They Weren't Going to Stop Building Decks. They Were Born Into Them (DDP #57)

The Deck Builder With the Most Insane Backstory Ever (DDP #58)

What does sneaking into the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone have to do with building decks? If you're Hayward Gatch, the answer is: everything. In this episode of the Dr Decks Podcast, we sit down with Hayward Gatch, founder of Be Nice Home Solutions, a Rhode Island and Connecticut contractor with maybe the wildest backstory in the trades. From the hand tattoo that accidentally named his company, to hiring mechanics and homeless workers when no one else would take a chance on them, Hayward built his business by doing everything differently. But before the decks came the journey: a heartbreak-fueled trip around the world on a few hundred euros, talking his way out of a nuclear zone, getting caught in a street siege in Athens, squatting in abandoned Soviet buildings, and navigating foreign cities by nothing but the sun. This is a story about grit, reinvention, and why old-school craftsmanship still matters in a digital world. This is Part 1 of 2 — Hayward's journey concludes in the bonus episode. Subscribe for new episodes of the Doctor Decks Podcast Follow Hayward: Instagram @be_nice_home_solutions Doctor Decks on YouTube: youtube.com/@drdecks

They Weren't Going to Stop Building Decks. They Were Born Into Them (DDP #57)

Blaise grew up watching his dad build decks. There's a photo of him at age two in a tool belt on one of his dad's job sites. His dad ran Knock on Wood Construction for 35-40 years before burning out on five crews. Blase went to college, played rugby, got put on academic probation, dropped out and came back to decks. In this conversation, Blase shares how LVMC went from just him and his dad in 2014 to three crews building 150-156 decks a year at around $3 million in revenue. He sells five decks a week by himself. His dad runs production entirely. His brother runs the crew Blase used to run. His cousin recently took over. His sister-in-law handles the office. The company joined Chris Breen's Legacy Academy this year to build the systems they never had and the results are already showing. Blase also opens up about his rugby background (his father played professionally in Palestine before immigrating), the brief HVAC company he and his dad started and abandoned, and building his home from the ground up the day after his wedding with his wife and father-in-law.

A Deadhead Lost His Partner. He Built Anyway (DDP #56)

Coy Pence spent a year following Bob Weir's touring band across 15-20 states, selling Kirkland water and grilled cheese in parking lots to fund his travels. He was a Deadhead by culture and a hustler by necessity. That chapter ended in Louisville, Kentucky, where his first construction job was rebuilding rotten apartment decks. One move to Minnesota, two years of framing log homes near Leech Lake, and a relocation to Tennessee later, Coy started Rough Ashlar Construction. Three months in, his business partner Lucas relapsed and overdosed the week before Christmas. Coy rebuilt alone. Now he's consistently booked six to eight months out in the Nashville area, focusing exclusively on high-complexity custom builds; compass rose inlays, steel framing, premium mineral composite boards. He doesn't take cheap jobs. He doesn't chase volume. He built his name one conversation and one difficult project at a time. The company name comes from a Masonic symbol: a rough ashlar is a stone not yet carved into its final form. Always a work in progress. Always striving to be better. This is one of the more quietly powerful stories we've had on the podcast.

The Engineer Who Swung a Hammer First (DDP #55)

Todd Roe grew up in Brady, Nebraska. A town of 200 people where he genuinely thought North Platte (population 25,000) was the biggest city in America. After graduating second in a class of 11 and playing all-state basketball, he spent a year working on Ted Turner's 88,000-acre bison ranch. One day in the field, Todd calculated the remaining diesel in a 500-gallon tank using improvised geometry. Turner walked over, asked what he was doing out of school, and said nothing else. A week later a $2,500 check arrived from T.E. Enterprises; "This should cover your deposit and first month's rent." Now Todd is the Technical Specialist for Pacific Wood Tech's engineering department; the person who bridges contractors, salesmen, and engineers in a way most companies haven't figured out how to do. He spent 15 years framing and building 26 homes in Nebraska before finding the role he was built for. He also owns approximately 168 guns in seven safes. His wife knows about most of them. This is one of the most colorful backstories the Doctor Dax Podcast has hosted.

26 Years Old. 7 Months in Business. 10 Leads a Week. (DDP #54)

Leo Adorno was making six figures at 17 years old running a moving company through U-Haul's partner program. By 18 he was losing everything he'd built. By 26, he had his own deck company in Massachusetts with a website generating 2-10 leads per week, seven months after forming the LLC. In this conversation, Leo shares what happened in between: dropping out of high school at 16 after his school refused to sign the transfer papers for an early college program, working under the table as an electrical apprentice at 16 for a boss whose equipment kept getting repossessed, the moving business that made him more money than he knew what to do with, and the spiral that followed. His dad has been sober for 30 years and runs the largest homeless shelter in Boston. A backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail helped Leo find his way back. So did mountain biking, his dog, and eventually a job building decks for a house flipper who taught him the rest. This is a young guy who went the hard way before finding the right path.