Redwood Association Deck Contest Winner
Filed Under Uncategorized · Tagged: california redwood association, deck builder, heart redwood, hidden brackets, redwood deck, sebastopol california
Weston Leavens and his company, Deckmaster Fine Decks, added to their list of honors and awards in October, 2008 by winning the “Build a Deck, Win a Deck” contest sponsored by the California Redwood Association and Mead Clark Lumber.
The winning entry was an impeccably crafted Clear Heart Redwood deck in Graton, (near Sebastopol) California. “We selected the best vertical grain and quarter sawn clear redwood we could find for the decking and attached it from below using Deckmaster Hidden Brackets. That way the floor surface is unmarred by unsightly nails or screws” said Leavens who invented and patented the Deckmaster system. “We also, notched the posts to receive the 2×4 rails which gives the deck a furniture grade appearance.” he continued.
Redwood built Green
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About Weston Leavens – Inventor and Award Winning Master Deck Builder
Filed Under Uncategorized · Tagged: building decks, deck builder, redwood deck, sonoma deck builder
| Highlights of Weston Leavens’ long career as a deck builder: |
Invented and patented Deckmaster Hidden Brackets Winner – National Redwood Deck Contest Over 25 years of deck and patio cover experience Appeared on “Designing Spaces” television show Frequent guest on “On the House with the Carey Brothers” nationally syndicated radio program. Winner – “Build a Deck, Win a Deck” contest sponsored by the California Redwood Association.
Weston Leavens and Master Deck Builder are synonymous. He brings decades of inventiveness and award winning perfection in design and construction to the deck building craft. If you’re seeking eye appeal and lasting quality, you’ve come to the right place. Just looking at a few of the illustrations of Weston’s work throughout this site cannot help but convince you.
Weston Leavens started building decks and patio covers in San Diego during the building boom of the early 1980’s. The market at that time was flooded with fast production, low quality builders and there were few craftsmen who specialized in custom work. With a background in both framing and finish carpentry, Weston used the principles of both to build solid structures of enduring beauty. He recognized that the minute an outdoor project is finished it begins to be attacked by the elements. This type of building requires knowledge of the characteristics of all materials, from wood and composites to fasteners and connectors.
| National and Local Awards |
Driven by a passion for excellence, Weston soon became the premier deck builder in San Diego County. His work won awards at the Del Mar Fair and was featured for years as the entrance to the Flower and Garden Show. One beautiful deck project was the top professional entry in the National Redwood Deck Contest sponsored by the California Redwood Association and Home Mechanix Magazine.
As a builder who is also an ardent environmentalist, Weston was troubled by a serious problem inherent in deck construction. In Southern California the lifespan of decks was only 10 to 12 years. The nails holding the deck boards down, quickly started popping up and became unsafe requiring costly maintenance. Water penetrating into the joists through the nail holes caused the joists to deteriorate and rot.
| Invention of The Deckmaster Hidden Bracket |
The search for a better way to build a deck led to the invention and patent of the Deckmaster Hidden Bracket. This innovative product solved the problems of water penetration while building a deck of unsurpassed beauty. Deckmaster Brackets not only became and remain the quality leader in deck construction but also spawned the hidden deck fastening industry. Today many products offer hidden fastening. They all claim to be easier and faster but none purport to be better quality than Deckmaster.
As the demand for the Deckmaster Hidden Bracket grew, Weston decided to close his construction business and concentrate on manufacturing and marketing. Within two years Deckmaster was distributed to lumberyards and building material stores nationally. In 1998, Weston sold the company and patent to Grabber Construction Products. After taking a year off to travel with his family, Weston became the National Sales Manager for Grabber focusing on the Deckmaster Hidden Bracket. In that capacity he travelled the country training deck builders, retailers and distributors. He also expanded his own knowledge of deck building techniques and state of the art materials.
| Public Appearances |
Weston has served as a consultant throughout the country, helping builders and homeowners solve their deck construction and design problems. He was a featured seminar presenter at the first ever Deck Expo in Atlanta, teaching the fine points of deck fastening to over 250 builders. He has been featured several times as the deck expert on “On the House with the Carey Brothers” national radio program and in a nationally televised interview on “Designing Spaces”.
