In the spring of 2013, our Archadeck | Outdoor Living franchisor, Outdoor Living Brands, Inc., partnered with Belgard Hardscapes and TimberTech to sponsor our first-ever national contest. The contest offered a Grand Prize, $70,000 Dream Backyard Makeover. Much to our surprise – and theirs – Rick and Merea Bentrott right here in Central Iowa (Huxley, to be exact) won the Grand Prize and we worked with the Bentrott family to design and build their dream backyard makeover project.
Various blog posts were written chronicling this contest and the Bentrott’s project activities; click the links below to view:
The completed project was a dream come true for Rick and Merea and their family. The project includes a Belgard Urbana patio area and a nice, TimberTech Earthwood Evolutions capped-composite deck and Radiance Rail. A portion of the patio is open to the big Iowa sky and includes a fire pit area (in Mega Arbel pavers) with a Weston Wall Stone seat wall. A cedar-finished open porch anchors the other end of the patio and features Weston Wall Stone columns and a custom outdoor kitchen by Belgard’s Harmony division; the kitchen is complete with a built-in American Outdoor Grill and a Big Green Egg.
We officially christened the space with the Bentrott’s and their family, friends and neighbors on a beautiful early-fall 2014 evening. Not often do we get to enjoy the spaces we create for our clients like we did with the Bentrott’s that evening. 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.
The completed project is featured in the April / May 2015 edition of the local Welcome Home Des Moines magazine; click these links to view the feature online. Completed project pictures are also included here (as well as throughout other photo galleries here and across our various social media channels) for your viewing pleasure…and dreaming! As far as we know, there aren’t any plans in the works for any future contests. But, you never know…this one came about surprisingly quick, so stay tuned. And remember…borrowing a line from our Iowa Lottery…you can’t win if you don’t play. So…go outside and play!
A very special “thank you” to the Bentrott’s for letting us invade your backyard…for longer than anticipated (thanks to Mother Nature giving us the earliest, deepest and longest freeze I’ve ever encountered). Additional “thanks” go out to:
- Our franchisor, Outdoor Living Brands, Inc., and our Archadeck | Outdoor Living team in Richmond, VA, for putting this contest together and supporting us throughout
- Contributing sponsors, Belgard Hardscapes (for all the pavers, stone, kitchen, etc.) and TimberTech (for all the decking, fascia, railing, lighting, etc.)
- Our crew…David, Chris, Jonathon, Dale, and others; working diligently thru temps that ranged from 100-degrees to below-freezing
- Dan Welk and Click! Photography for the video and photography support…from the surprise announcement to the christening party (next time we’ll do it with music…can’t hardly wait!)
- Sherry Failor and the team at Welcome Home Des Moines …for both the printed page and the WHO 1040AM radio airwaves
