If an Archadeck franchise sounds right for you, please fill out and submit our online Request For Information form. If you qualify to be considered as a franchisee, additional information will be sent to help you determine if Archadeck is right for you. With its Archadeck brand, one of the top franchises in North America, U.S. Structures has found a way to target a very large and very underdeveloped market. Participate in this satisfying and profitable enterprise with an Archadeck home-improvement franchise. The last great frontier: the modern backyard Some little-known facts about home remodeling as a market opportunity New-home construction in the U.S. is a $150-billion-a-year industry. That's big. The home remodeling industry is bigger. This industry is not well measured, so no one knows how much bigger. The best estimate is $180 billion a year. Do you see an opportunity? We did. This industry is growing, so your business opportunities are likely to expand with time. Selling can only get easier as demand for these products goes up—with plenty of potential for increased earnings. Another little-known fact: the home remodeling industry has usually grown even during recessionary periods. In fact, Archadeck was launched in 1980 because the tough economic climate made it hard for people to move up to bigger, better houses—they remodeled instead. As an Archadeck franchisee you'd be entering an industry that has performed well during economic downturns. And let's not forget the obvious: people love their homes, and love upgrading them. When there is a relatively easy, cost-effective way to add a lot of charm, beauty, convenience, and usable living-space to their homes, people are happy to do so. And of course, with Archadeck, there is a way...   "I think what attracted me to Archadeck to begin with was the focus on quality. I need to build things I'm proud of. That's been a hallmark of the entire system since its inception." - Jim Finlay, Archadeck of Suburban Boston, Bedford, Massachusetts It's all about the backyard Why building decks and porches is a great business to be in There are 80 million single-family detached homes in America. About 60 million of these have no deck. Of the other 20 million, many have decks more than 10 years old. Even if Archadeck had more and better competition, there are a lot of decks out there to be sold and built. We know—we've built 65,000 of them worldwide so far. But there's a long, long way to go. Help us! Another reason that decks are a great business is that they're among the five most asked-for home remodeling projects. But here's what we really like about decks and porches. Consider the average indoor remodeling job. It can involve several trades, cost tens of thousands of dollars, and take anywhere up to 90 days to finish. The average deck can be built in just three days by a professional carpenter with a good helper. What does this mean? It means that when you're building outdoor structures: projects are more predictable you'll get jobs built much faster than indoor jobs of comparable dollar value projects present fewer technical problems there's less time for things to go wrong or for customers to experience "project fatigue" customers are dazzled by the amount of positive transformation in such a short time This brings important benefits to you, the franchisee: you enjoy higher margins on your jobs than you would on other remodeling projects you get your money out of a job much faster your customers are happier: you'll get a lot more praise! This is such a good business to be in that Archadeck, unlike other renovators, only builds decks and outdoor structures. This specialization gives you, the Archadeck franchisee, an edge over competitors who do more general work. You can dominate them by being "full-time" in a market where they're only "part-time." And, unlike other types of remodeling, decks can be sold by people without much—or any—construction background. As an Archadeck franchisee you can have the pleasure of outselling and outperforming people who have a lot more construction knowledge and experience. That's not to say you won't be knowledgeable. As an Archadeck franchisee, you'll become very knowledgeable about outdoor structures—and have access to all of our experience and knowledge. This is one of the many benefits of the franchise arrangement. Franchise and conquer Why Archadeck has gone the franchising route If you're thinking about going into business for yourself, then chances are you're already looking hard at the option of buying a franchise. At the retail level, franchise businesses represent just 4% of all businesses, but take in 41% of the dollars. Where does this leverage come from?   "I researched numerous companies. When I met with the Archadeck folks, it was an easy choice at that point. I bought the franchise and have not regretted it since." - Todd Huegli, Archadeck of Omaha, Nebraska Franchises achieve disproportionate market share through brand-name promotion. You've probably heard of Archadeck if you read national home-improvement and lifestyle magazines or watch Home & Garden TV. A well-maintained and well-promoted brand, such as Archadeck, promotes credibility and trust in consumers. With an Archadeck home improvement franchise, you benefit from that credibility and trust with higher sales and higher earnings than you—or your competitors—could otherwise come up with. There's more. Most of America's 3,000 franchisors operate within mature (nongrowing) markets. Our market, the outdoor-structure segment of the home remodeling industry, is huge and growing. Archadeck was the first to spot how ripe this was for the sophisticated branding, marketing, and operating-system techniques of a modern franchise business. So we're all alone out there. Archadeck is still