Deck Specialist & Outdoor Living

The result! The result was that a "great quality job was done, by a great company, with a great group of guys!" We enjoyed meeting them and working with them, enjoyed their courtesy and their timeliness, their personal expectations and pride instilled in the delivery of quality work,... the their 100% delivery of what they promise! The added result is a beautiful deck that was way beyond our expectations! When family and friends see our deck their first reaction is a jaw-dropping "Wow, or Oh, My Gosh!" Well done, Deck Specialists! Here I close. But, I will attest to every word and comment made above. If you use Deck Specialists with Marlon, Jeff and Brandon, in my opinion, you will be more than satisfied with your desired end product. You very rarely find many reputable company's these days. Well, my wife and I found one here with these fellows!! Great job, guys!! .

Marlon responded to our initial call quickly, provided a quote right away, and responded promptly again when we called to say we wanted to hire him. The work was scheduled to fit our needs. The crew showed up on time. They were neat, polite, friendly to our dogs, and -- most importantly -- they did exceptional work. They also finished on schedule.

I am extremely happy to provide my highest recommendation to Marlon and his team (Jeff and Brandon) - they offer exceptional quality and are genuinely nice people with which to work.It was time to get rid of my old contractor's grade deck (original to the home) but I also wanted to expand the footprint and incorporate a level that would accommodate a sloping backyard given our basement. Marlon and the team understood the vision I had for the area and delivered and executed the design exceedingly well. I now enjoy a multi-tier deck that is both expansive and beautiful. I am truly happy that Marlon recommended the black balusters - they are a nice modern element.Equally well executed were the front porch railings.Marlon recommended that the posts be anchored on the outside of the porch with concrete rather than anchored to the brick - a great idea. The porch appears to be about 3 feet wider. Additionally, the design not only synchs with the deck railings but also is more maintenance free as I opted not to repaint the railing white - leaving them in their natural tone.The guys answered all questions and responded quickly to any concerns. A great experience and I already have Marlon in the queue to replace my back sidewalk with pavers to add to the charm of the new deck in the backyard.

Deck Specialists responded to our inquiry and quickly set up an initial assessment. The team was prompt, efficient and completed the project in 4.5 days. Marlon stayed in close touch with us throughout the project and spent time educating us on our options. The roof was more involved than anticipated but he kept to our budget. It was more expensive than I had hoped but the quality of service and ease of mind was worth it. I would recommend them.

Everything went well beyond expectations. Initially I requested a couple of quotes and went with Deck Specialists both due to the quote provided as well as the confidence that I was given that they would get the job done correctly and they understood what it was that I was looking for. I had initially planned on doing the work around mid to late May and had told Marlon I would call him when ready. My tax money came in earlier than expected and I called Marlon to let him know. He was very accommodating and we had a date set to start for basically the week after I called him. Start date was for Monday 3/3. I took the day off on Monday to make sure I was there for any questions and such as well as to provide the first half of the payment. It was a very poor weather day, it was freezing and raining, I thought for sure I would be receiving a call to let me know he would not make it and was worried about taking another day off. That was not the case, Marlon and his crew showed up right when expected Monday morning. Given the weather they did not work long that day but they did get all the materials unloaded and I was able to get everything done with them that needed to be done. Tuesday was even worse, it froze over night, schools were canceled and it was a miserable day. On Wednesday the guys came out and by the time I got home from work the deck was framed, the hot tub was moved and they were much further along than I expected. On Thursday I stopped home for lunch and again they were moving right along. Marlon indicated they should be finished that day. I came home that night after work and they were very close to done. It started to sleet and freezing rain but they stayed until about 6pm in the bad weather to finish the job up. Marlon was out there pressure washing the dirt and mess while it was freezing down rain. Overall the job was better than expected, it looks great and was done very quickly and to my satisfaction. We have gained so much room on our existing deck and now the hot tub actually looks good rather than a sore thumb sticking out. Marlon's workers were all hard working, professional and friendly. I will likely have them back again in the future for a possible pergola addition to the deck.

