DECKS BY ALL MEANS

Bob came out and gave me an original quote to do the replacement and adding an additional 4 foot to the lower deck to make it a 8x14. However this was subsequently increased.. The end products were a 12x18 and a 10x14 with aluminum instead of pickets. The project spanned 2 weeks however this was to tear down the original in two days an approximately 3.5 days to build the new the following week so a total of a week worth of effort. Did not speak to the crew that much however they were very skilled and thorough. I could not be more pleased with the final product. Some of the highlights I would like to add is: High Quality build, cleaned up as if they were never there all debris, trash and so on and were friendly when I spoke to them. I would recommend Decks By All Means, A+ builder. One thing to note though, the wood that is used does not require the standard 4-8 week dry cycle, so be prepared to stain and seal shortly after the project is done.

I regret that it has taken me so long to write this review but I have been spending nearly every free minute enjoying the amazing deck that Bob built for me! I got estimates from other contractors but only Bob understood what it was that I was trying to accomplish in my backyard space and the results are everything I could have hoped for and more! It has changed the way we live because we spend so much time outside now. The deck is built around an above ground pool with the top edge of the pool about foot higher than the deck so that the leaves that fall on the deck do not blow into the pool. It makes it easy to sweep the deck around the pool. The deck is solid and has done well over the cold and hot of the last 10 months. Bob has a year guarantee to fix any issues that might come up. Bob?s crew came out in early January and certainly braved some inclement weather to build it. I have two old beagles and his crew was extremely helpful in accommodating their access to the backyard during the entire construction process. Every night they made sure that there were boards to go from the back door out to the yard. The crew was very respectful and were all hard workers. They were able to build a moveable stair for access to a side patio and constructed a lattice screen to give my backyard more privacy from a neighbor?s window. The workmanship is great. And the contracting process was very simple?just a one page contract. Spending nearly every summer day outside on the deck, it became clear to me how much of an asset this deck is to our home and to our lives. I?ve had decks before but they were never this well constructed and never looked this good. Our backyard is now like a page out of a magazine.

Bob and his works were very professional, they made some of our last minute changes, without hesitation and built our new deck and pergola in a very timely manner. They showed up when they said if and if something come up they would always lets us know and also offered great suggestions during the design phase

We have a beautiful new deck thanks to Bob Means. A Deck by All Means was reasonably priced, they came when they said they would come, they completed the work efficiently, and the deck is very well built and attractive. We are extremely pleased with the results!

Our old deck was falling in, and it needed to be replaced badly. We were thinking of enlarging it a bit during the rebuild. However, during my initial consult with Bob, he recommended that I stick with the smaller deck since the septic line would have to be moved if we went bigger. He saved me money by pointing this out, and probably cost himself a bigger profit on a bigger deck. His crew showed up on time to start the demo. Once they got the old rotted deck down my heart sank. There was termite damage all along the foundation wall where the deck had been attached. I thought for sure the damage would end up costing me an arm and a leg. I was wrong. They fixed the damage correctly, quickly, and at a fair price (you can usually only get 2 of those 3 things at the same time). We noticed that the front porch rails and post were also rotting, and in need of repair as well. One of the guys on Bob's crew checked on the cost to do the repairs during his lunch break, and came back to me with an estimate. So, they demo'd and rebuilt our deck, replaced our front porch post and rails (re-anchored them correctly, they were not sturdy at all before). They even added solar powered copper covered post caps on the front porch. The new deck and the work that was done to the front porch is awesome. The lady of the house loves it, I love, I think the dog even loves it (she was a little skittish about walking on the deck before, but not anymore).

His knowledge, professionalism and patience is not something seen with many of today's builders. He insured things we done right and always wanted to be sure that my expectations were met. He made recommendations that I had not considered that were definite pluses to the project. The materials used were of premium caliber. He stayed in constant contact with me on the status of the project.

The experience we had with Bob and Decks By All Means was terrific! Bob was up front and honest and told us that he was booked until the middle of July(we called him in April), and we are glad we waited for him! We had a very unique back yard/pool deck that was going to be tricky to do right to say the least, and we(wife) changed our mind more than once on what we(she) really wanted! Bobs crew was friendly, on time, professional, and overall really cool to deal with! They put up with 2 yappy barking dogs, 100 degree temps, and a very unlevel concrete patio! They finished in three days(but never rushed) and came back and took care of one issue (that was our fault) within the original quote!! Our new deck is AWESOME!! It makes our back yard even more awesome than it was before(which was pretty awesome)! Thanks Bob for a great experience!

Bob did a great job on our porch and was present on site almost every day. He was willing and able to incorporate my design ideas, such as the horizontal railings and extended "shelf" around the perimeter of the porch. The project was delayed a bit due to weather, but Bob was always communicative about how things were progressing. We love our screened porch and would love to have Bob do some work on our front porch in the future.

Bob was very professional. He seemed very knowledgeable and we greatly appreciated his honesty. He seems like a contractor that you can truly trust.

