Decks by Design

Removal went according to plan. New installation had problems. After four years deck rails have begun to splinter - railings are breaking apart. Stairs which were poorly constructed have begun to separate and are hazardous to use. Called them several times leaving messages as to problem asking for someone to look at problem - no return call. Finally called and left message that I would be willing to pay for repairs since several years had passed since original installation - no return call. If you are considering this company I would strongly recommend you contact me, Ernie @ (859)727-0338 and arrange to view my deck before making your final decision.

Did not go so well all in all deck looks pretty good but service after the fact really sucks. About 30 or so spindles were split out due to them using a nail gun on them and several of the decking boards were not even nailed down. Called kip and he finally came out and said the spindles were just the wood splitting and any blind man can see that it was due to the nail gun. He said he would come out and do the repairs himself and guess what it has been over a month and nothing yet and he won't even call or any corresponding at all. This is a crooked company and I would never hire them again because they do not believe in customer service. I know they have screwed other people but no one is willing to stand up to them so I am not stopping the bad reviews. Till something is done.

The work done was professional and the workers were prompt and did quality work. They also cleaned up the worksite after the project was complete. On the down side, the owner kept postponing the start of the project and was not responsive to phone calls. Because it was not a huge project it was to be worked in between other projects.

The contractor installed a 12' x 20' Fiberon deck with aluminum railings on our house. The deck was elevated off second floor. They filed and obtained all permits from the county in advance of installation. At time of estimate, the owner alerted us to a possible issue with zoning codes. They worked with our home builder to obtain a variance permit and attended the county zoning meeting. A week before the install they set the posts in concrete. On the day of installation they arrived on time, it took a day and half to complete installation. The work was completed efficiently. They cleaned up the work area upon completion. We are very happy with the deck.

Kip and his team did the original deck when we first built our house. We had them come back to last November to re-do a large part of the deck as it needed redoing. They did a great job. However Kip told us to wait over the winter to stain the deck. This we did. Over the winter all the wood warped and started to bow. We tried to call Kip to have him come and look at it. He said he would come out but he didn't show up. We kept calling and left messages. We left messages on his cellphone and his office number repeatedly for a period of nearly 3 months. No-one ever called back. Eventually I started calling every day and leaving a message on both. After the 6th consecutive day he called back. He apologized for not responding and said he would send someone round but gave no explanation. He sent a rep from the lumber company around two days later who explained that it was should have been stained immediately. We told them what we had been told by Kip. Something got sorted out because the next day a load of lumber was delivered to the house, Kip called and said it would be taken care of, some guys came around, took up the offending wood and redid the work. This was in June. So it all got sorted. But it wasn't a great experience. I don't know what was going on at the time. Kip was excellent the first time we dealt with him in 2003. He was brilliant the 2nd time too. Maybe there was something up when we tried to get him to come back. But the work he does is excellent, I can't fault that. Would I use kip and the team again? Yes. But if he doesn't show or return the call, that's it.

They were very professional, they knew what they were doing and I am sure they would have done an excellent job. I went with someone one that was a little less expensive, but I probably should have just gone with them because they wanted to tear off my old deck completely and start over. By the time the other people fixed what my existing structure was, it came close to the cost of what it was going to be anyway, so I did not really end up saving much money. What stood out the most about them is their professionalism and knowledge about how to build decks.

Kip visited our home and asked several questions regarding our needs for a trellis. He sketched a design and we talked about options. Later, he coordinated delivery of materials. The builders showed up bright and early this morning, reviewed all details not already covered in design, then got right to work. They finished by Noon, and the end result is beautiful and solid. The entire process went very smoothly.

I had an existing deck that I was looking to get more shade on. I learned about Decks By Design at the N KY Home Show. I called Kip Mueller and he came to my house within a couple of days to provide a design and an estimate. The estimate was reasonable and the design was just what I wanted. The job was done earlier than scheduled and completed to my total satisfaction. Kip and his brother Ken did a great job and I would not hesitate to use them again.