Ipe has been around for a long time (it’s wood after all, ha) but has really become popular in the decking/remodeling world for the last five years or so due to heavy marketing.  I was first introduced to this beautiful wood at a home show at the World Congress Center back in 1989 as it really caught my attention way back then.  (I typically tell people it’s like Thomasville Furniture.)  The contractor who introduced me to the wood was using it as an alternative to cedar and pressure treated pine.

We’ve had the opportunity to build several decks using Ipe around Atlanta.  My evaluation is that it’s probably the most beautiful material you can build with.  The biggest problem though with the wood is its density / inflexibility.  The density prevents it from absorbing stain necessary to shield it from inclement weather.  This translates into checking and cupping of the material.  (“Checking” refers to small surface cracks that are developed due to weather change.)  And this all leads to more frequent maintenance having to be performed.  I recommend (at least) two maintenance sessions a year if the wood is in the sun.

The inflexibility comes into play when it comes time for deck railing.  Because of its density, Ipe is very hard to work with (cut).  This is why most Ipe flooring contractors use a different material for the railing.  The problem is that even when trying to stain other material to match the Ipe below, it never really looks the same…and falls short.  Bottom line…if money is no object, go with the Ipe.  I think there’s better value though using other material.

Built-in Enthusiasm

I must say I’ve been doing the deck thing for a long time now.  If it wasn’t something I was born to do (it is), then I would have given it up long ago.  But even in challenging times, I (practically) dance out of bed in the morning.  I hope everyone has the chance to feel the same about the vocation they choose.

That aside though...times are making it difficult right now. When I first opened Tailor Decks 15 years ago, I was handling virtually every aspect…including sales. Back then, I remember building during the day and introducing our services during the evenings or weekends. I did the accounting and payroll on Thursday nights. (I’ve worn so many hats my hair has started to wear thin!) The sales hat has never been a favorite of mine.

I don’t think I’ve ever regarded myself as much of a "salesman". I think most of the work we’ve gotten has been due to the fact that we’ve had great customers who have passed the word.  If I said that I have great "technique", I think I’d be flattering myself.  But there are a couple things that I’ve maintained and communicate with prospects even today that I think are valuable.  Those things include a pretty large knowledge base about decks…along with enthusiasm.  Someone told me once that sales is just the transference of enthusiasm…and I believe that. Fortunately, enthusiasm about decks for me isn't contrived...it's pretty automatic.

Some things have definitely changed over the years.  Technology through emailing and websites (along with the really newfangled stuff like Twitter) has helped us communicate better.  But with the increase in competition, more products, an economic contraction, and legal considerations, it’s really more challenging to put up a deck than ever.  If you let it get to you it will.  I just keep thinking about the transfer of enthusiasm…and that gets me through any storm.

Atlanta Decks

As I’ve posted before, I happen to think that Atlanta provides the best setting for decks in the world…the climate, foliage and culture all provide us with a wonderfully natural backdrop for beautiful decks.  And I think this is one of the reasons the composite material has had such a hard time here.

Many homeowners aren’t aware that most of the decks produced in Atlanta are built with wood as opposed to composite.  But this isn’t the case around the rest of the country where composite is pretty popular.  Atlanta is really a “hold-out” city in terms of composite use…and I believe that, in the long-run, we will reverse the national trend back to wood.

Composites have been around now for about fifteen years.  Back when the material was first getting some serious press, I remember being shown a bench that had been made of composite before the popular Trex brand came around.  The benches looked pretty good but when I went to sit on one, I was  surprised by how spongy it felt. My friend’s take was that the sponginess was good as it “had some give to it”. 

As I look back on that along with many composite experiences since, I’ve developed a pretty “rigid” perspective on it.  My take on it today (in addition to others I’ve asked) is that I prefer structures like these to be solid and sound.  When I sit on a bench, I expect it be solid without much “give”.  Further, when I walk on a deck, I expect it to be strong and supportive.  And while composites have come a ways in terms of aesthetics, it’s still miles away from the true natural look that wood provides.  The bottom line is that composites really have a “natural” disadvantage as a building material.  My prediction for Atlanta decks and decks around the country is that we’ll continue to see advances on wood treatment (such as our TailorWood) that will cushion the long-term lead of wood over composite.  What are your thoughts on this?

Atlanta Decks and Screened Porches

The very first deck I ever built was in 1987 in a suburb outside of Louisville, Kentucky. I was attending a building construction school nearby and working with a classmate who needed some help on a remodeling project he was working on.  The project consisted of the removal of an exterior wall and an addition to the house which had French doors leading out to large deck.

The deck on this house was pretty awesome. It was approximately 12’ x 20’ and had the outside bayed which gave it a great look. The flooring was 5/4” board pressure treat pine with rounded edges. The railing consisted of 2” x 2” wood pickets that were nailed into the side deck bands… and sandwiched in by 2x4’s on each side at the top and a 5/4 board piece of decking for the railcap.

Twenty two years later, when I look back at this first project, I find it amazing the difference in the work we did on that deck and the work we do today. The Atlanta decks and screened porches that are put up today are simply incredible.  The materials, the technology, the processes, everything…seems to have progressed in leaps and bounds over the years.

And Atlanta, being in my opinion the “hotbed” of decking, is such a great place to create them.  The weather is nice 9 months out of the year.  And people just want to live outside and enjoy their yards which are so beautifully landscaped.  While economic times may be challenging, it’s hard to deny that we’re practically living in a decking fantasyland.

One Atlanta Custom Deck Builder’s Journey

Some people never really find what they were born to do.  Fortunately, that was never a problem for me.  As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved building projects with wood. It didn’t matter whether it was a wooden go-cart, a piece of furniture, or gifts for family and friends.  In grade school and high school, you could always find me in a woodworking class.  Once, while having dental work done, I missed school for three days but showed up anyway to my advanced woodworking class to finish a gossip bench for my sister.  (I told the teacher to mark me absent, which he did.)

My first big project was remodeling an old house that I bought in the summer of 1984. The house was built in the late 1880’s and served as a salon for people going up and down the river beside my hometown in Indiana. Before I purchased the property, there had been additions made to it several times over the years.  I remember being shocked by the lack of uniformity of the house when it was built…not one part of the house was level or square.  Anyway, by the time I finished remodeling it, I decided that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

One day while framing a house I noticed a man across the street building a gazebo.  Thinking that it looked like a lot of fun, I went over and learned everything I could from him about building gazebos.  I told a framing colleague that I found what I’d be doing going forward.  From that point on, I learned all about gazebos and decks and have never looked back (until this blog post).  I guess then that it’s not too hard to imagine the evolution of a kid that builds wooden go-carts to an Atlanta custom deck builder after all.