I had a 20x12 deck off the back of the house (~8-9 feet off the ground) with a concrete slab underneath. I contracted with Marlon to convert the deck into a three season room and wall-in the slab area underneath (to be used as a workshop). He also built a small deck adjacent to the three season room, with a latticed storage area underneath. The windows are Eze-Breeze vinyl windows with screens behind them. The window panels slide/lift up to make it an open air room. The floor was tiled, primarily to seal the workshop space underneath the room from any moisture that may enter the room. The ceiling is pine paneling. Marlon and his crew did all the work except the roofing, which he contracted out, and the electrician, whom he selected but had me deal with directly. The electrician installed the fan/light I picked out and all the wiring and lighting upstairs and down. The project started in September and ended in December. Overall I am pleased with the work he did and he is a reasonable person to deal with. I liked the fact that he did not have a lot of overhead (staff, showroom, etc) and did his best to keep my costs down, so I got good value. I would definitely call him again if I have any deck-related projects. The main reason I gave a B for quality (would have given a B+/A- if I could) was due to electrical. The electrical work was not great, and I would have preferred not to coordinate the electrical work myself. The placement of the fan/light switch is not desirable and kind of an eyesore. It was apparently a mis-communication between the electrician and Marlon. Marlon did his best to improve its appearance after the fact, which I appreciate.

Marlon lives up to his claim of "deck specialist" and this is why. He listened to what we thought we wanted and help guide us through the project with his years of experience pointing out different options as well as many details that are second nature to him but would never have occurred to us. He takes pride in his work, uses quality materials from the wood to the hardware, and builds a strong and beautiful structure that will stand the test of time. We were looking for privacy and he suggested different options using cedar for durability and beauty on the deck railings. The enclosed porch was screened with telescoping and removable aluminum windows. The windows framework was also aluminum and had to be hand crafted. This work was beautifully done and the windows operated flawlessly. Adding this room to the existing house was not necessarily simple in design because of the angles involved and the roofline, but Marlon's design work gave it a continuous flow that made it part of the house rather than an "addition". He also worked with the roofers he provided and they replaced rotten wood and made suggestions on how to avoid the same thing reoccurring before having the house reroofed in two days. This project took much longer than either we or Marlon expected and can be attributed to many reasons but, in hindsight, to be expected with so many variables involved. From building permits, window supplier delays, vehicle breakdowns; not to mention homeowners like myself who want things added or design changes midstream. Marlon as well as his work partners, are patient, organized, considerate, leave the sight clean daily and... are simply good people. Designers and craftsmen in every sense of the word. In the end, I learned to give them free reign when a decision or when design considerations arose... and I couldn't be happier with the results. His specialty may be decks but as you can see, that's only for starters. When it comes to the price category, Angieslist may want to consider a different approach. We didn't know how to reflect a fair and in line cost other than to give an "A". Though not a bargain or a steal, the cost was proper for the amount and, quality of work.

Had the original estimate done in August and after waiting for two other estimates we did the finalized job order on 10/9/13. Start date was for the 2nd week in November. Crew showed up and began deconstruction of the deck and fence. With rain delays it took about 2 weeks to finish the fence. After the fence it was on to new room and deck. Foundation and masonry work was done between rain storms. Masonry and electrical work were done by subcontractors and they did a fantastic job. These are people that Marlon uses on a regular basis. Framing and room construction proceeded and the deck was built after the composite deck flooring arrived. Stained beadboard interior along with ceiling fan, carpet and duct work, molding and trim around doors and windows completed the room. Deck with railing and stairs with landing completed the project. When we ordered the door for the addition we also ordered and had them install new doors for the front and side. This allowed for the key sets to be the same for all 3 doors. Project finished around Jan 10th. Very satisfied and a great bunch of guys. Marlon was great to work with. If at first you don't hear back from him, don't wait, call or email, rattle his cage. He is very busy with various projects. Definitely worth talking with even if it might take a bit especially during the warm months when construction is at it's peak. The pictures tell a better story.

