I'd really like for you to read the Introduction & Overview below on this page.  It's a good way to get familiar with the way this vast website has been set-up. And there are some details not found anywhere else in this site, such as my rather unique background at the bottom of this page.

Introduction & Overview

What Mr. Deck has done over the last 26 years was design and build the most architecturally unique arbors and unique decks in all of California. There are more original constructs in this one website than there are on the whole world-wide internet. Currently I am semi-retired on Social Security and will only provide designs, prefabricated components and kits for other contractors to build with.

(Hotlinks on this page are denoted with blue text. All the photos are hot-linked.)

Here's what's in my website:

The PROJECTS pages depict my most interesting deck and arbor projects over the years. Clicking on any photo gives you more information about the pictured project. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, each project's page also shows a number of quality large size photos from various perspectives that highlight the unique features.

The WORK-IN-PROGRESS page depicts projects that are either planned or under construction. Here the predominant visual is the architectural rendering. Clicking on the rendering gives a large rendering and more information on the planned structure. At this time there are no actual projects in the construction phase yet -- there are various monumental public projects in the planning stages.

Although many completed original designer arbors are pictured in the PROJECTS pages, it would be quite educational for you to first preview the ARBORS page, where there are links to the various arbor projects, for a discussion about  the revolution MR. DECK has created in California regarding arbors.

My decks have always been custom-built. Most components such as planters, railings, screens, lattice, outdoor cabinets and small stairs and short seats were prefabricated in my shop. Stairs and long seats were built on-site. It would be helpful for you to preview the DECKS page, where there are links to the various designer deck projects, for a discussion on the details that make a deck a "designer deck".

This website was constructed to exhibit the style and character of the structures that I have furnished over the years. All of the structures shown here were designed, engineered and built by me unless another builder of my design is otherwise noted. They are the best of my many projects. Although the most complex ones were built only in the last 12 years, over the 26 years of building outdoor structures my best project has always been my last one (see the picture below) built in the summer of 2008.

Over the past year, because of the severe economic downturn experienced here in California, Mr. Deck has only been furnishing gates locally. Out of state we have provided prefabricated deck components, plastic planking and spiral staircases. So there are no photos to show of completed local projects in 2009 and 2010.

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Arbors

I will be  70 years old at the end of this November. From this day onward ( June 15th 2010 ), arbors like these will now have to be relegated to architectural history because you can no longer get one of these arbors from me and no one is authorized to copy them. They all are protected from copying by registered US copyrights.

Arbors like these  take extensive hands-on training to build. Consequently, I will only design and provide simpler style prefabricated arbors which you can have delivered and erected by a local contractor.

Because all of my designs have been timely registered as US architectural copyrights, any infringer will be mandated to pay my legal fees in prosecuting them. By copyright, they are protected from being reproduced by anyone else for at least the next 75 years – unless of course, they have a contract with MR. DECK or my designated agent.

Some people have the erroneous notion that if they just make some minor changes in a copyrighted design, they are not guilty of infringing. Take note: any single unique design element cannot be legally copied or incorporated into another structure without an explicit granting of permission in writing. No one at this time is at liberty to reproduce the arbors depicted on this website, including any contractor or architect. Click here for list of Architectural Structure Copyrights.

The octagonal arbor pictured bottom-right above was designed and engineered by me but actually built by another contractor working under my occasional supervision.

Go to the DESIGN WORK page and read how you may proceed with Mr. Deck to have something designed specifically for you. All of the arbors pictured in this website originated under a design-work contract.

The only arbors that I now build myself are the monumental public works arbors and these are large celebrity-funded projects.

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Decks and deck products

Although you will see many decks and arbors in this website made from redwood, I don't recommend redwood anymore. I am only interested in designing and furnishing our solid-plastic PrimoPlank material which will use permanently-colored 100 % solid-plastic lumber (made with 95% recycled plastic bottles) that requires basically no maintenance, no staining or painting and is backed by a 20-year manufacturer's warranty (although given the experience over the last 20 years, it's projected that these materials will actually last for at least 50 years before they even begin to fade or crack). 

The deck in the photo above is an all solid-plastic deck.  For a complete discussion of this remarkable material, plus more photos of showpiece plastic decks, see PrimoPlank.

Made from this same solid-plastic material are two designer spiral-stair-cases available in kit form. They have been designed specifically for outdoor use. For more pictures and information go to SPIRAL STAIR-CASES.

 

 

There are other products, unique to Mr. DECK, for the outdoors that are also available, such as designer trellises and fold-down wall tables that are made predominantly from solid-plastic. There are floating docks and outdoor BBQ cabinetry too. Photos of these items and others are found in the PRODUCTS section with links to complete descriptions of each product.

 

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About me

I've have built decks and arbors in California for 26 consecutive years. You can count on one hand the number of contractors who have comparable experience in this field.

I currently design and sell decking materials and prefab products for showpiece decks anywhere in the USA.  Anything listed on my Products page is available country-wide.

I'm finished doing residential construction on my own. I have put my California Contractor license on inactive status and will only re-activate it when constructing a public works monumental arbor in a public setting.

 

I have a CRITIQUES page which is the central link to my inspired ravings: comics that are based on some absurd encounters I have had with never-had-a-chance-to-be customers, and just off-the-wall email requests for my free advice.

In searching the web myself to get an idea of how deep my website is among the many deck-building and builder sites, I have come across many published photos by so-called deck-builders and landscape contractors whom I found lacking in candor, craftsmanship, design ability, practical judgment or just plain experience. So I have copied many of their pictures to my site that they offered on the internet as shining examples of their work for a critical "shoot down." If you can familiarize yourself with  the "bad" ahead of time, you might better position yourself to recognize when any of it gets shown to you as an example of someone's so-called expertise.  PHOTOS ON THE WEB.

Not only that, but a few seemingly upstanding deck-builders with professional-looking websites have used photos from my website here as their own! See PLAGIARIZING WEBSITES. So all this raises the question," who can you really trust in this business?"

You may find out how to contact me at the bottom of the CONTACT page.

                                                                      Thanks for coming by.

                                            Robert Francis Hauck Jr. (a.k.a. Mr. Deck)

 

Incorporation of Plastics into Structures

There is a major development taking place right now in California: the use of solid-plastics in outdoor structures and accessories. To learn just how plastics are being used, click on these shortcuts:

 All-plastic Arbor     Plastic Decks      Spiral Stairs      Trellises

All-plastic Floating Docks         Outdoor BBQ Cabinets and Drawers