The Original Mid-Century Modern Custom Home
Acorn Deck House Company has a rich, early history in the mid-century modernism movement, which has continued and evolved through the 21st century.
The Beginning
Acorn Structures was founded in 1947 by Carl Koch, the founder of Techbuilt, and John Bemis. Their goal for the company was to create a prefabricated alternative to traditional building methods, which produced less waste and took advantage of material left over from the war.
William Berkes and Robert Brownell had worked with Koch at Techbuilt after graduate school, but wanted to create a design of their own. They left Techbuilt in 1959 and founded Deck House.
Through the Years
Throughout the following decades, Acorn Structures and Deck House accepted a friendly rivalry. Although both companies specialized in prefabricated homes, they each had their own signature style – Acorn Homes were designed with a traditional New England flavor and more conventional framing versus Deck Houses’ exposed post and beam structure, mahogany windows and signature tongue-and-groove ceiling decking.
Finally, in 1995, Acorn Structures and Deck House merged under the name Deck House, Inc. Deck House, Inc. continued to manufacture both brands, but changed its name to Empyrean in 2005. Under the Empyrean title, the company lost its name recognition and fell into receivership in 2008.
Acorn Deck House Company Today
In 2009, Tom and Ann Trudeau of Trudeau Homes International bought the company out of receivership. They rebuilt the company’s brand by bringing it back to its roots and renaming it Acorn Deck House Company. They streamlined the manufacturing process by investing in state-of-the-art equipment and talented, hardworking people. Since then, Acorn Deck House Company has been thriving.
