Dr.Decks, a family-owned custom deck building company founded in 1991, has been named the overall winner of the 2025 National Deck Competition held by the North American Deck and Railing Association. The recognition places the company's work at the top of a national field of deck builders judged on design and construction quality.
The North American Deck and Railing Association, a trade organization serving the deck building industry, holds its National Deck Competition each year, with entries submitted by professional deck builders from across the United States. According to the association, submissions are evaluated on structural integrity, material application, design complexity, code compliance, and overall craftsmanship. The overall winner designation reflects the highest combined result across those categories, drawn from a pool of regional and national entrants.
For owner Jason Russell, who founded the company after moving to Washington in 1991, the award follows a build philosophy that treats each deck as a custom-engineered structure rather than a standardized product.
"Every deck we build is approached as a custom-engineered structure, and this recognition reflects 35 years of working that way," said Jason Russell, owner of Dr.Decks. "It belongs to the whole team, not just one project."
Dr.Decks is known within the industry for deck board bending, a specialty technique in which composite and PVC boards are heated and shaped to follow curves rather than terminating at straight edges. The method allows the company to build sweeping perimeter curves, circular sections, and custom inlays that function as design features within the deck surface. The company has completed more than 1,000 projects since its founding.
A second area of focus is deck automation, in which mechanical components are built directly into the deck structure. The company's automation work includes systems it refers to as the Phantom Staircase, the Phantom Deckchair, and the Phantom BBQ, along with integrated seating and entertainment features that remain concealed within the deck until they are needed. Each is custom-fabricated and engineered to operate as part of the finished structure.
The company builds for the conditions of western Washington, where sustained rainfall and damp marine air affect how outdoor structures perform over time. Its projects use composite, PVC, and wood decking, including pressure-treated wood, cedar, redwood, and exotic hardwoods, with framing options that include wood, aluminum, composite, and pressure-treated lumber selected according to each site. Footings are set on helical piers, diamond piers, or concrete depending on ground conditions.
Each project begins with a design consultation and 3D modeling, which allows a homeowner to review the layout, scale, and materials before construction begins. From there, the company handles permit acquisition through the relevant county or municipal authority, foundation installation, framing, and the full build. Deck styles the company produces include platform, raised, multi-level, freestanding, rooftop, and curved decks, along with covered decks and accessible ramps.
"Building in this region means designing for moisture from the first drawing, not after the fact," Russell said. "The materials and the framing have to be chosen for where the deck actually sits."
As a licensed and bonded contractor, Dr.Decks provides a one-year workmanship warranty that can be extended to five years, while material warranties vary according to the product line specified. Russell serves as the design and build lead on the company's projects and is the named holder of the workmanship warranty, an arrangement the company describes as single-source accountability.
Dr.Decks is a family-owned deck and outdoor living contractor based in Tacoma, Washington, serving the greater Puget Sound region since 1991. The company specializes in custom and curved deck construction, deck board bending, and deck automation, along with pergolas, patios, and outdoor living structures.
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For more information about Dr.Decks, contact the company here:
Dr.Decks
Jason Russell
+12535287303
drdecksog@gmail.com
4440 S 49th St, Tacoma, WA 98409, United States
