Stylists protect the value of decks
and yards
Couple offer clients more time to enjoy their homes
By MONIKA GUENDNER, Of the Record staff
"I've always wanted to start a business," said Kellen McAffee. "I
started a lemonade stand with my sister."
McAffee eventually outgrew the lemonade stand, and recently opened two enduring
businesses that he owns and operates with his wife Nancy: Park City Yard Stylists
and Park City Deck Stylists.
The couple studied non-traditional topics in college for budding business owners McAffee majored in electronic media and political science and Nancy studied theater and interior design which is an advantage over getting a degree in business, according to McAffee.
"I didn't want to go to business school because they don't teach you how to be an entrepreneur," said McAffee. "They teach you how to be a cog."
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McAffee gained hands-on experience working in Vermont during breaks from college, working in wood, building furniture, logging and working on an organic vegetable farm. In addition, the McAffees were coached by his step-mother and step-grandmother who are accomplished home renovators.
The couple works as a team, meeting with homeowners and discussing needs, writing out a detailed estimate and preparing and staining the deck. A deck can be finished within three days of the first phone call, said McAffee, and the homeowner receives an estimate, with various options, within hours of the initial meeting.
Preparing a deck for winter is often more work than a homeowner wants to commit to, says McAffee. The process can take some specialized tools and some unglamorous work.
If a deck is used often, it might just need to be scrubbed down with a wood conditioner and deck brightener, added Nancy. Whatever the eventual treatment is decided upon, the McAffees take before and after photographs for clients to access on the company's website.
The couple has been busy with both businesses in their first summer, but there is still plenty of room for Nancy's itching creative side. Staining decks with different colors or using stencils could be an innovative addition to a funky Old Town home or a way to personalize a Deer Valley house, she says. So far, however, most people have been concentrating on the functional side.
That is important thing, said McAffee: protect the home before the winter dumps layer after layer of snow on top.
Lawn care has a distinct third-season phase as well, especially if clients are interested in organic methods of weed control and fertilizing, he added.
The chemical approach to lawn care is a "search and destroy" mentality with only a short-term solution and the potential of residue harmful to pets and children left behind.
The organic approach concentrates on growing a healthy lawn that will win any competition over weeds. It may take longer to accomplish than spraying on a pesticide, but the results stay around longer as well, said McAffee. For an early start, the first treatment begins in the fall.
The Yard Stylist side of the business also offers mowing services, aerating and fertilizing. The Deck Stylist side also does fences and can work with renters who want to subsidize their rent with deck staining.
For more information, Park City Yard Stylists and Park City Deck Stylists can be reached at (801) 791-9522. For a complete list of services, log on to www.pclawncare.com and www.pcdeckstylists.com.