Our Story

Every family has a thing. Ours is decks.

It started in 1985 with our dad, David Kroes — the original Deckspert. While most builders chased general construction, Dad had a different idea: build outdoor living spaces, and only outdoor living spaces, and get really, really good at it. He put a hammer in our hands before we could drive, and we spent our summers learning the trade board by board.

Dad passed away in 2001. Walking away from the business never really came up — this is how we grew up, and carrying it forward felt like the only right way to honor him. More than twenty years later, we're still building decks the way he taught us: square, solid, and made for living on.

Todd and Randen — the quality inspection is rigorous.

Meet Todd

Todd teaches math at Delton-Kellogg High School and holds a Master's degree in Statistics — he's been teaching since 1999. That means your deck's load calculations are checked by a guy who does this for a living, and your questions get real answers, not contractor hand-waving. He has spent his summers building decks for as long as he can remember.

Meet Randen

Randen is a school counselor with Kalamazoo Public Schools, with degrees in physical education and counseling education. His career has taken him as far as Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he taught internationally starting in 2000. Counselors listen for a living — which is why every Decksperts project starts with what you want your backyard to be, not what's easiest to build.

Why the teacher thing matters

A deck project comes with a hundred small decisions: wood or composite, railing styles, stairs, lighting, permits. We explain every one of them in plain English, show you the trade-offs, and let you decide. No pressure, no jargon, no surprises on the invoice. Between us we have more than 60 years of deck-building experience, hundreds of finished decks, and we're licensed and insured.