the only national and international brand in custom-built outdoor living structures. There simply is no one who competes with us head to head. This opens doors for our franchisees: more sales opportunities, more earning potential. Not to mention the other benefits of being an independent businessperson instead of an employee: you're your own boss you set your own hours and workload you set your own earning goals rewards are based purely on your effort And, unlike almost any other franchise, Archadeck is creative work. You get to have the fun of using your creativity in your business. We've found that the franchising business model works well for us and for you, the franchisee. There's greater flexibility and freedom on both sides of the relationship. We work independently, but share the goal of promoting and profiting from the Archadeck brand. The Archadeck brand People like to buy from businesses they know and trust Archadeck is the national leader in custom-built decks largely because we are more aware than our competitors of the importance of a brand to business success. We work hard to ensure that when people think about building decks, they think about Archadeck. A brand sticks in people's minds and tends to create market dominance over the long term. Of course, in franchising, when we say our brand we also mean your brand as an Archadeck franchisee. Because from day one you enjoy the "halo effect" of the Archadeck brand. Even as a new franchisee you get the competitive advantage of being a "national" player in the "local" league. As a national brand, we can offer even more to you and your customers: the Archadeck warranty, backed up by a third-party guarantee of job completion. You can relax, sell, and build with confidence knowing: you have a unique guarantee standing behind you customers are attracted to warranties and feel more comfortable buying our warranty is among the best offered by any deck builder One more thing. The home-remodeling industry has the worst customer-satisfaction record of any industry. Bad news? Not for Archadeck. Our brand stands as a seal of quality, because we're one of the few businesses in our industry with a reputation for high-quality work and customer service. As an Archadeck franchisee you can feel proud to be one of the "good guys" in a "bad guy" industry. Superior operating systems Why your business starts out as a well-oiled machine The franchising business model gives you immediate access to powerful operating systems to run your business. Instead of scrambling to set up your marketing, sales, construction, and administration systems, you hit the road running. Sales and profits come to you faster, easier, and bigger than if you had to come up with your own operating systems. Among the powerful tools you'll use as an Archadeck franchisee is Dovetail, our impressive proprietary CAD (computer-aided design) software package. Customers are wowed when they see 3-D images of how their finished deck will look. It's fun to bring people the thrill of seeing what is possible for their home. And when it comes to numbers, you don't have to be a math genius. Our powerful proprietary estimating software lets you crunch numbers while saving most of your time for customer service. Create value in your customers' eyes by showing them how you can cut the cost of a project, or how they can add a lot of extra value for only a little extra cost. Either way, you look smart, professional, and high-tech. But the real value of these systems is how they work together. The Archadeck design and construction techniques and our high-powered marketing and sales program create a synergy that's even greater than the component elements. This makes it as easy as possible to achieve success in your local market. And your professionalism makes your customers happy. Our best asset: our customers We love them, they love us As an Archadeck franchisee you're not in the business of selling the cheapest possible deck, as many of your competitors are. You're in the business of selling your customers the most valuable deck for the money. Our customers are looking to make a lovely addition to their home for a reasonable cost—and that's exactly what Archadeck delivers. The Archadeck customer is highly educated and looking for a quality product installed by a company of demonstrated professionalism. Based on our decades of experience, we have packaged the design and business elements to appeal to these customers, and you'll be trained to cater to this desirable market. You'll be exactly what your customers are looking for. They'll love what you do for their home. The sales process What you'll be doing as an Archadeck franchisee One of the biggest concerns people have about going into business for themselves is wondering how good they are at selling. One of the best things about being an Archadeck franchisee is that your customers come to you. Our sophisticated marketing and advertising strategies get your phone ringing with inquiries. No "cold calls", no high-pressure sales tactics. You start right at the fun part: helping your customers. Want to know more about how our sales process works? The (good) life of a franchisee You're building dreams, not decks As an Archadeck franchisee, you do not personally build decks. Professional carpenters do that (we'll show you how to find and hire them). This means: you don't need to be a carpenter or know how to build things you can focus on management of your business, sales, and customer service the carpenters report to you—you're the boss you're not doing the "heavy lifting" of the actual construction work The result? You have the pleasure of being in charge. You maintain a professional image rather than a "trades" image. You're in the business of turning homeowners' dreams into reality.