Busy Winter

As a deck builder in Minnesota most would assume that we are not very busy at this time of year. However this is the time of year that we prepare for the months of the year people remember that we are alive. This winter has been exceptionally busy for us at Outdoor Spaces. We are still moving along with the typical winter work of preparing and designing booths for spring home shows, working with product manufacturers to review products as well as what will be available for 2011’s new product offerings. We are also working with our local suppliers on pricing for this year. In addition to the office and inside work we also continued to produce deck and porch projects throughout the fall and winter this year and are still going.

 We are now in mid February with Spring on the horizon  and the bigger home shows in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area are just getting ready to go, here is where we will be: The St. Paul Home and Patio show at the St. Paul River Centre February 17th-20th and The Minneapolis Home and Garden Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center March 2nd-6th. We will be displaying a new 20’x20′ booth at both shows with the industries newest and best products available. To further prove that point we have had two of the products that we will be displaying selected by Jean Michel Gauvreau (designer and celebrity host) to be featured on “Innovation Avenue”  at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show. Innovation Avenue is a collection of  new and innovative products featured on the main aisle of the show as well as featured and demonstrated on stage .  The products that he has selected are the Diamond Pier footing (www.diamondpier.com) as well as The Evolve Aluminum Insert Panel rail system (www.evolverail.com). We are very excited about this opportunity.

As I mentioned this has been a busy year.

Outdoor Spaces has also been recognized by some product manufacturers as an elite contractor and resource for their product growth and development. I have been invited back to Timbertech’s Premier Contractor Council Meeting in March for the second year in a row. This time in San Antonio TX (Thanks Timbertech) This is a absolute honor to again be selected as one of twelve contractors from North America to meet with Timbertech’s upper management as well as their product development and marketing teams. If you are unsure what happens at such an event see my earlier blog “Report From Timbertech’s Premier Contractor Council Meeting”. We were also asked to join Diamond Piers Advisory Council this year. We gladly accepted since it is our focus to be the  industry leader in new products as well as educate ourselves in all types building products and practices. As I just mentioned that it is our focus not just to be a deck contractor but to be the best, most educated, creative, and honest contractor you can work with, we have also joined NADRA. NADRA is the “North American Deck And Railing Association” and although it is a national organization we have formed a Minnesota chapter that will meet bi-monthly to discuss all items related to our industry . It is a local group of suppliers, manufacturers, code officials, and contractors who collectively are working together to bring the deck industry to a new level of  education and professionalism. Check back for more info on what NADRA is doing in your community.

Last. And wish us luck here. I was contacted by HGTV recently and am being considered as a possible consultant for an upcoming show that they will be doing on decks. This one may be a long shot but I am still honored that they contacted me and am at least being considered. What that does for me is proves that all the time and energy that I put into my choice of career is not going unrecognized.

Like I said it has been a busy winter!

Report from First Home Show of 2011

The start of the home show season is here. This past weekend we participated in the Minneapolis Home and Landscape show which is usually held at the Metrodome but since that roof has a few issues  it was moved to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Brilliant! I am not sure if it was the change in location or if it is a sign of the economy turning around but which ever it was, I for one am pleased. The show was amazingly busy. I hadn”t seen crowds like this for 4 years! Lots of great conversations and interested buyers. I can’t wait to get out and meet with all of the great potential clients that we spoke with. I am very encouraged by this and have high expectations for the 2011 deck season. Thanks to all who came out to the show and look forward to having the opportunity to earn your business this year.  Only a few weeks away from the St. Paul Home and Patio Show and 5 weeks away from the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show.  If we didn’t see you this past weekend I hope to see you at one of the next ones. Think Spring!

