When it comes to Jim and Susan Judge’s deck, third time’s the charm.

The Judge’s first deck, which came with their Highlands Ranch home, was a poorly constructed “builder deck.” On their next deck, they tried the “Trek type stuff,” as they put it.

“We saw the commercials on TV,” Jim said. “We figured it was low maintenance ha-ha.”

While the composite deck didn’t splinter like the first deck, that second deck didn’t work out so well either.

“The floorboards warped and there were screws popping up. I was afraid to have our grandkids running around out there, I was afraid they’d trip and hurt themselves,” Susan said.

“We never sat on it because it wasn’t appealing or comfortable. We wound up spending all our time below the deck where we have a concrete walkout from our finished basement,” Jim said.

Outdoor living was about to take a turn for the better. The Judge’s neighbors down the street who had a DeckTec deck were hosting wine and appetizer parties and the rest is deck history.

“We envied their deck. It was over ten years old and it looked brand new,” Susan said.

“We liked the way their deck was set up. Our other decks were basic rectangles,” Jim said. “We called DeckTec and Steve started designing it. He did all the right things, asked all the right questions.”

“We wanted to be up on the deck. Our overhang stopped a little bit of the rain but definitely didn’t stop any of the sun. Steve designed a solid vaulted roof for us and a sun room that Susan had wanted – that’s worked out really well. I hadn’t really wanted a sun room but it’s one of the nicer places to sit in the morning,” Jim said.

The Judge’s deck has a spectacular view overlooking Littleton, Ken Caryl and Red Rocks, the bucolic southwestern end of the metro area suburbs.

The Judge’s 500 square foot deck, which was completed in March, is made from a blend of woods. The floor is mahogany with cedar vertical trim and redwood in the railing. We added a fire table, a large dining table, a remote-controlled see-through shade, a comfortable sectional sofa, two bar chairs against a wood counter, two infrared heaters and rope light edging across the underside of the roof and call it – “Paradise!” Susan said.

“I don’t get much done because we spend so much time out here. Jim doesn’t get anything done either, but we’re both retired, so it doesn’t matter,” she joked.

“We read, take a little nap, wake up!” Jim joked.

“And all of a sudden it’s dinner time!” Susan said.

No longer are the Judge’s at the mercy of the weather. They deploy their retractable shade in the afternoon to cut the sun’s rays, and said that their deck comfortable even when the temps rise into the 90’s. And in the cool early spring and late fall, the fire table and infrared heaters warm the deck – and the furniture – to about a cozy 60 degrees.

“After the sun sets it’s just perfect. There’s no wind. It’s just the perfect temperature, the perfect conditions,” Jim said.

“You can watch the storms come up over the mountains. If the wind’s not blowing it’s the perfect place to watch the rain, listen to the rain. If it gets too windy, you can always go in the sun room where you hear the rain hitting the roof,” he said.

Susan likewise enjoys the fresh air of their open roof addition with protection from our 300 days of sun and rain too.

Although the Judge’s neighbors are pretty close on one side, a small grove of trees and a privacy fence on the deck give the couple all the space and seclusion they need.

The Judge’s love that DeckTec offers deck maintenance.

“The truth is that I don’t want to stain the deck every year. I’d just as soon pay somebody as do it myself, and they’ll come out every year,” Jim said.

“This was our retirement gift to ourselves,” Susan said.

A gift that keeps on giving – rain or shine.