RSB is William Ryan Homes' New Deck Builder

RSB has built our business by first being hired as a sub-contractor to complete HUD kitchen and bath remodels throughout the chicagoland area. We since have evolved from no longer working on HUD projects to all residential projects with our main specialty being custom decks and basement remodels. Over the last couple of years we have grown to be the largest Trex composite deck builder located in McHenry County and one of the largest in Illinois as well as Wisconsin.

We recently built two cedar decks in the Autumn Grove Subdivision in Volo, IL which is a William Ryan Homes community. During this time, a representative from William Ryan Homes recognized our work and approached us on our interest in building decks for them on their homes in Illinois. After much consideration and research, we decided to partner with William Ryan Homes to build their customers consistently high quality decks on all of their projects in Illinois. Their projects include seven William Ryan Home communities, custom projects on the North Shore, and other projects that they have been hired to complete due to bankrupt builders.

RSB recently went to their main office in Illinois to facilitate a training on the different types of decking material being offered including treated, cedar, and Trex. Our local Trex representative also was there to train the staff on Trex decking and railings. We are looking forward to this partnership as well as the opportunity to offer their customers Trex decking which is in line with William Ryan Homes' green focused initiative.

Building Decks Throughout the Winter

Rock Solid Builders has previously stopped building decks towards the end of December and then we would continue to build them starting in March when the ground started to thaw. Our main reasoning for this was that it is difficult to dig the pier holes when the ground is frozen. We have since discovered ways to thaw the location of the pier holes to allow for the digging in the winter. The concrete has additives in it which allows the concrete to be poured in the freezing weather. You probably noticed that builders continue to pour concrete foundations on new homes throughout the winter. The same can be done for deck piers.

We realize that building a deck in the winter is an unusual time to build a deck since most customers don't spend much time on a deck during the winter, but the winter is usually the most cost effective time to build a deck. We have seen the cost of material increase every year especially composite deck material. Composite decking has gone up an average of 10 to 20% every year for the past several years since we have been building composite decks. Winter is a great time to take advantage of the current pricing before the price of the material increases in the early spring.

Rock Solid Builders sits down with Trex's CEO, Ron Kaplan!

Rock Solid Builders had a unique opportunity to sit down for coffee this morning with our regional Trex Representative and the CEO of Trex, Ron Kaplan. Mr. Kaplan was in town for business and wanted to meet with the top TrexPro Gold Contractors in Chicagoland. We felt honored that our company was one of the few contractors choosen. Mr. Kaplan stressed how although sales might be down due to the economy, the company's revenue has increased and they are extremely financially secure. We were amazed to hear how he has made Trex much more efficient and how there will be exciting new products announced towards the end of the year.

Butch and I had previously met Mr. Kaplan in San Antonio earlier this year for a TrexPro Gold convention, but this was our first one-on-one interaction with him. We have always felt that Trex is the leader in composite decking and after meeting with Mr. Kaplan, our believes that Trex should be a consumer's number one choice for decking and fencing has only intensified. As consumers are choosing a decking brand, it is important to not only look at the price and the warranty of the product, but it is important to look at how financially strong a company is. This can help ensure that the company is going to be around for the length of the warranty.

Trex truely is "How Outdoor Living Should Feel" and we are proud to be the largest Trex builder located in McHenry County!

RSB's 1st CorrectDeck CX Deck Completed!

We had previously introduced the CorrectDeck product line in July's Newsletter as well as on this blog. We are proud that we recently finished our first CorrectDeck in color Mahogany in McHenry County.


The main cosmetic differences between CorrectDeck and Trex Accents is that CorrectDeck's standard railing height is taller than Trex's and their posts are not as wide. The finished product is beautiful and this homeowner will be able to enjoy the limited lifetime warranty from CorrectDeck as well as the built-in Antimicrobial protection to resist mold.

Cedar Deck with Half-Moon Shaped Pergola

This project was one of the most interesting projects we have completed. We started with a sketch from the homeowners that they wanted an octagon small deck with a pergola going off the deck to mimic the same shape. It took a lot of hours to complete this project, but after the project was complete, the homeowners were extremely happy and that is why we enjoy our business. Here are several photos of the project from start to finish.

Selecting New Decking Materials

At Rock Solid Builders we started building Trex decks several years ago and felt and continue to feel like their products are very high quality. We also realize that it is important to offer our customers options when choosing decking material. We have been searching for other brands of decking to bring into our inventory for the last two years. Last year we began offering TimberTech products and they are the second largest manufacturer of composite decking behind Trex.

In addition to Trex and TimberTech, we really wanted to bring on a brand of decking that is considered, "ultra-low maintenance" so that customers can have true peace of mind that their deck will require very little to maintain and be mold resistant. We looked at several brands including Azek, Eon, ChoiceDeck, CorrectDeck, Fiberon, and Evergrain. During the time we were looking at these brands, we were discussing them with other deck building contractors throughout the country, talking to lumber yards, viewing the product, pricing the product, and really looking at how each product would benefit a Rock Solid Builder customer. It took lots of time before we would decide on a new brand to put our company name behind.



We are now proud to introduce our latest decking product this month.....CorrectDeck CX. CorrectDeck CX features enhanced anti-microbial protection that adds resistance to mold and mildew for ultra-low maintenance. Its co-extruded top layer fully encases the exposed wood fibers on the top and sides of each board providing added resistance to color fade and staining. It is also made from 80% recycled material which is important to Rock Solid Builders as we are a very environmentally conscious company. Correct Building Products also offer CorrectPorch, CorrectDock, two railing systems, and decking accessories. CorrectDeck provides a limited lifetime transferable warranty. This is very unusual for a decking product. You can learn more about this wonderful product and why we are so excited to offer this to our customers at www.correctdeck.com. To celebrate this announcement we are offering a great savings on CorrecDeck for the month of July and you can learn more about this on our website at www.rocksolidbuildersinc.com.

Doug's Couch visits RSB's first composite deck!

I met Doug Hein, the co-owner of BK Boat and Sleds, through my membership with the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals group. As a publicity stunt he started, www.dougscouch.com. The couch travels with him to various locations including many local businesses. We had the pleasure of having him visit our personal composite deck that was built over 5 years ago. We had a blast and even our 4 year old son got on in the picture. Our 2 year old had a meltdown since he didn't understand why a couch was on our deck.

BK Boat and Sleds specializes in pre-owned and vintage boats and snowmobiles as well as used parts. You can learn more about them on their website: www.bkboatnsleds.com. I also had the opportunity to visit Doug's BK office and their parts supply is enormous so if you need a boat or snowmobile part, call them first. Their contact info is listed below:
BK Boat and Sleds
27992 W Route 120 Unit #27
Lakemoor, IL 60051
(815) 363-1254