Summit Deck Doctor

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Went well.

Rubert and his assistant were on time and did what they said and wrote on quotes. Willing to repair what others wanted to build new decks. Redwood decks one is 23 years old, the other is 28 years old. What is not written in quote is charged extra.

Rupert, the owner, does all the work himself with one assistant. The work was done while we were out of town. The result was excellent without a drop of deck sealer where it doesn't belong.

Rupert was always punctual and all work was completed in a timely fashion. The quality of the work was good. They were very knowledgeable and competent.

It went very well. The price was negotiated - work started and finished in a timely fashion, and very innovative equipment was used.

They were prompt, clean and they did the job. I did have to call them back to nail down some more boards and they came out to take of them.

I have about 600 square feet of old redwood decks that needed repairs plus maintenance. Rupert provided a very competitve quote and showed up to do the work when he said he would. Since it was the fall, there was some chance of rain, and Rupert explained to me ahead of time that he didn't want to stain the decks in the rain since that would wash off some of the stain before it had a chance to adhere, but he would be able to repair and wash the decks. Naturally, it did rain after the start of the work, which delayed things by a couple of days, but when it dried out the work was done on time and better than what I had expected. The work included replacing a half dozen rotten boards, some carpentry to shore up a couple of steps, and removal of some decayed material from the ends of some boards. When one replacement board turned out to be a bit higher than the old board next to it, Rupert replaced the additional old board at no additional charge even though that wasn't part of the initial quote. The carpentry work seems solid and reliable. Rupert and partner also pressure washed the decks and railings and stained the decks and railings. They did a thorough job, and the stain seems to be holding up nicely through a couple months of heavy rains. In a few years when the decks need to be maintained, I'll definitely give Rupert another call.

We found Summit Deck Doctor to be very professional, with exceptional responsiveness and clear communication; Rupert also provided honest feedback/assessment of what could be accomplished for a specific price.

Rupert was always on top of it and gave me updates on the progress of the job. I always knew what to expect ahead of time. We had to deal with rain which delayed the job a day or two since Rupert wanted to make sure the deck was completely dry (even though the stain they used can be applied to damp wood). Michael was very patient during the entire process even though it's extremely tedious and time-consuming job. I appreciated both Rupert and Michael's promptness and attention to detail. They left the premises clean and tidy once the job was complete. I would most certainly use them again for any future staining needs.

I thought they were okay. Their positives were that they were very good with communication and were very easy to get a hold of. They were also prompt and worked with the scheduling. The cons were that when we got into the project, I found some things weren't stained right and once my sprinklers came on, they were a little less accommodating. They just wanted to get in and get out. All-in-all they did pretty good work, and I was happy with it.

They did a good job. They were very timely.

It went smoothly. They did what they said they would do when they said they would. It was easy to schedule. Rupert must work long days because he was very good at returning calls, scheduling and following up in the evening hours.

We chose to stain the deck with the top of the line Cabot's 4 year SPF product. Before starting, I spoke with the technical support personnel at Cabots about our deck and learned about proper preparation and application procedures. Rupert, the Deck Doctor, did very good preparation work. However, he did not do a proper job applying the stain. Cabot's instructions are very clear that the stain should not be applied in the sun or when the deck is hot to the touch. In these conditions, the stain dries almost on contact and never penetrates the wood. When this happens, the stain peels off prematurely and the life of the stain is greatly reduced. (This top of the line SPF product can last up to 4 years.) As Rupert began working, I became concerned that he was applying the stain in the full sun on warm October days. I talked to Rupert about this issue as he was working, but he insisted that everything was fine. One of Rupert's great strengths is as a salesman - he is very charming and reassuring. Unfortunately, he was dead wrong about what he was doing. Within a year, the stain started peeling off the deck. I called Rupert about this one time and he blamed the problem on the Cabot stain. He showed no inclination to make things right. Over the next year, the stain continued to peel off prematurely. Eventually, after about 20 months, I realized I would have to re-stain the entire deck. I called Cabots technical support again to ask about how to do this. When they learned how quickly the stain had started peeling off, they surprised me by volunteering to send me a carton of the SPF stain free of charge. This was despite the fact that I told them about Rupert's incorrect methods. Cabot's integrity impressed me. With a helper, I redid the stain myself this year, following the directions given to me by Cabots technical support. The deck looks great again and I expect the stain to last the advertised 3-4 years. This time the job cost me about $150 using a hired helper. BTW - I had kept track of how much time Rupert spent on my job in 2005. I figured I wound up paying him about $100 an hour to stain my deck - way too much for the nature of the work. Summary: if you plan to use Rupert Hart, The Deck Doctor, be prepared to pay a big premium for labor and also be prepared to monitor his work closely. Be sure he is following the stain manufacturer's instructions. Update: He saw my negative review in Angie's List, and contacted me to try and make the situation right. I was not in a position to accept his help right away, but I contacted him a year later when I was able to. He redid the deck staining at his expense. In the spirit of goodwill, I paid for the materials. I regard Rupert as an individual who cares about his reputation and stands by his work. If the pricing was right, I would use him again.

We are very pleased with Rupert and his work. His estimate was reasonable. He was able to do the work promptly and quickly; showed up on time; explained what could be done and what needed to be done being conscious of our budget; called to confirm; made helpful suggestion and did not hesitate to give advice for work that he does (power washing and staining) that I preferred to do myself. I would call him again for deck work and highly recommend him. Others who bid the job would only quote replacing the whole deck which was not necessary at this time.

We were looking for someone to save our beautiful decks. We wanted the best protection we could get and we wanted minimum fuss during the process; 353-DECK delivered just that. The quality of the product used was consumer reports highest rating, Rupert was on time, the job was done neatly and I couldn't be more proud of the way our decks look. We have had other vendors that don't show up, leave a mess and take forever. Rupert and his team were in and out in two days and everything looks perfect!

Rupert gave a very reasonable estimate after evaluating the work requested. He was thorough with his explanation of the work to be done and the time frame to complete it. He replied quickly to our phone calls regarding questions about the work to be done. He started the project soon after the estimate was given and completed it in a short period of time (three days). Stain application was done by hand and brush strokes were not seen. We are happy and pleased with Rupert's work as our wood deck looks brand new.

Rupert and his team did an excellent job. All railings were stained front and back, as well as the fascia on the decks. The deck boards were coated deep into the knots. Even the hard to reach places on the railings and fascia were covered. The job was completed in 3 days. I am very satisfied with the work and would use The Deck Doctor again.

Rupert, the owner, was very efficient and gave great value for the money. He finished ahead of schedule, and came back promptly to do the final work that needed to be done after a piece did not stick correctly. Rupert is polite and charming, and very business focused. Like every contractor, he is impossible to reach on the first try. Unlike many, he actually does return his calls, which I very much appreciate. And, he is courteous. He is not as cheap as a day laborer, by a long shot, but his work appears to be excellent, and he clearly knows what he is doing. He used imagination to get around the odd problems. He provided us with great value - and deserves a strongly positive recommendations.