Here’s a shot of a that pergola (spy shots seen earlier during construction). It’s done for a banquet facility in Oakville. We think it turned out very well.

The purpose is for use in brochures and act as a lure for weddings. We designed it to drop a tent in behind—and stage it as an entrance to the outdoor function. Group shots can then be taken at the entrance—be it day or night functions and the backdrop will always be fabulous.

There’s a similar bar area at the back of the main facility, (smaller).

L

Insane Neighbors ! - A Reason for Building a Big Fence !

Here's the best reason I know for building a big fence!

I can't even imagine being in these poor people's place.

You buy a house and do all the renovations the right way--they even had the wood windows meticulously restored rather than sticking vinyl windows in.

The neighbours seem ok... until they change the furnace and stick the pipe towards your property. Not thinking much of it, you ask them to move the pipe, never realizing that the guy is about to go nuclear on you.

I've seen neighbors paint their fences hot pink on one side, I've seen stop work orders for fences on retaining walls down the street from this residence and the comittee of adjustment exist just for cases similar to this one--but mark my words, this one is different.

This one has gone way beyond reasonable and rational. One neighbor has passed through to manic behavior it's about to get interesting. (believe it or not-the one exhibiting irrational behavior is involved in the psychology field)

So, when I get the call a fence nearly 8' tall has been built, with a solid gate and a roof structure right up to the property line so that the owner can scurry around like he's in his own comfortable little nest free from the prying eyes of his neighbor.

And-he's installed 3 surveilance cameras so that he can view my client's home.

And a 2 million candle power motion sensor security light (to illiminate my client's bedroom at night)

The ladder is a permanent fixture....

And a security sign-- 8' in the air, directed at my client's dining room window.

Stay tuned...

Strategies are in place...

Lets see how it all plays out.

L

Decorative Woodwork in North Kawartha!

Meet Garry Douglas--draftsman, carpenter--all around nice guy.

And he builds gorgeous things!
This Trellis feature was designed and built for a very special client near Peterborough.

Garry specializes in complex trellises.

He also enjoys building decks and is quite capable of designing something inspired. He even designs additions for special clients.

Nice Work Garry!

You can reach Garry at 705 656 3757

L

Vinyl Fencing Failures

PVC Fencing (Poly Vinyl Chloride)

PVC Fencing has been around a few years now. This is a two part entry. I’ve invited one of my associates to comment on vinyl fencing because he knows more about it than I do.

I drive by this nearly every day.

It doesn’t work well for eavestrough, not particularly well as decking. PVC reacts with UV to cause fissure cracks in the material. It actually becomes nearly translucent, then… all of a sudden catastrophic failure. (see illustration).

PVC is a hard plastic, quite strong when new and flexible, but over time it becomes brittle.

Grass will stain it, it will scratch from weed trimmers, mud will splash up and discolor, pollution will make it dirty and dingy. There are chemical cleaners available that you spray on and wash off with a power washer-but you may have to do that yearly.

If the structure is not sufficient, it will sag.

To be fair, this was one of the original products available about 10 years ago, (the approximate age). I believe this was installed by Nordegraff Enterprises in Springwater Township more than 7 years ago..

The companies selling vinyl fence material will all tell you that the new stuff is waaay better than it used to be.

Study the warranty. The last thing I want is my associates having to face people in 10 or 15 years when these products fail. We offer a 5 year warranty on Workmanship—not the materials that go into it.
If you are going to sell it don’t misrepresent the product ok guys. I’d say low maintainence for a while… but I wouldn’t expect it to last more than 20 years unless it has reinforced concrete inside.

Another Class Action Suit for Home Depot

I've never liked Pressure Treated--If I worked with it too much I would get an eye twitch--a bit disconcerting, but I tended to shy from using it. I like the new version even less.

I've had mixed emotions about Home Depot--but I think this is a stupid frivilous law suit and quite unfair. Home Depot didn't develope the processes, they didn't take it to market. When Home Depot was founded it was an accepted product and quite mainstream. The only reason they are being sued is due to their success-- They shouldn't be sued unless all the other companies that have sold it in the past are included--and the manufacturers and chemists that dreamed it up and made the products.

I wouldn't sell my shares yet... could be years before this is settled.

