Rick isn't just another contractor who showed up to do deck coatings and gate installs. He's an Okanagan acreage owner, hobby farmer, and heavy equipment operator who built this business around work he actually understands from both sides of the fence.
I'm a heavy equipment operator by trade. I've worked construction sites across BC, run machines, built things, fixed things. I know what it means to show up to a job and do the work properly — because if you don't, someone else is going to have to come back and redo it. That's not how I operate.
I also run a 24-acre hobby farm in the Okanagan. I've got the same problems as my customers. I've dealt with deck surfaces that needed waterproofing. I've needed to control access to my property. I've built gates on my own farm. I know what it's like to want something done right the first time and not have to think about it again for years.
That's the perspective I bring to every job. When I show up to your property to quote a FlexStone installation or a gate setup, I'm not making educated guesses about what you need. I've been in your situation. I know what works and what doesn't, not from a manufacturer brochure but from living with it.
When I found FlexStone, I was looking for a deck coating product I'd actually want on my own property. The fire rating is what got my attention first — living in the Okanagan means wildfire is a real seasonal concern, and most deck coatings are combustible. FlexStone's Class A and B fire rating puts it in a completely different category.
Once I got into the product and went through the Certified Master Installer training, I was sold on the whole system. It's built correctly, it's installed correctly (if you're certified), and it performs. I became a certified installer because I wanted to offer something I actually believed in — not just another commodity coating that would need redoing in a few years.
Gate installation grew out of the same place. I needed a proper gate on my own property. I looked at what was available, figured out what actually worked for a working acreage, and built it. Then people started asking me to do the same for them. Turns out there's a real gap in the market for someone who can install a quality gate that actually looks like it belongs on a premium Okanagan property — not just a basic farm gate that sags in six months.
Motorized openers changed things for me personally. Once you've got an automated gate, you don't want to go back. I wanted to offer that to acreage owners who are in the same position I was.
I'll tell you what the work actually involves, what the realistic outcome is, and what it'll take to get there. If it's not the right job for me or the right product for your situation, I'll tell you that too. I'm not here to sell you something you don't need.
The work gets done properly. I don't take shortcuts on surface prep, application, or installation. Those shortcuts show up later — and I don't want to be the contractor who left someone with a job that failed. That's not the kind of work I do.
Let's Talk About Your ProjectFlexStone manufacturer-trained and certified. Not self-declared — this is a designation that requires completing the manufacturer's training program and meeting their installation standards.
Trades background means a respect for doing the job properly. Surface prep, correct application, proper post-setting, quality hardware. The shortcuts that save time on day one cost double on day 365.
You'll get an honest assessment of your project, a realistic quote, and a direct answer when you ask a question. No upselling, no runaround, no vague timelines.
I live here, work here, and understand the climate. The Okanagan's UV intensity, freeze-thaw cycles, and wildfire risk are real factors in how I approach every job — not afterthoughts.
Running a 24-acre property isn't a marketing angle — it's a real part of my life. I understand what acreage owners need from a gate and what property owners need from a deck coating because I need the same things.
When you hire Stone Gate Contracting, you're hiring Rick. Not a sub-contractor who showed up on a dispatch list. The person you talk to is the person doing the work.