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Mike didn't set out to build a dock-building company. He started in pools and picked up deck-building on the side—then eventually launched Almighty Wood Decks and Walkways using pressure-treated wood. For years, that worked fine. But composite decking didn't live up to its promises in its early days, so Mike stayed away.
Then he was introduced to DuxxBak’s water-shedding system. He saw it before it hit the market, watched them testing it at the plant in Wisconsin, and immediately understood what made it different and the value of the solution.
When a customer asked if he could build a dock on a road called Deepwater Lane, Mike said yes. A niche was born. He renamed the company Deep Water Designs, dropped the wood decking identity, and never looked back.
Today, Deep Water Designs is northwestern Ohio's premier dock builder, operating primarily in waterfront communities and 55+ communities. With very few exceptions, every deck and dock they build uses DuxxBak.
Before DuxxBak, Mike had experimented with other water management systems on elevated decks. He'd tried DrySpace, a product that uses V-panels under the joists to funnel water down to a gutter. In theory, it works. In practice, it's a maintenance problem waiting to happen.
"Debris falls through, clogs the system, the panels get waterlogged and sometimes pop out," Mike explains. "You have to clean them out periodically or you get mold, algae, odors. And water pooling means mosquitoes. Here in what used to be the Black Swamp, that's a big deal.
The core issue with under-deck systems is that they're always reactive. They're trying to manage water that's already gotten through. DuxxBak eliminates that problem entirely. Water sheds off the surface before it ever reaches the structure below.
"With DuxxBak, there's no trapped water underneath. No mess, no breeding ground. We direct it to a gutter or disperse it. No pooling."
One of Mike's most striking projects illustrates exactly what DuxxBak's water management can do when it really matters.
A homeowner on the Maumee River had a house sitting 40 feet above the riverbank. The bank was eroding so badly that the structure was literally moving toward the water. The foundation repair system they'd installed required manual adjustment every five years just to keep the house from falling in.
Mike proposed a different approach: shed all the water coming off the house before it could reach the foundation. The deck he designed required 18- to 24-inch diameter footers drilled 42 inches deep. When the job was complete, the building inspector made an observation Mike still remembers: with all that water diverted away from the foundation, the deck might actually slow the erosion that had been threatening the home.
It did. The foundation stabilized. Underneath the new Copper Canyon DuxxBak deck, the homeowners built out a full outdoor living space, including a hamburger bar, a lower deck off the basement walkout, and shaded space for entertaining rain or shine.
"When they're having a party, they can just move downstairs. It's perfect."
Before DuxxBak, Mike says the sales conversation was straightforward but limited. Customers would call about an old deck that needed replacing, and Mike would walk them through the case for composite over wood: no staining, no sealing, better long-term cost when you factor in maintenance.
DuxxBak changed what was possible to offer. Now there's a whole category of value that other deck builders simply can't match: usable dry space underneath.
"People didn't even know this was possible," Mike says. At home shows, Deep Water Designs displays photos of projects like the 80-to-90-foot deck they built over a quarry, a massive covered outdoor space created entirely by the water-shedding surface above. Homeowners see it and immediately want one.
"When people see it, they get it. That's one of our best ways to sell."
He walks customers through multiple scenarios. It's not just rain protection. On a 100-degree afternoon, the shaded space underneath is the only comfortable place to be. In winter, snow doesn't pile up by the back door. The dry space under a DuxxBak deck functions like a covered porch: spontaneous, usable, and zero maintenance.
Mike has been building with DuxxBak for over a decade. In that time, Deep Water Designs has never filed a warranty claim. That's not something he keeps quiet. It's central to the way he sells.
"We tell customers: we exclusively use DuxxBak. If there's a problem, we take care of it. We don't push it off to the manufacturer. But in 12 years, we've never had to."
That positioning creates trust that most contractors can't replicate. Most deck builders sell whatever the lumberyard carries, install the deck, offer a one-year workmanship warranty, and hand the customer over to the manufacturer after that. Deep Water Designs operates differently, with full accountability, long-term relationships, five-star reviews, and an A+ BBB rating.
For 55+ communities in particular, where slip resistance matters and low-maintenance living is the entire point, DuxxBak's performance record is a genuine differentiator. Mike points out the air-channeled extrusion design that makes the boards cool faster than solid composite, which matters for customers who spend real time on their decks. He talks about the color retention data: DuxxBak fades around 11 to 12 percent over time, versus 37 to 50 percent for competing products. His 12-year-old installations still look the part.
If you're a contractor on the fence about switching, or curious what it looks like to build a business around one product you truly believe in, Mike's message is direct:
"It's light. Great colors. Excellent color retention. Installs easily. The traction grip is huge, especially in 55+ communities. The warranty is great. The cost is very reasonable. And you can offer something your competition can't."
The waterproofing benefit, he says, sells itself. Once a homeowner sees a real example of the usable dry space underneath an elevated deck, the conversation changes. And once a contractor experiences 12 years of zero callbacks, zero warranty claims, and customers who invite you back, the decision gets even easier.
Deep Water Designs LLC is based in northwestern Ohio and specializes in elevated decks and custom dock construction in waterfront and 55+ communities. They have been an exclusive DuxxBak contractor for over 12 years.
