First State Building and Design

Excellent, and professional.

From start to finish, we could not have asked for a better experience. Listened to what we wanted, drew up plans, made suggestions - the end project was exactly what we had in mind. Very happy with all aspects of the projects!

We had read many favorable reviews of Joe Oakes and his team at FSBD. In addition, Joe was recommended as a Zuri installer by Shone Lumber. Joe and his crew did an outstanding job. Joe worked very closely with us in the design and selection of materials. His communication and coordination were exceptional and he responded quickly to any questions that we had during the project. My wife and I tweaked the design during the construction and Joe was very receptive to making changes. He was also very creative in addressing any constraints that we had because of space limitations, etc. We have been very pleased with the new deck, and have received numerous compliments. We would highly recommend Joe and his team.

Exceptional quality and craftsmanship, timing and delivery

We decided to replace and expand our wood deck with a composite material. After selecting Zuri as the decking product, Shone Lumber highly recommended we work with Joe Oakes of FSBD. Joe met us at our house and provided us great recommendations on deck design, under deck beam wraps and the selection of Timbertech railings and lighting. He also took care of ordering all materials and processing of township permits. Joe and the team removed the existing deck in one day (including old cement footers) and finished the new deck construction on time, within one week. I was impressed with the quality of the work, from the custom cut stairs to the placement of accent lighting on the railings. The finished product looks amazing, and our family spends a lot more time outside enjoying the new deck! I was pleased with how well Joe communicated as to the work schedule, his willingness to answer numerous questions and when he followed-up promptly with a few minor punch list items. I would highly recommend FSBD to everyone.

Joe Oakes and his crew did an outstanding job. His prompt communication and responses to all questions both before, during and after the completion gave a feeling of confidence and security in the anticipation of the final product. We are very pleased with his workmanship and above all, his work ethic. We did have one issue beyond Joe's control. Our custom railings were backordered and the supplier, Shones Lumber, created problems with erroneous delivery dates which resulted in a delay in the finish date. Joe kept us updated frequently and installed the railings as soon as received.

The whole process went above and beyond our expectations . From the very beginning, Joe delivered as promised. From the first meeting to the delivery of the estimate, to prices for our changes to the start date and finish date , all was delivered as promised. And most important, the finished product was above our expectations . The workmanship quality was excellent. I would recommend them without hesitation.

This company was amazing from start to finish. They started on the start date and finished later than expected due to the rainy spring we had. It they had an appointment with us and they we going to be 10 minutes late they called and let us know. I loved the communication. The decked turned out amazing. They even made the railing 3 inches between the slats to keep our tiny dog inside and a matching gate that turns our beautiful deck into a large safe playpen for the grandchildren. This company is without a doubt the best I have worked with and would work with them again any day. Many thanks to Joe Oaks for making this such a great experience.

Joe showed up on time, explained the process that they use in the materials they use is decking material. Given provided a quote within 24 hours and a date to begin work on the deck. A crew showed up on the appointment date. The crew was very professional. We are very happy with their deck and the work that was performed.

I was very pleased with the professionalism and talented work performed by Joe Oakes and his team during the month of February 2016. This company under promised and over delivered on all of the steps they were to take to complete the project at our home in Wilmington,DE. Joe and company worked under very cold and difficult weather conditions to stay on top of the complete tear out of another company's 15 plus year old deck; which was not at all up to the quality that they would later install for us. The web site says it all and you will be pleased with the quality of the work once the project is done. They stayed completely on schedule and had the project done around snow storms and cold weather. I wish more contractors would be so thorough in their performance of projects. GREAT WORK! They enhanced our property tremendously.

We worked with Joe Okes to design a deck. Joe and his crew did a very nice job.

Excellent work. Joe and his team were professional and careful with all details. Pleasure to work with them and highly recommend to everyone. Thank you Joe!

From start to finish, our experience with First State was exceptional. We met with several companies before choosing them and we did not make our choice based solely on price but because Joe had such professionalism and really took the time to answer all of our questions and changed the design countless times. I had fears because you always hear horror stories about how projects go with contractors but we honestly have nothing negative to say about our experience with them. The quality of the work they provided is superb and everyone that worked on the project that came to our house was always respectful and cleaned up after themselves every day. Joe made sure to keep us in the loop every day with what was going on and if there was something he felt might look better than what we had originally planned, he would offer his opinion and discuss it with us, not just do what on the drawings. That showed us that they truly care about the work they are providing and not just the money. We've had countless compliments on the deck and even the inspector from the county was so impressed she wanted their information so she could refer them to a friend. We wish they did electrical/ plumbing and all of that stuff because we would use them for everything!

The screened-in porch FSBD constructed for us was completed well. There were minor issues with the doors, but these issues were fixed promptly and even better than we had hoped. Joe Oakes was our contact person and he was helpful and responsive throughout the process. Joe and FSBD will be first on our list if we want other similar work. We've already given word-of-mouth recommendations.

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Did not use this contractor as his bid was very high in price compared to others

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He came as a personal referral. I needed somebody reachable, somebody who when i call, no matter when it is, takes my calls, discusses building options, very open, receptive and professional. It went excellent.

We met Joe Oakes at the Wilmington Home Show this spring. The lady in the neighboring booth came over to us as we were having a little private discussion in the aisle to tell us that her neighbor had hired FSB&D for their deck project and how well it had turned out and how tidy they were as they worked. We originally talked with Joe about a composite deck, but ultimately decided on cedar. We wanted to use dark brown aluminum spindles for the railing and Joe was happy to do the research on these spindles and include them in his estimate. Joe's estimate was about 10% lower than the next lowest estimate, and the references we called to check out his past work were all very positive. So we hired him to do the work. FSB&D even worked on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and also on Memorial Day itself, in order to keep to their schedule and finish on time. And speaking of finishing, that was a big plus on the job. Joe took great care to finish everything really well. He mitered every possible corner, inlaid the stairway steps, built a one-plank-wide border into the design, and even sanded the top of all the railings. He planned his work carefully, and always seemed to have exactly the right number of helpers with him on any given day. Everything was done just a little bit better than we had expected. The deck boards themselves were installed with invisibly-mounted screws, so the boards look as though they are just sitting there. The workers cleaned up each day; actually, the patio below the deck looked better after the first day than before they came. Joe did a lot of extra work, including putting in new support posts and framing when the original plan had been to re-use the old ones...all at no additional cost. At every step he was gracious and accommodating, just like he was the day we met him at the Home Show.

We have not begun our project yet, but what a positive collaborative experience so far. Terrific customer service, listened to our needs, and wants as well as made recommendations on how to make our project better. Joe is a great representative of his company and provides a honest, sincere interest in our project making us feel he wants to do the job. We have looked at others and have not gotten the same level of attention nor interest.