Dealer Opportunities with Undercover Systems^®

In 1995 I started Undercover Systems^®, Inc. Many years earlier a friend and I were talking about a way to stay dry under his deck. An interlocking panel system was an obvious choice but supporting the panels and integrating a gutter system that was attractive and functional was a bit of a challenge.

We placed the panels under his deck and had them drain into a gutter. It worked, but it really wasn’t what I was after for the finished product. As the years went by, I continued to kick the idea around. With research and development, I came up with a gutter design that was attractive, structurally sound and completely functional for the intended use.

We sold our first job in 1995 using this design and shortly thereafter applied for a Patent for this unique design. We received a U.S. Patent on the design and went about trying to make homeowners aware that there was a way to use the underside of their deck. This was as much of a challenge as was the design.

Very few people thought about covering the underside of their deck simply because nothing of any consequence was available. Handymen would install plastic roofing under the joists and shed the water to the outside. This was unattractive and in some cases harmful to the deck. A few companies installed a flashing type material between the joists to create troughs that dumped water into a standard house type gutter, commonly referred to as a “K” style gutters.

Other than being unattractive, all of the “handyman” type solutions had one major flaw, you couldn’t get into them to clean them or repair leaks. Any gutter system has to be cleaned, no exceptions. Their solution was to take up deck boards and clean-out or repair from the topside. This invariably damaged the boards and was a very time-consuming and costly endeavor.

Our unique, engineered design addresses that problem “head-on”. With the aid of special brackets and design we integrated the support for the system into the gutter members. The panels do not attach to the underside of the deck and merely rest on the gutters. This is, in my opinion, the most important design feature, of many, in our Patented Design. This allows total access from the underside of the deck for cleaning, repair or maintenance to the deck.

No longer do homeowners have to worry about rot and decay of their deck. No longer do they have to contend with trying to clean something that is virtually impossible or live with leaks because they don’t want their deck boards scarred and damaged again.

Our first Home Show really brought our unique product to light. We literally couldn’t hand out literature fast enough and the results of that first exhibit launched our company into the success that it has been and continues to be year after year.

We have created a Brand “Undercover Systems^®” that has become synonymous with First Class Customer Service, a Product that is unequalled in the Marketplace and in most cases adds more value to a home than the cost of the product.The fact that Undercover Systems^® has the Value Added Feature as well as transforming an area that is unattractive and unusable into a valuable part of a home helps Undercover Systems^® practically sell itself.

To have a covered, dry area that previously was unusable is well received by homeowners. In all of our years in business, the most enjoyable part of the process is to see the homeowners face and witness their amazement the first time they see their new underdeck area.The Undercover System installation is the first step of many possibilities with your client.

Options include fans, can lighting, porch swings, decorative rain chains (replace downspouts) and other free standing structures such as Pergolas or Arbors that can be made waterproof with our underdeck system. Also, the opportunity to screen in the underdeck area or make a 3 or 4 season room is a possibility.Dedicated Manufacturing, Stringent Quality Control, Engineered Patented Design and the support of Undercover Systems^® and all of our Dealer Network will assure your success in this relatively new market.