Sent Marlon an email on his website requesting a quotation and explained what I wanted to do and never heard from anyone. This was about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Sad - his reviews looked very good. Will try others.

Marlon and his crew did an excellent job for me! Marlon came to my home on 3 occasions to refine and clarify the project, plus make suggestions that added value to the finished product. He provided a fair estimate for the work. His pricing was significantly lower than than a local contractor (Miller Building and Remodeling), and equally important in selecting him for the job was his integrity and willingness to listen / work with me to assure that the outcome met and exceeded my expectations. He never tried to "sell" his business to me and that was very important in my decision. His crew showed up on the dates promised, and were courteous and professional. I would definitely use Marlon again and give his company an A+ !! Thank you for making my deck look better than it did before, Tim

We got great advice from Marlon about the choices of deck finishes. After deciding which one we wanted to use, we got a reasonable estimate for the work. Marlon called and scheduled to come out on a Friday to wash the deck and would begin the paining Saturday, to be finished Sunday before it was scheduled to rain. He came with a sample of the paint on Friday and put a small patch on the wood to be sure we were happy with the color and quality. His workers arrived promptly both Saturday and Sunday mornings and worked well into the evening. They were really pleasant and everything was finished on Sunday. The decks look better than ever! I would use them again in a heartbeat!

Marlon arrived ontime for a quote, measured up and looked at the existing structure. He determined that the understructure was still good and we just had to replace all the wood on top as well as the two sets of stairs and the bench that runs around the deck. This was not the lowest bid but it was certainly competitive and I felt good about going with him. His crew showed up two weeks later - as promised - and took the old deck off. I believe that he had allowed 1-2 days for this part of the job and it was actually much harder than anticipated and took 3 days as the old deck was cedar The carpentry crew then took over and put the new deck down. Both crews were very professional and very pleasant as well. All in all this was a very good experience and I would recommend Deck Specialists to anyone. They did everything they said they would do and the price was good.

I found Marlon and his crew to be very good. On time at the job - picked up after work - completed work on schedule. Marlon was very responsive and proactive in solving any problems that arose. I would recommend them for any Deck work.

Excellent. Explained his services and how their experience has led to better quality of their product.

Difficulty making direct contact initially (contractor illness). Planned for estimate Sept 5, rescheduled to Sept 6 but did not make it. Rescheduled to Sept 10th and left estimate as requested (handwritten on back of stain brochure. Asked about white stains on entire deck border, and contractor said he did not notice them. Was hoping for more attention to detail and a price more in line with other estimates. Mr. Trippett (owner) was very pleasant.