Report from Timbertech Premier Contractor Council meeting

So back a few months ago I was invited to Timbertech’s premier contractor council meeting. At first blush I thought, what an honor. I am one of twelve contractors invited from North America to Columbus Ohio to meet with those who make the decisions at the top composite manufacturer in the country! Then I began thinking, they want me to take time out of my busiest  sales time of the year to give them any information that I may have to help benefit them. How does this benefit me? Sure, I get an all expense trip paid to Columbus Ohio and don’t take this personally Timbertech but it is not exactly Hawaii. None the less I hopped on a plane on March 26th and away I went. When I sat down the first night at dinner with the brass from Timbertech as well as the other contractors I was surprised that the conversations had really turned to us, the contractor. We began sharing some “best practice” procedures that we use.  Usually I am not that willing to share but since none of these guys I was talking to were my direct competition but rather sounding boards and also GREAT resources for me to become better at what I do and how Outdoor Spaces is run. The next day was more of the same, sure we had a lot of conversation about how Timbertech was doing and what we all thought they could improve on (very receptive and open minded) as well as see some of the new products that Timbertech is working on. But it still was focused on the contractors with the folks on the Timbertech board facilitating the conversation. I now started to realize that the three days I had taken out of my life to do this was going to be some of the best time I had ever spent on making me a better businessman in the deck industry. We wrapped up that day with a plant tour and some conversation on how the marketing department at Timbertech can assist us with marketing our companies with their resources. Lets be honest,  just because we can sell and build decks doesn’t mean that we can brand our companies well and take advantage of all the resources out there to make us more available to our potential clients. This piece of the discussions was very helpful and interesting. I am not sure if I learned more from the people at Timbertech or the other contractors in the room. It was great to hear what was working for them and what wasn’t. The next morning we wrapped up with a short meeting and we all headed back home loaded with more information and lots of new ideas to try. What I took away from this meeting was that not only were we resources for Timbertech but they structured this meeting for all of us who took time out to make the trip to benefit personally. What a fantastic concept, go to the end users make them more successful and that ultimately will come back and benefit them. Great experience! I in 20 years in this industry have never come across company so dedicated to their customers success. If the other companies in this industry are not taking notes, you should be! Thank you Timbertech for organizing such an event. Thank you to, Jason (JR Freed Construction) PA, Randy (Precision Plus) OR, Eric (Archadeck) NC, Todd (Your Deck Co.) ONT, Justin (Hittle Construction) IN, Tony (A.M.S. Custom Decks) MI, Tom (Stewart Const. Co.) CO, Alvin (Hickory Dickory Decks) ME, Jorge (J. Perretti Builders) CA, and Dave (Deck Pro) WA. It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I hope you all have a busy and successful year. 

Jon Brennhofer

New Products at IBS

Fresh off a trip to rainy Las Vegas for the 2010 IBS (International Builders Show) and while many of the products stayed the same there were plenty of manufacturers who brought new products to market this year. My favorite was the new product line from Timbertech called Reliaboard. They didn’t reinvent the wheel here, it’s the same great composite product Timbertech has produced for years that is backed with their 25 year warranty . What makes this product great is the pricing! The finish on the board has a pronounced embossed grain lines and vibrant color (very attractive). As an installer, Outdoor Sapces will be pleased to offer a proven product in a price category that I have not been able to compete in before. I can now offer my potential clients a high quality low maintenance deck for a modest upgrade from cedar or pine. Other items I took away from the show? Notable companies coming out with great new color options. A big push for our industry to use more “green” products, and I think Outdoor Spaces has found some great new green product lines we will be working with in 2010. And it seems as though a lot of composite manufacturers are producing boards that are made up of two dissimilar types of materials. One type of material as a core and the other as the outer shell? Not sure how this will do. One thing I do know as a deck builder in the great state of Minnesota is that we have a difficult climate for these types of products to succeed in. I am sure these companies have spent countless hours in their R&D departments putting these products through every test imaginable but I think I will wait to get on board til I see a proven track record on installed product. Lots more to share at a later date. What was new in rail systems?

OutdoorSpacesDB.com revamp!

Our new and improved website is ready to go! In the new design, you’ll find easier page navigation, hundreds of pictures to browse through, and links to customer reviews, specials and upcoming events. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook – check out www.outdoorspacesdb.com for links. As always, you can also call or email us at info@outdoorspacesdb.com with any of your deck design and build questions.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Outdoor Spaces Design and Build Co.’s blog. Here you’ll be able to read all about the latest company news and events, as well as great articles and items on deck design and construction. Check back often for all the latest updates!