For over two decades, Fortress® Alliance Member Joe Frith, the owner of Mountain Deck, has been building everything from ground-up homes to large-scale residential decks in California’s San Francisco Bay area. His roots in the trades run deep. Frith started as a lead carpenter and foreman for various construction companies, where he built his reputation on craftsmanship, attention to detail and a genuine passion for helping people create their dream homes.

In 2012, inspired by his clients’ encouragement, Frith founded Mountain Deck. What began as a jack-of-all-trades business quickly evolved. By 2019, he decided to focus exclusively on building decks. And not just any decks. Think multi-level outdoor living spaces that are 12+ feet off the ground level, complete with today’s sought-after amenities and sweeping views, built to withstand California’s fire-prone climate and weather conditions.

Making the switch from lumber to steel

Like most veteran builders, Frith started his career framing decks with lumber. It’s what everyone did. But as client expectations evolved and the limitations of pressure-treated wood became more apparent, he knew it was time to reconsider his material choices. The big shift came in 2019, when one of his clients was tired of the same old traditional wood-framed deck. “They wanted something different— a deck that’s not going to look old and tired a year after it was built,” he recalls. Before long, the two were Googling deck framing alternatives.

That search led Frith to discover the Evolution steel deck framing system by Fortress Building Products. Using the engineered interlocking joist and ledger system, he built his first steel framed deck for his client— a massive 3,500-square-foot, triple-decker outdoor living space. He hasn’t looked back since.

Why steel deck framing makes sense and makes Frith stand out

Frith was one of the first builders to offer steel deck framing in the region, a move that helped Mountain Deck stand out in a highly competitive market right from the start. “Everyone else was still framing with pressure-treated wood and topping it with redwood deck boards,” Frith recalls. “But when I introduced Evolution as a fire-safe, engineered option, it made me different—and that difference mattered.”

After seven years of building decks only with Evolution, Frith chooses not to build with wood again. A big part of the reason is that steel sidelines problems that wood can’t. It is resistant to most tangible threats and can sidestep common issues that plague traditional wood frame decks, such as deterioration after long-term exposure to moisture and warping as a result of extreme changes in temperature. Frith said, “Why would I, when there’s a noncombustible, ignition-resistant option that looks better and lasts longer?”  

In wildfire-prone areas like California that have stringent building codes for fire safety, steel deck framing offers a huge advantage as a noncombustible, fire-resistant and ignition-resistant solution that meets all applicable WUI, NFPA and California Chapter 7A  building codes. Underscoring its safety factor, Evolution received a Class A fire-resistant rating after completing the ASTM E84-21a, Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials.

The growth Frith has experienced speaks volumes. What started as just three or four projects a year has grown into a thriving deck building business with more than 30 custom steel-framed deck builds annually. To keep up with the demand, Frith now leads six full-time crews who build with Evolution year-round. In fact, business is booming. Mountain Deck is already booked out through 2026.

Contributing to a fire-wise and deck-building community

When not leading his crews through bigger and better deck builds, Frith is busy sharing his knowledge with homeowners and the next generation of deck builders. As a Firewise USA program participant, he volunteers his time educating homeowners about the importance of a fire-hardened deck. Within the deck building industry, Frith is just as committed to sharing what he has learned. For example, in June 2025, Frith co-hosted a regional Master Class Workshop with Fortress Building Products in Portola Valley, California. The main objective of the advanced hands-on training session was to show contractors the ins and outs of working with steel.  “There is still a misconception that framing decks with steel is hard and expensive because people think of those heavy steel I-beams,” Frith explains, “But Evolution is a building system.” He’s convinced that once you get your hands on the product—you just get it. 

By championing noncombustible steel deck framing and mentoring young deck builders, Joe Frith isn’t just building beautiful and resilient decks; he’s helping contractors grow their business by building smarter, safer and more future-ready outdoor living spaces.

Ready to embrace the next generation of deck framing? Participate in Fortress® Master Class.