One suit in Austin, one in Florida and another in Louisiana. The gist is that pressure treated materials (CCA) was known to be dangerous to humans and home depot breached the warranty by selling it as a safe product for decks and fences...

Read about it here... Home Depot Class Action--PT

If it kills bugs... it's bad for humans. I don't like pesticides for that reason either. My theory is they can help you get MS and a whole host of other nervous system disorders. Wear gloves... respirators if you can, or just stay away from it.

Using a joist flashing will prevent the chemicals from leaching into the soil, but you can't slow it down if you use it for decking.

Wouldn't it be ironic if that were the reason for cancer rates being higher near suburbia--that these carcinogens are in our drinking water?

L

ACQ Fasteners

ACQ Fasteners

Not Using ACQ Rated Fasteners ??

You may want to think about it.

Here’s an example of 2 year old non-ACQ rated fasteners.

The guys that installed this deck are being sued. I’m the expert witness. We removed 30 screws securing the decking—12 broke because of rot.

Spend the money—Invest in quality. Even if you have to charge more, it’s just a wise decision.

L

Why do posts rot ?

Why do posts rot in the ground?
Three things are necessary to cause rot. Moisture, Oxygen and the sugars occurring naturally in the timber add up to rot. This rot is worse near the surface of the ground since that is where the maximum moisture and oxygen exist.

If you are thinking that a sonotube will work better… think again. Without the post extending into the earth as leverage—fences and second level decks won’t have as much lateral support. They will lean in short order without additional bracing. Lets face it, braces on a fence? The other problem--Concrete retains moisture and actually helps rot happen faster.



Answers?

Use an expoxy coating or exterior stain to seal the post prior to installation. This should extend the life 5-10 years beyond the normal 10-20 years.

Post Protector tm with silicone sealant around the upper edge is a permanent solution. This membrane is similar to the material used beneath dumps to prevent chemical infiltration into the environment. Post protectors will also protect your posts against trimmer damage. Available in 4x4, 4x6 and 6x6 sizes, they are suitable for decks, fences, arbours and pergolas. Click here for more information.

Cheapest Price for Decks ?

All deck companies have to survive so at times you have to build with lesser materials, however you want to be careful not to sell your soul—and your reputation in the process.

When folks have a small budget but want something that looks grand you can always steer them towards simplified details and pressure treated or rustic materials. You need to also educate these people as to what they should expect. Pressure treated materials will crack and twist more than red cedar—so flaws in the materials will be evident. When they stain with a solid color stain they will see knots bleeding through. Coach them towards a semi with more color- and a more rustic appearance.

Be realistic about expectations and share your experience up front.

Our New Logo

Our New Logo



This is a long story. It started many years ago. We hired numerous guys for a couple or a few hundred dollars each, and just never created what we loved for a logo.

I believe that nearly 10 people tried… and failed—or just plain gave up trying.

Through our Landscape Designer – Paul Corsetti, we met Ben. Ben is an “artist” who is extremely creative. He sells his time in $500.00 blocks. It took us 5 blocks of time to get here, but we have something that works perfectly and it all happened inside 3 weeks.

He actually created 5 different variants that can be used for other applications.

Ben is a Genius—a creative Guru—and we are grateful for his creativity.

We are pleased enough that we intend to do a showcase of his logo work within our site, so keep an eye peeled in the coming weeks.

If you need a logo—just get in touch with me by email and I’ll give you his number.
( plans@gardenstructure.com ).


L

Salesmanship Standing out in a Sea of Deck Builders

Salesmanship – Standing Out in a Sea of Deck Builders

When you are arriving at a home to give your “Free Estimate” to build a deck or fence for someone… and you arrive early to see your competition being ushered out the door—and when you get rushed out the door after giving your best bid only to find 2 more competitors parked a few doors down the street you know that you are playing by someone else’s rules.

“Average Joe Builder” from “Dun Already Decks”, will tell you that this is the way to do it.

Do free estimates—That is your penance for gaining access to prospective clients.
Keep your prices low so that you get the most jobs.
Build what people want… or what you think they want based on what you see being built.
Build what you make the most money doing.
Use all the new products—whether tested or not. If other people have spent money marketing it—It must be good right?
Call all your competitors to find out what they are charging… and set your prices slightly cheaper to corner the market.