I first contacted Deck Specialists based on the information I found on Angie's list especially the details about his not subcontracting our any of his work except for special items such as electric, etc. (I found this appealing as I have worked with subcontracting before and it was not something I wanted to experience again). So in late April I contacted them and set up a time with the owner, Marlon, to meet at our home. On our first appointment, he didn't show and on contacting him he stated he had forgotten and so we set up a new time to meet. He arrived as scheduled for this meeting at our home and we went over all the details of what we wanted to do with the old deck and what we were wanting with the new deck, new stairs and new patio. He listened and was very professional and attentive to the details of what we were asking for and offered feedback when questioned about what he thought about certain aspects we were unsure about. Upon his departure both my sister and I had a good feeling about the interaction and hoped that the price for what we wanted wouldn't be out of our price range. Marlon contacted us with a day of that meeting with a quote for the project and it was a bit pricier than what we had budgeted and a few things discussed were left off of his initial quote but after discussion of what we had added on to the project in our discussion with him decided to proceed with a start date for the project of May 16, 2013. Marlon arrived on May 16 (Thurs) to go over the project again with us and to sign the contract/description of work to be performed which he stated would take approximately two weeks. I am going to give an overview of how the project went from May 16 to June 7 when project was completed. First I want to say that the work performed was superb; exactly what I agreed to and asked for and that I have absolutely no complaints about that aspect of the project. I even added at the time of our meeting on May 16 if a roof on a small shed could be done and Marlon indicated this wouldn't be problem and I was so pleased to have this issue resolved too! My problem with this project is the lack of communication, the promise of workers supposed to be at the work site but not and my having to contact the owner to find out where the workers were when they were scheduled to be at our job. I didn't feel like I should have to check on if a worker was going to be at our house or not and felt this was poor management on Marlon's part. I can understand rain delay (even though I was told in the beginning that to finish up a project they would work weekends....never saw anyone on a weekend EVER in making up time from any of the rain delay during the week) and even when sunny during the week didn't see any progress on the project so I brought this to Marlon's attention and he assured me that there would be someone there the next day to work on the project. I returned home from work to find two unknown men (not part of the 3 original workers) in my backyard working the project. When I asked who they were (as my first thought was that he had subcontracted out due to the delay in our project and which I specifically chose his company b/c he did not do this) they said they were his "second team" and introduced themselves and were very polite and nice (as were all his workers). We dealt with the delays the best we could and didn't pressure too much about when things would get done until after a particularly uneventful project time when I was promised workers would be there on a specific Saturday to make up time, I received a call from Tom on a Sunday late afternoon requesting if he could come to pick up tools in their trailer so they could begin another project on Monday. I absolutely lost it at that point and explained that I felt it was rude to request this in that we have been left hanging on our project with hardly any explanation as to why we were always delayed, workers not showing up the day before as they are supposed to, etc. Tom was surprised that no one showed the day before and was extremely courteous and nice listening to every concern I had at this point and understood where I was coming from and said he would discuss this with Marlon. He did pick up his tools for the project that evening and the next day I had the "original" crew back on my project and I got the explanation of delay in the special railings. (note that other parts of the project weren't completed either). At this point they worked diligently at completing the project as Marlon contacted me to state the special railings were in and would be done the next day. My sister and I completed the punch list that evening so this would not delay the project further and I went over this with Tom (whom I discussed almost all aspects of the project at this point hardly speaking with Marlon the owner at all at this point) as everything now was moving along quickly and the project was done in a couple of days. Even had a problem with the fan we bought (which was a product malfunction) but Marlon worked this out to send an electrician out after our project and this was GREATLY appreciated! This was a difficult review to write and I didn't touch base on everything but the bottom line is this: workers are nice and professional, cleaned up after job every day worked (but did leave trash on site until last day of project, i.e. may be nice not to leave trash on site for more than a week as it attracts bugs), the work done (especially the punch list) was excellent and very specific to what we wanted and requested and followed up with any details we asked about. All in all did everything we wanted plus and we couldn't be happier with the finished product! The only downside was lack of communication (not told about reason for delays), workers not on site as expected, different team of workers not explained prior to arrival. Reason for not an A grading....is I felt I had to evaluate the entire project as a whole not just one specific thing. So due to my explanation above I felt I could only fairly given a B. Except for those things which could be improved upon this company would have received an A grading. Thanks again Tom and Marlon and all the workers that made our dream finally a reality.

All work was done in a timely manner and Mr. Trippett responded very promptly to all calls and questions. This work was done on an upscale rental property in Greensboro and I am an out-of-state owner. Positive reviews on Angie's List led us to him. All claims in earlier reviews regarding his promptness, timely communication and professionalism proved to be true. The finished product was exactly what I had requested. We will use him again if needs arise.

