For Sale: Central Iowa Outdoor Living At Its Best!

Want to Avoid this Hassle?

Normally, a multi-day – and even multi-week (for larger projects) – construction process is necessary for you to have a brand new Archadeck outdoor living space. But, here is a rare opportunity to own a new, beautiful, low-maintenance deck, porch and patio, custom designed and built by Archadeck…without the hassle of construction! Magic. Bang. There it is…right in your Central Iowa backyard.

I know many of our hundreds of past clients would have liked that opportunity.   But, this opportunity is very unique (first time in 12 years)…and fleeting.

“How?” you ask. “Got to be a trick,” you say.

The magical space “appeared” over the winter and spring of 2014-15 and includes a deck, open porch and fire pit patio area overlooking a pond in a Waukee neighborhood, west of Des Moines. TimberTech Earthwood Evolutions capped-composite decking provides beautiful and low-maintenance enjoyment of the deck and porch area. The stamped concrete patio with Rockwood Wall Stone for the firepit and seat walls as its focal point, is surrounded by raised planter beds in the same wall stone.

Waukee, from Archadeck Open Porch

It’s a beautiful place to start the day with morning coffee under the canopy of the porch.   Catch some mid-day rays on the open deck and grill a delicious lunch or dinner meal. A drink around a cozy fire on the patio caps the day. And weekends…this space was made for weekends! Plenty of outdoor space for entertaining larger groups of family or friends.

Stamped Concrete Patio with Fire Pit, Seat Wall

Its exactly the space our clients envisioned and they love it. They would also love for you to buy their new Archadeck outdoor living space! And…the home that goes with it.

For Sale – Best Backyard in Waukee!

While our clients love their porch and patio and all its surroundings, a career opportunity is leading them to change their surroundings even more than what we did to their backyard. Their opportunity came a bit unexpectedly…and just as we were nearing completion of the build of their project.   The phone call went something like “Harold, we need you to hurry up and get this done. We’re moving to Alabama in June and we need to put our house up for sale. We’d like to enjoy the space a few times before we leave.”

ReMax Real Estate Group

So, “enjoy” they have (a few times) and “moving” they are (in two weeks…to Auburn, Alabama). Their Waukee home was recently put up for sale. And you have the opportunity to buy it…and the (brand) new outdoor living space that goes with it.  The home is listed with Re/Max Real Estate Group. I can’t help but notice the listing shows nearly as many pictures of the backyard outdoor features as it does the interior. I’m not saying it’s the best part of the home, but…you can Go Outside and Play there!

Archadeck Custom Design

Our clients were great to work with as they collaborated with us over the course of a couple of years to make sure they got their project “right.”   We all expected them to enjoy the space for years to come. But, this move is good for them and we wish them the best in their new endeavors in Alabama. They are leaving a great backyard – a great home – for someone else. We’re all here to leave the world a better place than we found it, right? Our clients did that. I thought the least we could do here was to promote this project from the perspective of helping our clients ease their transition to Alabama by attracting potential new owners of their home through a new Archadeck-inspired backyard.

So, if you’re in the market for a hone in the Des Moines area, check out the Re/Max Real Estate Group listing for our client’s home in Waukee. If beautiful vistas, and the outdoor spaces to enjoy them from, are high on your list of must-haves, then this home should be high on your list of must-haves.

Central Iowa Backyard Makeover Dream Becomes Reality

Its been quiet here in regards to Rick and Merea Bentrott’s Dream Backyard Makeover since our May completion of their deck, patio, porch and outdoor kitchen project in Huxley, IA, a few miles north of Des Moines. But, it’s time to break that silence!

For those new to the Bentrott’s project proceedings, it was a $70,000 Dream Backyard Makeover Contest conducted in early-spring last year. Our Archadeck franchisor, Outdoor Living Brands, Inc., and two of our preferred product suppliers, TimberTech and Belgard Hardscapes, teamed up to sponsor this first-ever contest across our national Archadeck | Outdoor Living system. The Bentrott’s were the lucky winners of the $70,000 Dream Backyard Makeover Grand Prize! Archadeck of Central Iowa was honored to have winners from Central Iowa and to design and build the project for the Bentrott family.

Grand Prize Winners Rick & Merea Bentrott with Archadeck and Belgard staff

Unlike many contests like this, we didn’t have things like keys to a new car or a big cardboard – or real – check to hand to the winners to enjoy instantly. Instead, we offered Rick and Merea our award-winning outdoor living design/build services in exchange for their backyard. We did surprise them with a “Publishers Clearinghouse”-style announcement, though; $70,000 was certainly worthy of that. After that surprise settled in, we worked with the Bentrott’s and our project sponsors through the summer to design what that grand prize project would actually be.

Through several design iterations and a construction phase that was interrupted by an early, harsh and long winter, a beautiful, multi-purpose outdoor living space emerged. The space includes a deck that flows to a multi-purpose patio. Part of the patio is covered with a freestanding, cedar-finished, open porch, with the remainder of the patio open to the big Iowa sky.

Patio, Porch and Deck by Archadeck of Central Iowa for Dream Backyard Makeover Winners

The deck features TimberTech’s capped-composite Earthwood Evolutions low-maintenance decking, with TimberTech’s Radiance railing system. The open patio area includes a firepit and seat wall. An outdoor kitchen resides underneath the porch, complete with a built-in American Outdoor Grill and a Big Green Egg smoker. Belgard Hardscape’s Elements division custom-built the kitchen and we used Belgard’s Urbana and Mega Arbel pavers and Weston Wall Stone throughout the patio space. TimberTech’s DeckLite low-voltage lighting components softly illuminate the entire space under the stars.  The Bentrot’s new outdoor living space was completed last May.