Average Joe Builder will always be Mediocre because he follows the crowd. He will be edged out of the trough because he is simply not built to discover or develop anything.

Free Estimates benefit the client… the 10 contractors that jump the shopper’s hoops or get them to come in and design their project right in their home are working for free—worse than slaves. The homeowner gets benefit of professional advice without paying a dime. There are ways to filter out price shoppers… and it takes 10 seconds on the phone.

The lowest prices will get you out of business fast. Low prices—less profit—less marketing—less success. Sell service—not a commodity.

Lots of contractors get their ideas out of magazines—that’s why they never get their work in magazines. (We’ve been featured in 30-40 magazines and newspapers so far). Nowadays folks want something designed specifically for them… not what the other guy up the street has. Listen to the client.

Value your client—and your client’s resources. Don’t supply something that will not make the client happy in the future. Be sure of what you are selling.

Basing your prices on what your competitors are doing works well for commodities… but when you are selling your creativity and talent—you need to base your pricing on needs for future prosperity. When you can’t get enough for your services to thrive it’s time to move to somewhere that you can.
L

Servitude

Is worry about the future holding you back? I look upon my entering the business world as a necessary challenge and schooling. 18 years in business I can’t imagine placing my future in the hands of others. They just don’t have a bested interest in my well being.

Look at what you earn now. A salary of 720 per week, That’s $18 per hour right? Good money right? But then it takes you an hour a day to get to work and you are actually working 70 hours on average a week for $720. Oops, you inadvertently took a pay cut back to $10.28/hour. If you include your traveling time… $9.35/hour.

Ouch. I’d have a tough time getting out of bed for that, in fact I was making more than that in high school working part time in a muffler shop—but we’re not talking about me right now.

So… when you take deductions(252$ / wk if you are Canadian) off your $9.35/hour you see about $468/wk. If you are average you will be sliding into debt and living on consolidations at present rate. Forget retirement… unless you are counting on a lottery win, who knows, it could happen.

The average Joe has a mortgage of $1000/month, car payment, insurance and repairs, lets not forget about what the kids have, hydro, heat, phone… how do you do that on $1800/month, ($21,600/year take home pay).

I don’t normally advise someone without assets or a credit rating behind them to go into business… but someone in this situation requires drastic action to get out of debt and really has nothing to lose.

There’s a million jobs out there right now for the same money… they can always go back. At minimum they must limit the time they work at this salaried position and start making positive steps by doing freelance work on the side.

In this modern time in history—Slaves must be Fed, Clothed and Housed. This guy’s Master is shirking responsibility to his Servent.

What does Servitude feel like? It’s that sinking feeling you get when you work 70 hours a week and still can’t pay the bills.

L

Springtime for deck builders.

Leaves are finally appearing on trees in Ontario. Ads are hitting the magazines, sun is shining and it’s 70 degrees….

Springtime is here for deck builders—

No time for posting, I’ll be introducing our 3 new builders soon, Niagara, Burlington and London are set up and running. Mississauga-Brampton is coming soon.

The design work crush is on. Phones ring non stop. Life is good.

The work happening is gorgeous.

L

Hourly Rates for Deck Builders

Basics.
Deck Builders need about $20,000 worth of tools, Liability Insurance, Business Licenses (in some areas), Workman’s comp, A decent vehicle and of course insurance on that vehicle, associated repairs and maintenance.

You need an office, likely an answering service; you need to pay to do bookkeeping and accounting. You need a lawyer on retainer.

You need to do sales and marketing. You need flyers, letterhead, and business cards.

Deck builders require similar overhead expenses to any renovation company.

Here’s a hint. Union Carpenters make about $37/hour here in the Toronto Area. They get 10% vacation pay, dental and medical benefits. So, each man-hour costs the company about $45-50.00 per hour.

That means the company—to cover their overhead and make a small profit has to charge those guys out at $80+ per hour.

Will your rate be $35/ hour?

Are you only worth $12/hour after covering overhead?

Chinese Proverb: “He who works for free is always busy”.Don’t miss out on profitable jobs because you are too altruistic to turn away unprofitable work.

L

Do you love being a deck builder?

Do you love being a deck builder?

What is it that you love to do? We all know that the most successful people we know enjoy what they do—the question is how to get there?

