Years ago, (I won’t say how many) when I was growing up as a young child in Maryland, our community was surrounded by wooded areas that came to form an important part of my elementary school years. When summer arrived and school was out, my three brothers, my friends and I seemed to live and play in those woods from morning until night.

After playing our usual round of games several kids of all ages would invariably get together to create some kind of makeshift “Swiss Family Robinson” style treehouse. We would do this by wedging, notching and nailing whatever tree limbs we could find laying around.

We made our own fun and it didn’t get much better. I think I got tuned into that unique feeling of elevation, having a private sanctuary for my friends and I that was literally above it all.

Speaking of elevation, I eventually moved out here to Colorado, where of course there aren’t as many trees, and it felt really different to me. I got drawn into landscaping and creating outdoor environments, and then I eventually launched the deck company, and haven’t looked back since.

You know what they say, right – the difference between men and boys is the size of their toys. How true! That’s kind of where we’re at right now, fast forward a few decades. Instead of dealing with crudely built structures in the middle of wooded areas, I’m designing sophisticated, custom outdoor living environments, each one of which is uniquely tailored to the needs of the homeowner. These days I don’t rely on found items or scrap, but on that same resourcefulness and creativity.