Of all 4 quote interviews, he was the only one that paid attention to my requests and took the time to detail what he recommended for the deck and screens. Bob informed me of the time he would start and followed up to make sure I was ready for the start of the job. Once started there were some issues with the terrain which he immediately resolved with an earth mover. The installation was delayed only by inclement weather and was finished much better than I imagined it. Quality & craftsmanship is excellent. I strongly recommend Decks By All Means to anyone seeking professional craftsmanship in woodwork.

I first contacted Bob by phone and he returned my call the next day. We scheduled an appointment and we met exactly on time a few days later. My husband and I had a conceptual idea of what we wanted built, but no concrete design. Bob helped us with recommendations and ideas. We received a written proposal in two days and an estimated start date. Bob and his crew showed up on time and started the project. After the first day we decided we wanted to make a change and a small addition to the project. We communicated this to Larry (foreman) at the end of the day and Bob came out the next day to work out the details. Bob and his crew were easy to work with at every turn of the project and it was completed on time in some very poor weather. The finished product far exceeded our expectations and we would have not had this outcome without Bob and his crew's collaboration. We both highly recommend this company.

We selected Deck By All Means owned by Bob Means from Angie's List to remove an old deck and build a new one to replace it. I interviewed three highly rated builders and selected Bob Means to handle this project. I was well pleased with the choice. Mr. Means quoted us a fair price (not the lowest) and used top quality materials to build a very attractive deck. His 20 years of experience in deck building showed. Some things that were important to us: he came when he said he would, he obtained the proper permits from the city, he offered but didn't push upgrades (we requested decking screws instead of nails and black aluminum round balusters instead of 2x2s) and he stayed in touch through the project. Rains delayed the work a bit but he never asked for a dime until everything including the inspections was complete. This was our first use of Angie's List and I'd have to say it went well.

The porch is gorgeous! Well built. Advice on design was good. Everybody loves it. It added a ton of value to the house.

From start to finish this job took way too long, and we definitely over paid for the quality of work we were provided with. I have only had my deck for a year and a half and it looks like its 20 years old! After only six months I had boards that were warped so badly i wouldn't let anybody walk down the stairs in fear of them tripping. Bob has a two man crew so he stretches himself very thin between jobs. For the price of his services your job should be top priority. I can guarantee you it will not be. Speaking to Bob about any problems he is very rude and dismissive. He has even yelled and cussed at me twice now on the phone when trying to get my problems resolved. Both, Bob and his employees have agreed that the deck looks terrible, but making repairs are not a priority because he has already taken my money. Our lumber sat in the yard for months unprotected before being used. It has not held up well at all. The quality of the materials and services are sub par. The boards are extremely warped, cracked, and faded. The corner boards which now have had to be replaced twice (by Bob) still do not line up and have big gaps between them. The main support beams of the deck are held up with nails instead of bolts, which are required for inspection, are now loose and the beams are beginning to sag. There are two areas of the deck where the flooring boards do not line up, which is just laziness and poor planning on Bob's part. The door frame of the screened in porch is severley warped and causes issues with the door functionality. The screened in porch has a considerable space between it and the house where there is no screening on the floor which allows bugs to come in, thus defeating the purpose of having a screened in porch. The screen around the porch is very loose and sagging. Bob even came out and said he was surprised the screen looked this bad and in all his years he's never seen this, but he wont fix it. The hand rails are warped and crooked all the way down. The columns on the front porch are not level and look terrible. The pickets in the deck have come loose and have fallen out. The deck rails do not run all the way up to the edge of the house. When making complaints to Bob about his work and reminding him that he told us we have a warranty, I was put on the "back burner" and told that I would just have to wait. Bob has sent his employees out twice to make repairs. The first time he sent a brand new employee who had just started with him and the guy admitted he had no clue what he was doing. This was after months of waiting and being told I am just too busy to come by and fix it right now. Again, not being a priority. The days Bob is not busy are rain days, and that's when he wants to send his guys out to make repairs. The new boards were put on, stained, then rained on. This has caused the stain to not dry correctly. It does not match the rest of the deck and now the deck has different color boards throughout. It looks terrible! When changing one of my top rails the new board cracked from one end to the other immediately, I told bob i was not excepting this and for him to put a new non cracked board up, the cracked unstained board is still there 2 months later. Bob and his employees are very unprofessional while performing their work. They leave trash and cigarette butts all over the yard. They smoke pot while working. They left the job early everyday, not before cracking that first beer though for the ride home, (approx 2:00- 3:00 in the afternoon) which prolonged the job even more. I strongly recommend whoever is considering using Decks by all means that you come by my home and look at my deck. I would be more than happy to show anyone my deck anytime so you can see for yourself why you should not contact Bob Means to do any work for you. It is a waste of your time and money. Use the other guy! PS, I have had other deck contractors come and look at Bob's work and they are all amazed of the poor quality and workmanship and laugh out loud when I tell them it cost me over $30,000 for this. How he is even on angies list amazes me.

The owner, Robert Means, responded within 48 hours of my e-mail inquiry for a quote, scheduled a visit to discuss the work, and then showed up, forty minutes EARLY on a Sunday morning so as to accommodate my schedule. He communicated a flat price including materials, arrived two weeks later as agreed, removed the old pergola top and installed the new top. The work was done over my raised planting beds which required extra care, and Mr. Means not only used extra care during the installation but also cleaned the patio and pergola . I plan on contacting him again next spring when I plan to replace my upper level deck, and feel confidant in recommending his services.

no response to e-mail or by phone after initial response was very inconsiderate!

