DECKSOUTH INC

The meeting went well. John listened to us and offered solutions.

I have been waiting over 3 weeks for a quote on a simple deck project. I have called the office five times for an update. Three times the receptionist said she would find out the status and call me back and twice I have left messages without receiving any call back. I was not expecting this treatment given the way the consultation went. John was very knowledgable and made good recommendations. I'd really just like to have a quote so I can move forward.

THE BEST. Simply the best. If you are looking for value for your dollar, if you want a deck that will last as long as the house (or longer), if you want a contractor who is reliable and delivers what was promised, DECKSOUTH is the contractor for you. After searching Angie’s List and two other contractor screening sites, DECKSOUTH was among four companies that I chose to compete for my project. As a program analyst, I know how to build statements of work and contract proposals, so I put those skills into this project. No one could come close to DECKSOUTH in this process. This is a best value contract, not a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable contract. As part of that, DECKSOUTH sets up a payment schedule keyed to completion of pre-determined deliverables (e.g. materials, framing inspection, post-hole inspection, final inspection). This is written into the contract. You will not have them coming back to you asking you for a big chunk of money for something in the future. DECKSOUTH was not the cheapest, but Lamar and John are passionate about building the best. They could not come down in their price without making unacceptable compromises and the others would not build to DECKSOUTH standards. This showed clearly in their proposal details (talk about a well-written proposal!!!), and in the FIFTEEN YEAR WARRANTY that DECKSOUTH gives on its work. No one else could come close to DECKSOUTH standards. For someone flipping a house, that wouldn’t be important. But for someone, like me, who is tired of moving and is improving her home for decades of grandchildren visits, it was very important. Even more than that was why they could include that warranty. The quality of their work. Code is not good enough for them. They exceeded code and all the competition’s standards by miles. 12” on center joists, rather than 16”. A water-shed system that protects the framing, not just the decking. Dock posts rather than standard pressure treated lumber for the support posts. Kiln dried pressure-treated lumber rather than standard, dripping-wet with formaldehyde pressure-treated lumber. Azek for fascia and post wrapping. Framing extending into the house itself, resting on and secured to the second floor sill plates (I have an unfinished basement), rather than just bolted to the outside. Triple plates bolted onto the outside of the house and secured from inside. All to go the extra mile with the engineering to avoid putting in posts that would block doors and windows, yet deliver a product that impressed the city/county inspectors so much they had no problem waiving the extra posts code requirements! Craftsmanship with attention to detail that was beyond impressive. Their crews aren’t day labor pulled off a street corner, but skilled craftsmen who take pride in their work. And when one subcontractor did not get the word on an important finishing detail to the project, DECKSOUTH was all over them to return to completely redo the job, not just jury-rig an acceptable fix. DECKSOUTH is simply the best. This deck now makes the house. I hadn’t anticipated that. But now, I am beyond thrilled with what DECKSOUTH delivered. Thanks, John and Lamar. You ARE the best!!!!!

pending.

The crew was excellent. The crew leader was Marcelino. He was also good. It was a crew of four. They were very good. What I didn’t like was John Lee, who was the president of the company. Mr. Lee gave us the bid. They did two level deck with a storage area beneath the second level. The specifications were pretty clear but somehow John neglected to convey to the field crew; that was needed for the clearance of the lower deck. The lower area was being converted to a storage area. So they built the deck and the crew had to redo it. There were issues. I was told at one time that I wouldn’t be able to go from the upper to the lower deck. I ended up doing the design myself. I went online and found how to design the steps to fix the level that they had installed for the deck floor. It seems Marcelino was able to do the same calculation, so we ended up being happy. The staining of the deck failed after six months. I had discussion with John Lee and he refunded me half of the cost of the stain. I ended up going through the better business bureau for the other half and it took me a year and half to get the issue resolved. John indicated that they had their own crew to apply the stain but it did not turn out to be the case. They sub contracted the stain job. John also indicated that I would be getting an oil base stain. They applied a water base stain. It was applied soon after the wood was used and it completely failed. It cost me twice as much to remove the stain and reapply he had bid. I was not very happy and I’m not very happy with that relationship. They did a very good job in terms of building the deck. I would not use them in the future.

They were reliable. This company was able to do the work on time. We would use them again.

They were very professional and did a good job. We have constant compliments on our deck; it's just gorgeous. We would definitely use them again.

THEY MADE SEVERAL MISTAKES AND WERE AT A LOSS ON HOW TO REMEDY ERRORS. THEY COULD NOT BUILD DECK ACCORDING TO PLANS PROVIDED AND APPROVED UPON BEFORE CONSTRUCTION. WHEN THINGS WENT WRONG, THEY DID NOT RETURN CALLS PROMPTLY. THE DECK SCREWS MISSED JOISTS ON SEVERAL BOARDS. MITER JOINTS WERE FAIR. THEY AGREED TO MAKE REPAIRS ONE WAY AND DID SOMETHING ELSE.