Announcing the Winners of AdvantageLumber.com’s 2024 Deck & Outdoor Project Contest!

Each year, we at AdvantageLumber.com are blown away by the incredible creativity, craftsmanship, and passion showcased in our Deck & Outdoor Project Contest. The 2024 edition was no exception. We’re thrilled to celebrate the winners who went above and beyond, turning their outdoor spaces into true masterpieces. This year’s projects highlighted a stunning variety of materials, locations, and architectural ingenuity. Let’s dive into the details of these extraordinary projects!


Grand Prize Winner: A Waterfront Dream in New York

Our grand prize winner created a breathtaking waterfront home in New York that epitomizes luxury and functionality. This project seamlessly integrated our Cumaru products throughout the home. From top to bottom, the house features:

  • Cumaru Siding: Wrapping the exterior in this rich, durable hardwood elevated the home’s aesthetic while offering unmatched resistance to the elements.
  • Cumaru Deck Tiles: The spacious deck provides a warm and inviting outdoor retreat with views of the serene waterfront.
  • Cumaru Ceilings: Extending the use of Cumaru to the ceilings brought a cohesive and elegant touch to the home’s interior and exterior spaces.

This project is a true testament to the versatility and beauty of Cumaru, showcasing how it can transform a property into a cohesive architectural marvel.

Architect/Builder: CHARLES R. SCHWARTZAPFEL R.A. P.C.
Photographer: https://www.ricmarderimagery.com

Western Red Cedar Siding Elegance

Also from the same builder and photographer, we have a project that highlights the timeless charm of Western Red Cedar. The homeowners used this natural material to clad their residence, giving it a warm and inviting appearance. The striking grain patterns and reddish hues of the cedar siding made this home stand out, blending perfectly with its natural surroundings. This project beautifully demonstrates how Western Red Cedar can create a rustic yet refined look, proving it’s a top choice for outdoor projects.

Architect/Builder: CHARLES R. SCHWARTZAPFEL R.A. P.C.
Photographer: https://www.ricmarderimagery.com

cedar siding

First Runner-Up: Stunning Ipe Projects by Decks by Keifer

In second place, we have Decks by Keifer’s two impressive Ipe projects. The first is an Ipe deck with a stunning mountain view in Stowe, Vermont. The second is an Ipe pergola outdoor living area featuring an entertainment space and a cozy outdoor fireplace. This project incorporated heavy Ipe dimensional lumber, including 6x12x26′ support beams and 3×8 rafters, showcasing the material’s strength and beauty.

Check out more projects from Decks by Kiefer
Shop Ipe From AdvantageLumber.com

ipe deck
ipe pergola

Second Runner-Up: Tigerwood Decking in California

Third place went to a California home that brought tropical flair to the Golden State with an expansive Tigerwood deck. Known for its bold stripes and exceptional durability, Tigerwood was the perfect choice for this outdoor space. The deck’s vibrant color palette and intricate design make it the ideal spot for entertaining or simply enjoying California’s year-round sunshine. The project perfectly combines form and function, showcasing how Tigerwood decking can elevate any outdoor living area.

Photo Submission by: Behrang Z.Laguna Beach California


Thank You to All Participants

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s contest. Your creativity and dedication continue to inspire us. These projects demonstrate the transformative power of premium hardwoods and remind us why we’re passionate about what we do at AdvantageLumber.com.


Inspired? Let’s Get Started on Your Next Project!

Whether you’re planning a new deck, siding project, or outdoor living space, we’re here to help you bring your vision to life. Contact us today to explore our range of high-quality hardwood products and get expert advice for your next project.

Stay tuned for details about our 2025 Deck & Outdoor Project Contest. We can’t wait to see what you create next!


Honorable Mentions

While these three projects took the top honors, we’d be remiss not to highlight some other incredible submissions:

Durham NC
“Fresh Tigerwood decked dock!

Jewel Construction Company – Brooklyn NY
We Ipe Grooved decking planks with Ipe Clip extreme hidden fasteners.

Fairhope, Alabama
“Cumaru wood deck for very humid, wet rainy southern state. Looks beautiful and holds up well in out climate.

Exotic Wood Brokers
Clarkston, Michigan
Replaced 1100 sqft, 4 decks in goncalo alves (Tigerwood), Stainless steel posts with 1/2 tempered glass and bird film.

Falconhead Construction
Laurel,  Maryland 
This is an Ipe TV screen wall at my pool area.

FosterArchitecture.com
East Hampton, New York
“Cumaru prefab deck squares on a master Bedroom Deck. Shelter Island NY

Taylorsville, NC
Cumaru applied to deck with deckwise edge groove fasteners and deckwise truss tape.” 

Better Than New LLC
Punta Gorda,  FL
Tigerwood fence – no nails or screws! 

Burkhardt Custom Gates & Fences
Santa Monica, California
“What you looking at here is a double cladded ipe estate gate. Behold the luxurious layers of ipe on our double-cladded Ipe estate gate, meticulously crafted to add both elegance and durability to the property.”