Is it the building that you enjoy? Designing? Selling?

In the early days of a business you have to wear a number of hats, but there should be a goal in mind, that you consistently work towards. How do we move toward doing only what we love?

If you like the building side, you have to hire and train managers and salesmen. This is difficult. Front line people have the most dramatic effect on the business. If you are building all day—you can’t be available to observe what these people are doing for you. You see the results, and experience them when crews flee, and clients complain (hopefully). In fact, being a builder and allowing other people to run your deck company is dangerous.

Enjoying the management aspects—being the juggler is more typical for our crews. Most of the guys will pitch in when necessary, but normally they have their lead hands who run day to day installations. Management of your deck company is where profitable decisions are made and where the greatest impact on company persona is made.

Sales is one of the major 3 tasks—No deck company can survive or thrive without it. It’s where profit is made or left at the table, and it is also your PR . It is the front line representation for your company—the face of your company.

Hire well—and watch your deck company thrive!

L

Amateur Deck Building--How to spot it!

I won’t often link to a competitor’s website, but in this case I make an exception.
(I don’t see them as realistic competition anyhow).

http://www.royaldecks.ca/Images/1002.jpg (another photo of cleat type steps and climbable rails)

Here’s a photo of their best work. (it’s on most main pages-it rotates with a few others--java tricks)


Stairs made with cleats rather than cut stringers. It’s dangerous, Illegal and shows that they are not serious enough about what they do to bother learning how to do it right.

“Our structures are properly designed, structurally sound and built to perfection. Safety should always be on top of the list of every decking company. You can rest assured safety is a top priority at ROYAL Decks Co.” ( this quote is on their portfolio page)

I haven’t dug very deep into their site past the first page of their portfolio, but if you look at the first photo… there are balusters spaced more than 4” apart—close to 6” by my eye.

If they don’t know the absolute basics like these things, how will they ever survive?

They will get sued, they will lose clients as these poor techniques become their reputation, and soon, they will cease to exist.

This is a preliminary post to Tuesday’s Topic… ‘How to tell when a project is built by an amateur.’
L

Which jobs will benefit your deck business?

Which jobs will benefit a deck builder?

Running from little job to little job may not be the best thing for a deck builder.
Small jobs may be all you can get presently—but booking 5 months in advance and all the jobs being basic in scope may pigeon-hole you as a deck builder that just does “little decks”. This happened to a friend of mine many years ago—and he worked for a long time to dispel this myth.

How about this scenario. You are booked solid for 5 months come May 1’st. You get a lead to do a 5 level deck, 2200 square feet and you know that it will set your deck portfolio apart from all the competition. There’s a healthy budget, but you are booked 5 months doing mediocre work.

Do you drop or postpone a few jobs? Do you squeeze it in? Do you hire another crew? Each of these options could mean unhappy clientele in the months that follow.

Here’s my solution-

Increase prices to make sure you are only booked 6-8 weeks in advance. This maximizes profit and ensures that you will be able to capitalize on those good jobs when they happen.

“He who works for free is always busy”

L

How to Sell Decks and Fences

How to Sell Decks and Fences ( prelude )

Selling decks and fences is 80% preparation and 20% experience.

Here are the absolute basics. ( Prelude to the sale )

1. You need to show people your best work. How will you do this? Creativity counts. We give our builders the best portfolio and display work in the business. 20 years of beautiful projects like half million dollar tennis courts and up-scale trelliswork. This tells our potential clients that we are simply the best.


2. You may not have the car of your dreams-in fact it might be a little rough. Your car should not be as nice as your best clients, it may be slightly better than what you find in your pressure treated clientele’s drive. Showing up in a $100,000 Mercedes S class says the wrong thing for a deck company. The vehicle should be respectable but not ostentatious, well maintained and signs add to credibility. If your vehicle is in obvious need of repair park a couple of doors down as not to call attention to it. If your car leaks fluids, park on the road and plan on upgrading soon.


3. Up-scale clients will expect you to be in office casual. Armani suits may say that you are expensive-but office casual will say that you are a respectable business man. Show up in ripped jeans and people will have reservations about giving you a check. A company shirt with logo will also help confidence.


