Maryland TrexPro Contractor Builds Perfect Stage for New Trex Commercial

Tucked away amongst the oaks and hickory trees along the picturesque Magothy River sat a spectacular home in need of an equally spectacular outdoor space. With stunning sunsets and water views, the home was missing a stage on which to take advantage of the surrounding beauty. Turning to the #1 name in outdoor living and TrexPro contractor Pro-Built Construction to give their old deck new life was an easy decision for the Severna Park, Md., homeowners.

When the Trex marketing team put out the word last year they it was searching for the perfect spot in which to film the company’s new commercial, the home and its newly redesigned backyard checked off all the boxes.

The commercial, created in partnership with Nashville-based advertising agency and longtime Trex partner, Buntin, introduces a new look, approach and message for Trex, and to do that required a special location. The :60 commercial centres on the relatable and touching story of a dad and daughter’s relationship as she grows from toddler to adult. The Trex deck serves as the backdrop for a lifetime of memories and poignant moments that play out over decades – capped by a night-time wedding scene as the pair descend the elegant curved staircase made from Trex Transcend® railing and decking.

“The commercial turned out so nice,” said Christina Speiden, director of sales and marketing for Pro-Built Construction of Highland, Md. “The homeowners told us that the best thing about the commercial is that it actually shows how they use the space – chasing lightning bugs in the yard, dinners al fresco on the deck. Their daughter is even getting married this summer at the house.”

Design and Delay Challenges

Pro-Built, a top-tier Trex contractor since 2002, began work rebuilding the deck in early 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 quarantine. Because of the home’s location near the Chesapeake Bay, the contractor needed design approvals from the Chesapeake Bay Critical Buffer Area which delayed the project until August of 2020; the pandemic pushing a typical six-to-eight week approval process to six months. 

Ultimately, the approved design solved just what the homeowners set out to fix. The original home installer built two levels of decking in 2012 that were not connected. In addition, there was no staircase leading from the second-story deck to ground level. The homeowners felt trapped by the design and wanted a means of egress for safety reasons as well as better flow to enjoy the entire backyard space. When an item fell through the gaps in the boards or over the railing, the homeowners had to go inside the house, down to the basement and out the basement door to pick up the dropped item.

Most importantly, rot and decay had deteriorated the pressure-treated substructure so much so that the deck was unsafe to use. ProBuilt demolished the entire structure including a wood frame that was alarmingly “spongy” in areas. The deck was rebuilt with a plethora of Trex outdoor living products including Transcend® decking in the silvery hue of Island Mist, and Transcend Classic White rail posts, charcoal black top and bottom rails and black metal round balusters. ProBuilt used a 2x4 decking board for a cocktail rail approach between rail posts. Trex® Spiral Stairs™ connected the two deck floors while Island Mist fascia was used to create storage area below the staircase. The Trex® RainEscape™ deck drainage system was added to allow for a dry space on the ground-level below the second-story deck.

Once permit challenges were met, the deck rebuild took about three months. A second phase to build the patio took another two. Despite the delays, the homeowners are thrilled with the result.

ProBuilt owner and president Edward Pacylowski “delivered exactly what he promised he would when he sat at our dining room table that very first time we met,” said homeowner Ed Macnamara.

Perfect Spot

When ProBuilt heard that Trex was looking for a location to shoot its commercial last summer, Speiden immediately thought about the Macnamara house.

“The location is whimsical,” she said. “You want to be outside to enjoy all that nature has to offer year-round. Watching sunsets while sitting on your porch swing, family dinner nights under the stars, roasting marshmallows over the fire pit, there’s just so much to do outdoors in this setting.

“The Trex commercial really says it all - the deck is just an outdoor stage built for a lifetime of memories to be made. All the memories made in this space as a result of having this outdoor living space that we designed and built for this family is why we love what we do!”

The Trex commercial, part of a new “We See It Too” campaign, officially launched Jan. 1 on HGTV, Food Network and Discovery and will continue to run on television throughout 2022.

“At Trex, it is our passion to take ideas and inspiration and turn them into reality,” said Trex Vice President of Marketing Leslie Adkins. “We are visionaries at heart, constantly focused on engineering what’s next in outdoor living. So, whatever a consumer might envision for their outdoor space, we want them to know that Trex shares their vision and has the experience, products, resources and support to help bring their dreams to life.”