Burkhardt Custom Gates & Fences
Santa Monica, California
“IPE fence align with existing tree.

Rochester, NY
“The wood is Cumaru.   Oiled with Ipe Oil.”

Berga Constructions
New Smyrna Beach, FL
“Ipe deck tiles Build this month

Mesa, California 
“Used Ipe and tiger wood As you can see I mixed the materials one on top of the other “

Eagle Point, OR
“The first picture is the 20 year old Trex deck, The under structure was made from pressure treated wood. Both of which have out lived their useful life. Advantage Lumber was very helpful and knowledgeable in the planning process, I finally settled on Tigerwood. Isaias was very helpful when it came to figuring out how much lumber and all the Deckwise products (hidden clips, Ipe oil, etc) we needed for this project. With the help of Shawn we went with the New Castle Steel structure and he was very helpful when it came to figuring out what was needed.  I feel that the 2 components were necessary so that the understructure wouldn’t fail before the wood. I am very pleased with the out come and will definitely used Advantage Lumber in future projects.”

Sarasota Assisting PA
Sarasota FL
“Deck is 1 year old, Tigerwood. Durable, very solid deck.  In Florida, it gets a lot of sun and rain exposure, it takes a little upkeep but the beauty is well worth it.”

Winter Haven, Florida
Used 2 slabs of IPE and 3 – 6 x 6 12 foot square posts which I rounded into poles. Attached netting and rope to 3 poles at the Landing and 4 poles for the bridge. Engraved and burnet artistic astrological signs into the bridge boards to signify my wife’s and my birthdays and fastened all decking with medieval hardware that we created ourselves.

Method-artz.com
Atlanta GA
“Outdoor bed made from yellow Balau. Slate roof and balau curtain rods. “

Exterior Designs 
Rancho Santa Fe, CA
“Replaced Redwood deck , and installed brand new Framing and new IPE deck”

Burton Quality Builders
MIDDLEBURGH, NY
“Outdoor shower built with Ipe”

Blasdell, NY
“This is a Tigerwood privacy fence set up around my patio.”

Woodrightdesign.com
Tampa, FL
“Tigerwood pergola deck finished in awlgrip marine coating”

SAINT CHARLES, IL
“Azek (TimberTech) decking. Used water rain system for use all around. Installed low voltage lighting on the posts and stairs. Used the hidden Fastners and top hidden screws. The deck is about 5 years old.”

g3Ventures
Pacific Palisades, CA
“A different take on creative use of decking material… I designed and built these landscape boxes out of Cumaru 1×6+ boards. The design is intended to accentuate the lines of the house and soften the front yard using native plants and succulents.”

Neguac, NB
“The deck is aproximately 1200 sq feet made of 5/4 tigerwood. It was built about 5 years ago using material from your company. I altered the direction of the wood on the four corners to create visual  depth and added interest around the pool.”

Garland Mill
Lancaster, New Hampshire
Thermally Treated Ash (walkway)

Joseph Fernandez Architect PC 
Eastchester,  New York
“5/4 Tigerwood pre grooved boards were utilized to created this 2000 sf deck around the 20 x 40 in ground pool. The deck was designed to align with the stone coping around the pool and provide seating, sunning and dancing area around the pool.  The Tigerwood boards and the distinctive lines and graining make this oversized deck a pleasure to enjoy.  Pregrooving the boards to hide the fasteners make this deck surface pleasurable to circulate around.”

claybirds
San Quentin CA
“The deck is built up over a sloping site. The material is IPE that is inlaid around some different in situ structures and Kentia Palms.”

La Habra CA
“My 78 year old neighbor, my best friend and I built these gates from ground up. I designed them on paper, we built them on my garage floor and welded them to the end. We did everything other than the powder-coating. We used all Ipe wood planks then put them through my planer, joiner and router. I recently refinished the Ipe as it faces the sun and it nearly nine-year-old. We also built the patio cover, bbq and out down the stone. Great project for friends that are office people, but with determination every weekend, patience, great products like Ipe and great tools have aided us in accomplishing a lot along with great memories. This would mean a lot to have our project recognized. Thank you.”

Austin, TX
“I built a small ‘bump-out’ area on my deck and ordered 1×6 Tigerwood for the deck surface. At the time we were looking for options to do new flooring inside the house and I kept being drawn to Herringbone patterns, but my wife didn’t want that, so I decided as an experiment to try doing a Herringbone deck surface.   The hard part was fitting IPE clips into the ends of the boards since I don’t have a router table to make full-length slots like the sides, but I was able to use my biscuit joiner at each spot requiring a clip. Besides having a nice conversation piece and interesting accent for the deck, cutting the material up into smaller pieces avoided the aggravation of straightening long deck boards.”

2 thoughts on “Announcing the Winners of AdvantageLumber.com’s 2024 Deck & Outdoor Project Contest!”

  1. We’re looking for heart pine. 1x4x16’, 1x6x16’, 1x8x16’, 1x8x16’, 1x10x16’, and possibly 1x12x16’.
    I don’t know the exact footage yet.

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