I used to think that when you called a business to inquire about work and prices that you would get a return call. Wrong. And that when people arranged to come to your home to look at a potential job, they would be punctual. Or show up. Wrong. And that when you were given a quote for the work to be performed, the cost at the end would be the same as was given to you (unless you agreed, during the process to add work). Wrong. I had become pretty cynical about contacting people and wasn't surprised anymore when my calls were not returned. Marlon,the owner of Deck Specialists always returned phone calls within a day of my leaving any message on his answering machine. When he came for the initial interview he was on time. We scheduled the work for a date about a month away, and 2 days before the date, he called to confirm the date and time of his arrival. He showed up on the day and time. He did what he said he'd do,. There were no surprises. The work was finished on time and he cleaned up afterwards. Sounds pretty simple; what you would normally expect? In my experience that's not the case. How refreshing! And even a follow-up phone call about a small piece of work he did on the last day while we weren't there. So the new deck looks awesome! It has completely changed the way the back looks. Where there were 2 steps down, now the deck just flows. We could not be happier! I would highly recommend using Marlon and his company Deck Specialists. The whole experience was calm and without any drama. We are already planning what our next upgrade should be!

I contracted Marlon Trippett of "Deck Specialist" to remove an existing deck on our house and build a new deck in its place. The new deck was extended, doubled in size, surrounded with steps on three sides, and a planter box was built and installed in one corner of the deck. It's amazing. My family was extremely pleased. It's beautiful and will be great for entertaining. The construction team was very professional and easy to work with. Tom, the project manager was attentive and extremely accommodating. Mike, the main craftsman, demonstrated wonderful skills when constructing the deck. When an existing problem was discovered upon removing the old deck, we discussed options and worked out solutions to correct the issue. They worked within the time-table and did everything that had been discussed. They were reliable and punctual. I was really happy with the outcome of this project. I would not hesitate to use this company again on future home improvements.

Marlon was great to work with. He is very professional and worked hard to ensure we were happy. There wasvery good attention to detail. The workers sanded, and rounded over edges and spent the time to do it right. We had some built-in seating installed in one corner that really adds to the deck. The steps were built with a wider depth tread which makes it so much easier to walk up and down. We love our deck and spend more time on it that ever before.

I was not going to bust their chops, at first, because I felt that, regardless of the issues, the employees worked when they were here. That is, until I walked into my backyard the day after the job was supposed to be completed and noticed the stumps from the posts still embedded in the ground. When I first contacted Deck Specialists, I left a voice mail, and Marlon responded immediately. He came out to my house for a quote. The work was scheduled to begin on July 11-12. However, the morning of July 4, I arrived home from an errand at about noon to find a stranger in my backyard. It turned out that Marlon has called and left a message on my phone at about 9:30a that they were unable to complete a staining for another job due to the rain so he wanted to send someone over to my house to take down our deck. Unfortunately, he did not wait for verbal confirmation from me or my husband before he sent Jimmy out to my house. I made it clear to Marlon in our first conversation that I had 9 dogs and we had to mitigate how we were going to get them in and out of the house during this process. Showing up a; week early without our permission made that a bit difficult. That said, I was not going to ask someone who drove all the way from Stokesdale to go home. There were supposed to be two workers, but only Jimmy showed up. He worked very hard and got a large portion of the deck taken down by himself. I called Marlon to express my concern that there was only one worker, particularly since there was a portion of the deck that was a bit precarious and I worried for Jimmy's safety. Marlon never returned my call. Jimmy advised at the end of the day that he would be back first thing in the morning and that there would be a second person. Jimmy did not show up until 10:45a and he was alone. The second person, Tom, the project manager did not show up until well after lunch and then proceeded to send Jimmy away shortly thereafter -- I have suspicions that he was sent back to the staining job.. The job was not completed in the two days and Tom advised that he would come back on Monday. He showed up around 9am and then left before lunch under the premise that he needed to get some chains for his saw and that he would be back in the afternoon. At 4:40p, I had not heard from him or anyone else. At this point, my patience was at an end and I left a voice mail message for both Marlon and Tom expressing my frustration and anger. Marlon called me back and seemed surprised by my reaction which I found a bit incredulous. Tom showed up shortly after than and stated that he had been on his way to my house when I called. Yeah, right. I agreed that he could come back on Tuesday to complete the job because I learned that my husband had advised him not to worry about taking a piece of the frame down which I vetoed. I left it up to him whether he wanted to stay that evening or return on Tuesday morning. He chose to come back on Tuesday because he needed to pick up new chains for his chainsaw. I could have sworn this is why he left before lunch in the first place In summary, my job was moved up because they were unable to complete another job due to the rain, and then put on the back burner when the weather cleared. They were consistently late, there were two people on the job for a total of about two hours, a two-day job spanned over a four-day period (not including the weekend), and to add insult to injury, they sawed off the posts about 4 inches from the ground and left the stubs embedded for us to dig out. From day one, I feel that I did everything I could to make sure they had everything they needed. I opened my home to them if they needed to cool off, use the bathroom, or use my refrigerator. Unfortunately, all I got out of being nice was being taken advantage of. As far as I am concerned, the buck stops with the owner. In this case, I hold Marlon responsible. He is the owner and is more than likely the one who decided who went where and when. We obviously were viewed as a small job and treated as "filler". In my opinion, if they could not stay and complete my job, they should not have started it .These people will never be allowed at my house again. UPDATE SINCE RESPONSE FROM PROVIDER: I find the response very interesting, particularly the line regarding "I trust that we have addressed your outstanding concerns . . ." Well, Deck Specialists can trust that they have not been addressed or resolved to my satisfaction, and this would have been apparent if the provider had bothered to call. Unfortunately, I have not heard one word from them.. If this company were as reputable as they purport, I would have been contacted immediately to arrange for a worker to come out and remove the stumps that were left behind. I hate to make the assumption that small jobs like mine do not get the same consideration as the larger jobs, but I cannot help but feel that this was the case with our project. This provider talks a good game but has difficulty following through on his word. I would advise that anyone with a small job steer clear as we obviously are not given the same consideration as the larger jobs.

