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Evolution Specialist of the Year Q. How did you get your start in construction? I have always enjoyed building things. I grew up on a rural family farm in Kansas and I learned to weld things out of metal as a teen. From personal experience, we knew that if we built something on the farm out of wood, we would need to replace it. However, if we built it out of metal, our grandchildren would be able to use it one day. We moved out to Colorado Springs in 2012 because we had always wanted to live near the mountains. Two years later, StoneCroft Construction was born. From the very beginning, we’ve focused on building decks because these structures blend our love of construction and the outdoors. Q. When did you first come to use steel decking framing and why Fortress Evolution? We assembled a beta deck with Evolution steel deck framing in 2018—it was hook, line and sinker. I knew it was a fit for us. Our company focuses on building decks that are as beautiful as they are strong, and as strong as they are beautiful. Steel framing allows us to carry out this vision. We made the complete shift to the Fortress framing system a year later and never looked back. In fact, we just completed our 58th steel deck framing project. We believe in steel because here in the Southern Rockies, wood is exposed to dramatic fluxes in temperature and extreme weather conditions. The dry heat of summer, paired with the wet, cold of winter, can wreak havoc on wood frame decks. It’s not uncommon for typical builder grade decks around here to show signs of deterioration after exposure to moisture or begin warping with drastic changes in temperature. These issues can cause critical places Owner:
“Building” and “philosophy” may seem like subjects that are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the latter should come into play for builders. Most successful contractors don’t just build stuff. They have a mindset that includes specific ideas of what they are about. They develop their own style, the customer experience they want to deliver, and the types of projects they want to build. They possess beliefs of what reflects well on them as a builder, and a proven approach to people. They have set standards that they operate within and look at their business as a long-term undertaking. They understand that decisions made now affect them in the future. They build and maintain a reputation accordingly and know what they want to be known for. They don’t just take jobs. They match themselves up with projects and customers that fit. They don’t just ask customers what they want and give free estimates. They consult and help them understand their options and lead them through a process. The best will not deviate from their standards even if a customer would spend money with them for something cheaper. They realize that sometimes something cheaper doesn’t reflect well on them in the long run, so the profit gained up front doesn’t outweigh the potential consequences of a less than stellar reputation down the road. Their philosophy is to operate in a way that includes most, if not all, of the above aspects and one that they can be proud of. It also provides the best chance of a positive long-term reputation, success as a business, and profitability. So, what is your approach to building? Do you challenge yourself with the job types or do you offer options because they are easier to build? Do you deliver the kind of projects you
With any luck, the global pandemic will soon be in the rearview mirror. It has been devastating for countless families and small businesses who have suffered loss of life and livelihood. Ironically, for anyone who has anything to do with building, the pandemic has created unparalleled consumer demand for home-related products and services. That combined with historically low interest rates has caused a buying frenzy that has resulted in labor and material shortages not experienced in recent times. A shortage of skilled labor certainly is not breaking news. However, who would have dreamed that we would experience vinyl and potassium shortages and that lumber prices would go through the roof? Making a decent profit can be a challenge under the best of circumstances, but it can be a real chore when labor and materials are in short supply and prices fluctuate at the blink of an eye. That’s where contingency comes in. The Oxford Dictionary defines contingency as “a future event or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty.” That pretty much describes what’s going on in construction world. The idea of including a contingency in your cost estimates should not be a new phenomenon. A contingency is a cost that should be included in every cost estimate even in the best of times when prices are stable, and labor is readily available. You might say that you don’t need a separate line item for contingency because you mark up your labor and materials such that you can make a decent profit. That might work for some, but for many who offer material and finish allowances to their clients, it can be problematic and confusing. You will always need to mark up your product to make a profit. And you should also always include a contingency to
