For over 20 years, Fortress® Alliance Member Michael Scott has been designing beautiful outdoor spaces for his clients in Ontario, Canada; most of whom own homes in and around The Blue Mountains and Barrie. With a deep-seated passion for delivering quality decks built for the Canadian outdoors, Scott is driven by the pursuit of excellence. Reflecting on his approach to his work, Scott says, "It has never been about the bottom dollar or about getting in and out of a project the quickest. We want to give our clients a quality product that's going to last forever."

How it all began for Scott and how his business has evolved over the years

Like most professional deck builders, Scott started out framing with traditional building materials like pressure treated lumber. But he isn't one to settle for just 'good enough'. Over the years, his relentless pursuit of delivering high-quality outdoor spaces led him to explore alternative materials and smarter deck building practices. "We're always looking to learn and see what's out there. So, we go to expos and events to gain an understanding of the market and new materials," says Scott.

To meet the needs of his clients, many of whom are commissioning second-story decks with walkout basements, Scott was one of the industry's early testers of steel framing. "When we started getting into longer spans, steel was the best solution we found. It allows us to design decks that do not have as many posts in the way." Talking about how longer spans helps his clients, Scott explains, "Opening up those spans underneath is an excellent way to provide more usable space."

Initially, Scott was framing decks with steel offerings from a couple of different companies and found the learning curve to be steeper than he would have liked. But once he switched over to the Evolution steel deck framing system, it was just a no-brainer. This system has many similarities to framing with wood. In fact, Scott says he can frame more quickly with steel than what he was once able to do with traditional wood framing. Today, Simcoe Decks works exclusively with Evolution to build lasting outdoor spaces and Scott hasn’t looked back.

Leading the deck building industry by example

Nowadays, Scott is changing the deck building game with more than just his impeccable craftsmanship (see the results for yourself at simcoedecks.ca on Instagram). He is an industry leader, championing the philosophy of “collaboration over competition.” Putting his words into action, Scott recently co-hosted the first regional Master Class Workshop with Fortress Building Products in his own corner of the world. 40+ workshop attendees participated in this hands-on training event on a job site in The Blue Mountains to learn how easy it is to work with Evolution steel deck framing. “I'm always happy to share my knowledge and experience. These types of industry events provide a great opportunity to exchange insights with like-minded professionals. I also find it invaluable to learn from others' expertise,” he says. Speaking about the importance of attending your local regional Master Class Workshop, Scott added, “This is something that will drive the industry forward and will also drive all of us business owners forward. That’s the most exciting part for me.” Undeniable in his commitment to quality, innovation and community, Michael Scott is not just building decks—he’s building a legacy, one steel frame at a time.

Credit: @simcoedecks

Be like Scott and build with steel

Feeling motivated to embrace the next generation of deck framing? Participate in the Fortress® Master Class (there are four different formats available to help you master this new skill).