4. Shoes-believe it or not are very important to high-end clients. They know that $30.00 shoes denote that they out-class you. I know what you are thinking here. That’s ridiculous, and if you went to a public school you may just be thinking that. This is just something you will have to trust me on, until you buy a pair of Browns, Bass, or Geox for $150-250. When you pay attention take a look at how the people in the big house look inside your shoes when you take them off. A little detail like this will actually make it easier to sell to high-end clients. Showing up in office casual clothes, with good shoes and they see you as respectable and valuing quality. If you choose to invest in good shoes you will obviously shop for the best materials for them.


5. Do you have your portfolio, design resources, contracts, brochures, business cards, drawing pad, tape measure, a good pen? You are ready to approach the door. Have a card in your hand… and approach.

Building Decks in your own backyard

A Greek businessman once told me, “ Do Business in your own back yard “. When questioned about it his point to me was to stay local. Create a business that draws clientele to you. Transportation is expensive, and time on the road is time wasted.

This is the most compelling reason for staying local.

In our area here there are a couple of new deck company start-ups attempting to cover the entire area. They are both marketing themselves as the most creative (they are not),and the least expensive (they are). On top of having higher transportation costs, they have the smallest profit margin (if any). I would warrant a guess that both are utilizing illegal labor, (just a hunch) and sub-standard materials.

They are both marketing hard, pay per click advertising, and I know one is a full time student.

Every year there are a hundred or so start up deck companies—every year most of them go broke. Some survive a while—but rarely do they ever succeed.

This is why I am so proud of our crews.

In the 3 year history of our network, one closed his doors (he was trying to run 3 businesses simultaneously—2 lost money, which tapped the business we were helping him with for money).

Another got cancer and closed the doors, and another picked up and moved to Quebec to fulfill his dream of opening a Hungarian restaurant.

Only 3 have left the network in 3 years… this record is far and beyond the normal 75% business failure rate in the first 3 years that is the standard ratio in Ontario.

I really believe we are building our installation network utilizing the best quality people in our areas.

Well done Gents!

L

Landscape Design by Garden Structure .com

Landscape Design by Garden Structure!

Garden Structure.com is now in the Landscape Design Business!

We also have been working hard on getting Paul Corsetti set up as our first Landscape Designer who will be operating in the Greater Toronto Area. He’s a trained Architect—but since the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects has rigid specifications as to who can refer to themselves as a Landscape Architect, he can only refer to himself as a Landscape Designer. Even though he has been trained as a Landscape Architect—With a diploma in Landscape Architecture and a B.A. in Landscape Architecture from Ryerson—Unless he has put in his time working for tiny wages for a Registered Landscape Architect and has paid his fees to the OALA, he cannot legally refer to himself as a Landscape Architect.

We at Garden Structure.com believe that people should be judged on merit—He’s finished his school, and the rules simply are not right. We have always backed the talented underdog—that’s just part of our Culture here at Garden Structure.com.

There are good and bad Landscape Architects in every area. Paul is backing up his abilities with a satisfaction guarantee—It’s part of our arrangement.
Further, we are arming Paul with the best architectural woodwork details going.

Welcome to the Team Paul!

It's A New Age for Deck Builders

A New Age for the Service Industry

Remember the old days? Nobody wanted to be a carpenter, electrician, janitor, plumber.

These are apparently tough jobs and the pay wasn’t great. Last year I met a couple of guys running a janitorial company and it seems they both make over $125,000 a year working no more than 40 hours a week.

If janitors now make that kind of money what are carpenters worth?

For many years carpentry and all service businesses simply weren’t attractive to kids coming out of school. This trend is still firmly in place but perceptions are changing quickly as pay rates rise. I say—let the exodus from the trades continue, it means more money for the rest of us..

Even with an estimated 35,000 illegal workers in the Toronto area (100,000 illegal aliens), the price of hiring a carpenter is rising. I hear that even the illegal workers are charging out at over $20/hour.

That means legitimate carpenters and specialists (like us), can charge upwards of $30-$70/hour.

I believe that in the very near future this shortage of skilled professional tradesmen will result in more respect for and much better pay for all of us.

I’ve had Lawyers and numerous other professionals like project managers and teachers approaching me to get into the trades full time—this is the trend. They know that the writing is on the wall.

People will be getting very wealthy in the next decades from trade careers.

L