We had a old wood fence replaced and a new deck installed. We did not get estimates from anyone else because of the high reviews on Angie's list for the Deck Specialist. I dont always think thats a good way to go but we are busy and reducing the time to get estimates from other vendors was extremely great so again using Angie's List was beneficial. Marlon, owner of the company, was very professional and helpful in making recommendations. He had said the wood he used was a better grade and compared to our existing deck you can clearly see the difference. The only part of the experience we would have liked to have been better was that it took about a month to complete the work. Some of this was due to weather but there some days where weather was mot an issue. However, the quality of the work and follow up was terrific so overall we were very satisfied. We would definitely use the Deck Specialist again and recommend the company.

Marlon was great. I needed a deck built by a certain date and they arrived several days before that date, unloaded their supplies and finished the deck in an afternoon. Marlon inspected it and had his guys add a few screws they had missed - they replaced the grass they had dug up - left site clean.

The covered deck looks wonderful and we could not be happier. The attention to detail and the ability to use our ideas without hesitation was a great addition to the build. I want to pass along our appreciation for your professionalism and consideration of our families needs by your crew. The schedule was kept even with the weather not cooperating, and the budget was maintained for the work. I would be happy to provide a reference of your ability for future work. We are also going to keep your company in mind should any further work be needed. Please accept our many thanks. If there are any customers who would like to speak to a very satisfied customer end them our way! Sincerely Jim and Lisa Dickerson

The owner did respond to my request for a quote in about a week. The time was arranged, and the owner showed up on time and was very professional in approach and appearance ... great first impression! We talked about what I wanted done, and he let me know that he would be in contact with a quote. After about a week and a half to two weeks or so with no quote, I reached back out to the owner and received the quote in a few more days (the owner explained that he had lost the dimensions from our original meeting and that was the reason for the delay in the quote). I was excited about the quote that I was given, but when I sent back some follow-up questions on the project, I was informed that I was misquoted per what I wanted and the quote would be double the original quote. I was very disappointed with this and thus decided not to use this company for this project.