Today Weston and his wife Jenny have their own deck and patio cover specialty company in Sonoma County serving the north San Francisco Bay and Wine Country of Northern California. Weston is available for design and construction consultation by phone and online. He can also travel to your job site anywhere in the world on a per diem basis.
Weston, Jenny and their son Garth live on two rural acres near Sebastopol, California in the heart of Russian River wine region. Weston designs, consults, and supervises deck construction while Jenny serves as marketing director. Garth is a recent graduate of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and currently is enrolled in the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo.
Tags: building decks, deck builder, redwood deck, sonoma deck builderRelated posts
Installing Patio Cover Makes Winery Deck Livable and Inviting
Filed Under Patio Covers · Tagged: decks, patio cover, redwood deck
Often a patio cover can make the difference in having a deck that’s basically useless transformed into an inviting living space. That’s what spelled success with this winery deck that was so drenched in sun that it wasn’t usable. At first glance, the solution didn’t appear to lend itself to an easy fix. It took some real design ingenuity to yield the ambience the space needed.
The Story Behind The La Vista Winery Deck
How do you take a complicated situation and make it look simple? That was the design challenge for the deck on my friend’s home winery. He had a small rectangular deck nobody used. Although it was a balcony deck, it was not inviting or easy to access. The sun cooked it on summer afternoons.
Here were the factors that made it tricky to design a good project:
1. The best view was to the northwest which meant that the deck needed to be built at a 45 degree angle from the house.
2. The area under the deck needed to be as open as possible for vehicles to load and for wine barrels to roll in and out. This span required a 6×12 beam.
3. The only possible attachment for the patio cover was under the eaves of the house. Putting the beam under the rafters would block the relaxing view of his pasture and pony and sunset over the western hills, so we put the beam on top and hung the rafters.
4. The owner had one major request. He needed to have a place to display his original sign with the winery name.
In the end this clear heart redwood deck became an inviting place to have a glass of wine while watching the sunset, even in the heat of summer . Mission accomplished!
Weston Leavens – Deckmaster Fine Decks
Tags: decks, patio cover, redwood deckRelated posts
National Award Winning Deck
Filed Under Pool Decks · Tagged: award winning deck design, california redwood association, deckmaster hidden bracket, hidden brackets, redwood deck
This beautiful deck around the pool and spa won the National Redwood Deck Contest sponsored by the California Redwood Association. I had received a call from David Reed, Landscape Architect, asking me to hurry over to see a client who needed his deck replaced. David said the client was considering a large retaining wall and a flagstone patio instead of a wood deck. David viewed this as a big mistake.
When I met the client, he showed me through his house which was furnished with an extraordinary collection of antique Japanese furniture and cabinetry. He then led me out to his expansive deck and said something that made a lasting impression on me. “I love wood and I love decks but this deck is only ten years old and in dire need of replacement. I can’t justify the expense of building another deck if it will have such a short lifespan.”
| Surface Fasteners Destroyed the Original Deck |
We looked at his deck and it was very well built with redwood decking and treated understructure. The redwood planks were in really good shape – except where the nails had been. Many of the nails had popped up and been replaced by screws which were now popping up as well. Most nail holes had a dime sized area of rot. His beautiful deck had been ruined by the fastening system.
| Deckmaster Brackets Solve the Problem |
I showed him a small model of my Deckmaster invention that was quite new at that time. He could see that the problem areas on his deck would be eliminated with my new system. David Reed proceeded to design him a beautiful deck which we then built. The deck was entered in the National Redwood Deck Contest which was sponsored by the California Redwood Association and Home Mechanix Magazine and won the second prize. It was the top professional entry that year.
When the magazine was writing the article about the deck, I got a call from the author asking if we had an 800 number. I said “no” and he suggested that we get one because he planned to feature the Deckmaster Bracket in his article. He had never heard of hidden fastening for decks and thought his readers might be interested. He turned out to be right. When the article came out the phone started ringing and never stopped.
The deck still looks good today and it is nearly twice as old as the deck it replaced! The Deckmaster Hidden Brackets made all the difference.
Tags: award winning deck design, california redwood association, deckmaster hidden bracket, hidden brackets, redwood deck
Weston Leavens and Master Deck Builder are synonymous. He brings decades of inventiveness and award winning perfection in design and construction to the deck building craft. If you're seeking eye appeal and lasting quality, you've come to the right place. Just looking at a few of the illustrations of Weston's work throughout this site cannot help but convince you.