THE SOLID GROUND crew from left to right: Tara and Tommy Holstein, Ian Colley, and Jake Holstein. (Photos by Kim Dillon Photography)
DuraLife Specialist of the Year
Owner: Tara and Tommy Holstein II Location: St. Louis, MO. Year Founded: 2009 Website: SolidGroundStL.com Instagram: @SolidGroundStL
Solid Ground LLC Q. How did you begin using DuraLife? A. Tommy: Several years ago, when we were a wood deck building company, I was at the lumberyard picking up material. During this visit, I saw a display of DuraLife. Keep in mind, we exclusively worked with wood, no composite. I love wood, and I still have a passion for it today. Back then, we would not even entertain the idea of building with anything else. Composite, in my opinion, looked cheap and plasticky. The moment I saw the DuraLife display, my mind was blown. I remember asking the lumberyard about DuraLife. I remember reaching out and grabbing the book off the shelf, flipping through the pages, astonished. Then, there it was—Golden Teak. I knew right then and there on our next home we would build an elaborate deck with DuraLife—and it would be built with Golden Teak. Fast forward a handful of years and two homes later, we did it; we built a gorgeous DuraLife deck
22 | Deck Specialist | July/August 2023
Facebook.com: @SolidGroundStL Specialty: Composite decking with inlays and 45s throughout the build. Oddly, Golden Teak did not make the cut. We went with Tropical Walnut, and the variegations really stole the show. You see, Tropical Walnut complements our walnut hardwood flooring throughout our home.
Q. Anything new that’s popular with customers? A. Today, we are creating a complete outdoor living space. Many of our builds will include outdoor kitchens, a louvered pergola, outdoor fire features, full roof systems, screen enclosures, pools, etc. In the last year, we have transitioned to steel framing with the help of New Castle Steel. The product is becoming more popular with our clients because of durability and steel framing is aesthetically pleasing. Another popular item is the LouveRoof adjustable pergola system. Whether standalone ground level or as part of the deck, LouveRoof has proven its popularity giving function and fashion to our builds.