HGTV expert Alison Victoria lends her insight Now more than ever outdoor living is in! While homeowners have increasingly invested time and money into their yards in recent years, 2020 saw interest in outdoor living spike to unprecedented levels as homeowners everywhere adjusted to a new normal by reimagining how to use and enjoy their exterior spaces. As a result, the outdoor living design trends for 2021 have never been more inventive. “The COVID-19 pandemic has prioritized how we view and use our homes,” said Leslie Adkins, vice president of marketing for Trex Co. “With people spending more time at home, outdoor space has never been more important. It’s where we start our days with a morning cup of coffee, where we enjoy some much-needed fresh air over an al fresco lunch break, where we relish a change of scenery after a day of screen fatigue, and where we can visit safely with friends and family.” Each year, Trex captures input from consumers, contractors, retailers and industry insiders to compile its annual Outdoor Living Forecast. For 2021, the brand teamed with celebrity designer Alison Victoria, star of HGTV’s Windy City Rehab, Rock the Block, and Ty Breakers, to identify four trends expected to shape the outdoor living landscape in 2021. 1. Outdoor Offices Among the top trends predicted for the coming year is the emergence of outdoor workspaces. With working from home and remote learning expected to continue well into 2021, contractors report increased interest in outdoor spaces that can comfortably and functionally accommodate professionals and students. Requests for stylish sheds and backyard cottages are on the rise. Pergolas, too, are in high demand. In fact, leading home design site Houzz is calling 2021 “the Year of the Pergola” due to their versatility and affordability. A relatively easy addition to
How pros have done business better during COVID Deck builders across the country are taking note of some of the biggest lessons they’ve learned and logging them away for the future. Planning is Vital Mark King, founder of Minnesota-based Infinite Decks, stressed the importance of preparation, especially when it comes to partnerships. “Preparation and planning is key!” King said. “Working with a quality lumberyard that allows me to pre order materials for upcoming projects so the material is ready when we are has been a saving grace!” Don’t Assume When it comes to knowing the market, never assume you know it all, says Christopher French, founder of French’s Custom Outdoor Concepts in San Antonio. “I learned not to assume I know the market. When this all hit, I was just starting a project that was bank funded,” French explained. “The lockdowns went into place over the weekend and the customers had to cancel the loan. Thankfully that project went off without a hitch and then the rest of the year showed extreme growth. We went from a one-man show to now three separate crews still working on jobs sold in mid-2020.” Communication is Essential Brendan Casey of Casey Fence & Deck found that most of the lessons he’s learned relate directly to communication in addition to shifting market focus. “As builders, we have learned several important things: communication is KEY. Order materials as early as possible and stay in close contact with your suppliers to know what they have in stock. Lastly, this has forced us to streamline and focus on what generates the highest profitability while maintaining our reputation as a company that will stand behind our contracts and projects regardless of the situation,” said Casey. A Higher Interest in Home Improvement Like most in the industry, Thien Nguyen,
North American Wholesale Lumber Association had just wrapped up its Leadership Summit early last March when the significance of the COVID-19 outbreak slammed home. Attendees had no idea then, but that would be the last in-person industry gathering for the foreseeable future. The mood in Palm Desert, Ca., was light-hearted, but the return trip from the event was much more solemn. Many of us arrived home to empty store shelves and talk of lockdowns, not knowing when we’d be able to buy our next roll of toilet paper—let alone how our businesses would fare in the emerging public health crisis. The first line of defense at Weston Forest, and no doubt many other firms, was to preserve cash and protect the business. Not knowing what the future held, we scaled back purchases, unloaded existing inventory, and collected on receivables… then waited to see what was coming next. It was good news—at least for our industry: Weston and its peers were fortunate to be among the businesses labeled as “essential.” We never shut down, even for a day. While the pandemic kept some pockets of the economy in a stranglehold, lumber was one area that actually flourished in the so-called “K” recovery that followed. In fact, we were busier than ever! Construction was booming. People had both the time and—thanks to cash stimulus payments and low interest rates—the money to build, renovate, and remodel in 2020. The lumber industry, in turn, clocked one of its best performances on record. While we were grateful to have a life preserver in the middle of the “storm,” the executive team at Weston also recognized an opportunity to systematically improve our company and make it even better and stronger than before. Necessity Breeds Invention While Weston thankfully has been able to keep the doors open