TimberTech Deck viewed from outdoor kitchen under the open porch

Scheduling of follow-up yard work with the busy schedules of a young-professional family – with four children – and Central Iowa’s favorite deck, porch and patio builder precluded a “grand reveal” and celebration of the makeover until early this Fall. We christened the space with the Bentrott’s and several of their friends on a beautiful, early fall evening a few weeks back.

We’ve put together a video chronicling the makeover as it evolved from dream to reality in the Bentrott’s backyard, starting with the contest-winning announcement and culminating with our celebratory “launch party.”

The pictures in this blog post are our first public showing of the completed project and all of its features. Look for the video and more pictures to be published on our central-iowa.archadeck.com web site as well as throughout our various web-based media channels (Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Houzz, Pinterest). Additionally, the project will be featured in an early-spring 2015 edition of our local Welcome Home Des Moines magazine.

Open Porch over Belgard paver patio and outdoor kitchen, as viewed from the deck.

The Bentrott’s $70,000 Dream Backyard Makeover project showcases much of what Archadeck | Outdoor Living provides through our custom design/build services. But, more than just a showcase, it’s a real space that real clients really love. We don’t often get to experience that love firsthand with our clients as we did the evening we celebrated with the Bentrott’s and their friends in their new deck, porch and patio space. The glow of the firepit. The aroma of grilled meats and vegetables. The clinking of glasses. The camaraderie of good friends and the laughter of children. Outdoor Living at its best. Merea told me that they use and enjoy their outdoor living space like this often in their family-oriented neighborhood. “What you see tonight, is what you see every weekend,” Rick added, “and I can assure you that any other winner of the contest would not have enjoyed their space any more than we enjoy ours.”

Firepit on the patio adjacent to the deck and porch

Congratulations, again, to Rick and Merea Bentrott and their family. For winning the contest. For living outdoors.

 

 

Dream Backyard Makeover Project Moving at the Speed of Mother Nature

The premise of the 2004 movie “Crash” is:   When you are moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.   It’s a great movie; one of my all-time favorites.

I had a “Crash” moment with Rick Bentrott and his daughter at the PetSmart in Ankeny yesterday afternoon.  You remember Rick:  Winner of our 2013 $70,000 Dream Backyard Makeover Contest.  You remember the contest:  The one you hoped to win…but didn’t.  You remember the project:  The TimberTech deck; the open porch over Belgard Hardscapes patio space, outdoor kitchen and firepit ; all in the Bentrott’s backyard north of Des Moines in Huxley.  And…ahem…the project we didn’t finish before our 9^th coldest winter on record froze the ground hard and early back in November (a harbinger of the winter ahead)…literally as the outdoor kitchen was delivered.

Hiatt…at the Archadeck Showroom

The speeding lives of the Bentrott’s and the Cross’ collided at the checkout line at PetSmart.  Rick and his daughter buying fish to replace the hamsters.  My wife and I buying more dog food and a new leash for our new puppy, Hiatt.  Life.

I asked Rick if his ears were burning this week.  He said he hoped not because people talking about him usually meant something bad.  I assured him not, that it was good news; that I had conversations with our crew about the timing of restarting – and finishing – their outdoor living space project.  I appreciate Rick’s sense of humor…and patience; they’ve been necessary traits with their project.

Winter’s Grip on Dream Backyard Makeover

To be sure, we have unfinished business in the Bentrott’s backyard in Huxley.  But just as sure, when Mother Nature allows we will be back up there to complete the patio and outdoor kitchen components and put the finishing touches on the deck and open porch. We only need about a week to finish up; but we need a week above freezing and a prolonged thawing period ahead of that week.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature put us in a very early and deep freeze this year – the coldest winter in 35 years and frost at unprecedented depths (nearly to our 42” frost line).  While we did get a nice week last week (getting a couple of above-grade deck and porch projects going), Mother Nature is not letting go without a fight – a little overnight snow and a good portion of the coming week with highs only in the 30’s.  So, restarting our Dream Backyard Makeover project is still an elusive goal at this point.  But, it’s the goal at the top of our list.  In the meantime, more humor…more patience…more life.  At the speed of Mother Nature.

Mother Nature Delivers Turkey for Dream Backyard Makeover Project

Hopefully, you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your family and friends and your travels were safe if you were on the road over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Like much of the country, we had an early blast of winter here in Central Iowa.  Unlike much of the country, that weather was through here before Thanksgiving itself so our local travelling and holiday gatherings were only minimally impacted by Mother Nature.

However, the same can not be said of Mother Nature’s impact on our continued progress on the Dream Backyard Makeover Contest project.  While our first blast of winter came before Thanksgiving, it also came right on the heels of the delivery of the Bentrott’s custom-built outdoor kitchen.  As detailed in our last posting here, Belgard’s and Harmony’s build schedule for the outdoor kitchen put us in a race with an impending Iowa winter.  We were begging for leniency from Mother Nature, but last week – as the following video recounts – winter won that race.

We were so (snow) close to having the Bentrott’s Central Iowa backyard makeover complete before winter:

• the TimberTech deck was complete, aside from stairs to the patio surface
• the open porch structure was complete, pending utilities for the lighting and the outdoor kitchen
• the firepit and seatwall area of the patio was laid, pending caps and lighting installation

Dream Backyard Makeover,
TimberTech Deck and Open Porch

With good weather conditions, our crew believes they could have the project wrapped up with about a week of effort.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get that week between Belgard’s delivery of the outdoor kitchen and Mother Nature’s delivery of winter.  Most of the work left involves hardscaping…putting the finishing touches on the outdoor kitchen and laying the remainder of the Belgard Urbana patio surface.  So, we’re going to need a thaw and a week of consistently warmer weather (above freezing at night, 50’s or better during the day would be nice) before we can undertake that remaining work.

We’ll be ready as soon as Mother Nature is.