Utah Builder’s Own Deck Project Showcases Thoughtful Functionality, Unique Custom Details, and Indoor-Outdoor Harmony
After two-and-a-half decades of designing and building decks around Ogden, Utah, this year Sias Parsons got the opportunity to finally craft a dream outdoor space for his own home, leveraging everything he’d learned and seen along the way. The result is not only beautiful, it’s brimming with customized features and details that showcase his talent while perfectly suiting his family’s needs and location.
A Legacy of Customer Service
Parsons began working for and with his father 25 years ago, with the duo building a reputation for hands-on quality. Today, Parsons has grown Big Yeti Builders on both his dedication to customer service and his ability to create truly custom decks tailored to each client.
When he started Big Yeti, “We really had a focus on customer satisfaction and on our employees having a career—somewhere they can call home,” Parsons says.
This mission is clearly working, as Big Yeti has already grown to 15 team members, and is hiring and ready to expand. Last year, the company installed around 50,000 square feet of deck across 125 projects. The company’s project portfolio reveals a diversity of features, aesthetic details, and creative functionality that speak to the individual needs and tastes of each homeowner.
“We specialize in custom outdoor living spaces,” Parsons says. “Decks are the start and you build on from there.”
A Deck Built for Family and Friends
Parsons took a similar approach when creating his family’s outdoor living space.
“I wanted to design something that fit my home and fit my needs,” he explains. “My main priority was having a place to really provide hospitality. I like having people over, I barbecue a lot, and I haven’t had a space in a long time where I could really entertain. Being able to entertain was a high importance for me personally on this project, as well as having somewhere for my kids to grow up and have their friends over and just having more useable space.”
Allowing guests to break up into smaller groups for separate activities and conversation played a role in the overall design, Parsons says. Part of this comprised mirroring the inside of the home—the outdoor kitchen mirrors the indoor kitchen, an outdoor living room mirrors the living room inside, and the deck’s lounge area mirrors the master bedroom.
“We really leaned into the outdoor living space concept ourselves—that these are extensions of the footprint of your home. It’s not just a deck like it was 10 years ago,” Parsons says. “And I’m seeing that with our clientele. People are really more interested in expanding their current home; they want to be home more, they want to have people over, they want a place to actually use.”
Decking Materials Ideal for Climate
One of the factors Big Yeti considers when choosing building materials is Utah’s high mountain desert climate.
“Generally we look for longevity in the products—how long they’ve been in the market, especially our market in Utah,” Parsons says, explaining that the area deals with less moisture and intense UV light. In addition, expansion and contraction can be an issue due to large temperature swings daily and seasonally. “During the summer, we have 60-degree temperature shifts from morning until evening and back again. We have a 100-degree [shift] from summer to winter.”
Like 99% of his projects, Parsons used Envision Outdoor Living capped composite decking for his own home. For the primary decking areas, he chose Distinction decking with Cool Tread Technology™ in Seaside Pier. Along with closely matching the interior floors, the Cool Tread color is up to 25% cooler underfoot compared to other average leading competitors.
“The temperature difference is astounding so far, from what I’ve seen personally living on it,” Parsons says. “Even from the other products that are here it’s noticeable and those products are already generally cooler.”
The crew then used Distinction decking in Spiced Teak to picture frame the perimeter of the deck and visually section off functional areas, as well as for the stair tread edges and trim. They also created a unique Penrose triangle inlay using Spiced Teak, Hampton Dunes, and Gunstock, adding a unique focal point in the center of the space where the primary sitting area and fireplace are located.
Details such as these can be found throughout the deck. Aluminum divider screens in a provide privacy while further creating the feel of separate gathering spaces. The color, design, and materials perfectly coordinate with Envision’s Fairway aluminum railing with horizontal infill.
The custom pergolas further the deck’s bold look. The dark wood-grain and robust black connector hardware blend expertly with the home’s dark siding and trim. To achieve the wood look without added maintenance, Parsons wrapped the wood posts in Spiced Teak and Seaside Pier decking. Using a technique they’ve applied to support posts on customers’ projects, the team routered the planks to create a locking tongue-and-groove to keep out moisture, then screwed them into the posts. “Any other product I wouldn’t be able to do this on due to expansion and contraction,” he notes.
“I’ve used Envision for 20 years now. We switched over in 2004 when we started seeing issues with other products—lots of warranty calls,” Parsons says. “In the 20 years that I’ve worked with Envision, I’ve never had a warranty issue. It holds up, it looks the same, it never changes.”
Big Yeti Looks Ahead
In building his family’s dream outdoor living space, Parsons not only got to draw on his experience, but also experience what it’s like for his customers.
“We’re out here most nights, we barbecue more than ever, we sit by the fire and hang out…it’s a place to enjoy the stars and the weather; we hadn’t had that,” he says. “It’s really changed how we use our home. We have a great house, but this extra square footage has made a huge difference in our own comfort.”
His company is experiencing an evolution, too. As Big Yeti continues to grow, it’s expanding into larger remodeling projects and new-home building, all while keeping to its original mission. “The vision for Big Yeti from the beginning was just to build good things for people. I want to make sure we’re putting out good quality,” Parsons says. “On the deck side of things, we’ve pretty much mastered the process. We’re very, very efficient; the quality never changes. So now we’re looking to expand. … There’s a lot of big things in the works; it’s all coming together.”