It’s a great time to be what I refer to as a Custom Deck Specialist. With the pandemic, people are home and looking for some additional leg room. A beautiful new deck can add a tremendous amount of new floor space at a reasonable cost. Last year the marketplace became overwhelmingly cluttered with builder grade bottom feeders that clogged up the market like a Washington, D.C. traffic jam. There will always be a market for that type of builder and it’s becoming even more congested. For those of us who have found our niche on that plateau between those and the super-end market where only the rich and famous dwell, the doors are wide open. I’m talking about the projects catering to the upper middle class where the clientele is a bit more discerning in areas pertaining to quality, workmanship, value, and details; The 400 square foot (and larger) projects where attributes like lighting, patterns and substantial structure carry a higher grade than finding the cheapest guy in town, like so many unsuspecting victims found out in 2020. The “I can beat anybody’s price in town” guy definitely has his place in the low-end discount market, but for those of us who view our craft as works of art and strive every day to be the best, we’ve carved out an untapped mine of possibilities. Many of these “Bob in His Beater” types dug their own graves last year with an abundance of poorly built projects. Not only did they validate the reasons to hire a true professional with their sub-par work, but they validated and legitimized our value-based proposals. Today, with social media and neighborhood sharing platforms, the homeowners who got sucked into that enticing vortex of budget pricing are now not only singing the praises of the Deck
When we began our remodeling careers over 30 years ago, we quickly learned that doing good work wasn’t enough to guarantee a smooth project or a satisfied customer. We learned that quality craftsmanship and top materials are essential, but of equal importance is the overall customer experience. And, materials and craftsmanship aside, communication and managing customer expectations are an absolute must in having a smooth running project and a happy customer. Achieving this goal can be best summed-up in one word—communication. Communication doesn’t begin the day you start work on the project. It begins the moment you meet the client and should continue well after the project is complete. Before we begin a remodeling project, we conduct a “pre-job conference,” which includes the project designer, project manager. and homeowner. We insist that all adults living in the home be present. During the meeting, we go through a checklist that includes information, which helps the homeowner understand what to expect and to make sure that our entire team is “on the same page.” It also provides the homeowner with an excellent forum to ask questions. Items on our checklist include the following: • Crew size, work days, and hours • Job sign placement • Job schedule • Material storage location • Debris storage location and removal methods • Job safety, pets and children • Home security and alarm systems • Who to contact in an emergency • Furniture, personals and dust protection—how to prevent “Divorce Dust” • Potential delays which could be caused by weather or product deliveries • Being prepared for “hiccups”—things don’t always go as planned. • How to get through the project without tearing your hair out—allow us to do our job by focusing on the destination, not the journey • Reassuring the client that we will
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives is opening its new location, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Montgomery County, owned and operated by veteran and native Philadelphian, George Council. The new location will offer outdoor landscape lighting design and maintenance services.
What started as an idea and some hope for a little “southern” exposure, turned into the fastest growing installer network in North America with over 1,000 trained contractors in less than a year. Regal ideas’ new program, DeckStars, is designed to help contractors grow their marketshare and drive business back to local dealers during COVID-19. “Once our railings debuted on The Vanilla Ice Project, our demand from consumers skyrocketed,” said Andrew Pantelides, VP of marketing for Regal ideas. “We were getting requests from all over North America, which was great and amazing, but we just didn’t have the network in place to facilitate all of these demands.” Knowing that there was strong demand from consumers, Pantelides figured the best way to meet those demands was to create a network of trained Regal installers. Developing a pathway to the contractor would also lead a path to the local distributor/retailer. As the company began to invest in other home improvement makeover shows such as the Property Brothers and Scott McGillivray, host of Income Property, they found that on more than one occasion, Pantelides would have to provide a local installer of Regal on set to make a cameo appearance. It was at this point where the “A DeckStar Is Born” idea started to set the foundation of something bigger. To head up the newly coined DeckStar certification project, In late 2019, Regal enlisted the talents of Joe Jacklin, top retail executive from a major Canadian LBM chain. Jacklin had to quickly develop a training program with a rollout of winter, 2020. “We put an ambitious list of 35 cities across North America and included our celebrity ambassadors, Dr. Decks, Chris Palmer, Wes Kain and the Brolaws as our trainers. No better way to get trained, than the industry’s best,” he said. “We