The project was completed as envisioned. Deck By All Means did a great job at a reasonable price. Bob Means, the proprietor of Deck By All Means, is very knowledgeable. When he first came to our home to understand the scope of work and prepare a quote, he took the time to discuss many options with me. Based on my experience, I would consider using his help in future relevant projects.

We received 3 quotes to build a screened porch and deck. Bob's quote was $600 more than the lowest quote but we chose to go with Bob because we felt he would be easy to work with, fair, and we liked that he would be involved in some of the work, not just coming by occasionally to supervise. We found all of this to be the case. We also found Bob to be very honest and concerned about making sure the homeowner was satisfied. I have attached some before and after pictures which really are worth a thousand words. I love the porch, deck and I'm so glad we put a landing on the stairs (something one of the contractors who gave us a quote suggested we not do). I especially love the vaulted beadboard ceiling and the openness of the porch. We were very pleased with the quality of materials. I had a hard time deciding on what type of floor to use on the porch and finally decided to go with the deck boards after Bob assured me the premium decking would be sanded and would not have splinters. The decking is very nice and smooth, my grandson can play on it with his cars and we have not had any problem with splinters. All of the subcontractors were skilled and professional. The painters were the most detailed and meticulous I have ever seen. Bob had some personnel turnover with his carpenters before and during our project but it did not cause any delays because Bob was there working to make sure the project moved forward. I can't think of a day when any of the subcontractors worked that Bob did not stop by to make sure everything was going ok. Our project, like most, was not without problems. The project started after a lot of rain and mud was an initial problem but Bob and his carpenters were very careful not to track mud, especially after the deck boards were put down. Water filled the footings when they were dug and Bob had to hire an engineer to evaluate before the footings could be poured and pass inspection. Bob did not charge us any extra for this, which he certainly could have, but absorbed it into his costs. Any problems or concerns were addressed to our satisfaction. We also found Bob to be flexible in making changes as we went along if possible. If I had any criticism it would be that Bob was sometimes slow to respond to email. It was usually much quicker to contact him by phone, he always responded quickly if we called. His response time is understandable considering all he has on his plate and how hands-on he is working on the project. We were very pleased with Decks By All Means and would recommend Bob to anyone building a screened in porch and/or deck.

The owner, Bob Means, was very professional. His work was outstanding. He built us a new deck from scratch, since we didn't have one before. Trex was used on the deck and Bob was very knowledgeable about the product. When he gave us the estimate, he said that it would be 4-6 weeks out because he was very busy. We decided to go with him despite the 4-6 week wait and we are glad we did. It is a beautiful deck and will serve our needs very well. I can't give Bob a high enough recommendation. I would refer him to friends and have no doubt that they would be as pleased with the end result as we were.

Bob arrived on time for our appointment to measure my deck and scope out the required work. He was professional and answered all my questions during our meeting. From there, our experience with Decks by All Means went downhill. It took 4 days for us to receive our quote via email after the visit. Once I read through the quote, I was stunned at the pricing. We had 2 other quotes done for the same work. The first came in around $1,850. The second was $1,700. Bob's quote was $7,855. That's not a typo. To screen in an existing covered porch was going to cost $7,855. I immediately emailed Bob back and requested an explanation for the $6,000 difference in pricing between him and his competitors. My assumptions were that he was either trying to gouge me or price me so that I wouldn't bother him with this smaller job. Both are unacceptable. I sent my email to Bob on May 9th. It's now May 19th and I haven't received a response. I can't speak to the work Bob does on his jobs as I obviously am not going to use him for my project, but I believe that his quote was unprofessional and unethical; and as such I feel an obligation to make the interaction I had with Decks by All Means public.

The crew started when promised but had to work around some days with rough weather. I was very pleased with how Bob communicated with me during this time to verify when and what time they would be on the site. There was no pacing back and forth guessing if they were going to show. The value of punctuality cannot be underestimated. I have a construction background and am very particular of who I hire to do such work. The quality of the materials and the workmanship is crucial to me. I was extremely pleased with both. Bob only uses the highest grade lumber on his projects. The attention to details during the construction was impressive. And they were very willing to change anything if I didn't like it. This was true with a set of steps required to join the 2 widths of the deck. I could not exactly visualize it until they started and they worked very well with me during that process. The removal of the old deck and all the construction debris was very well handled. They cleaned up well and made certain I was pleased with everything before departure. If I ever need another deck, I'll be contacting Decks By All Means...

The winter weather had an impact on the project but Bob was great about keeping things going as much on schedule as possible. We were not in a rush! There were a few issues along the way with the building inspector and footings but Bob managed to work with the changes. He and his crew were courteous, friendly and very accomodating. They cleaned up after a day of work. The final project turned out PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL and we are very, very pleased with the job. Bob is a great contractor because he works with the customer to make sure the job is done to their expectations. I would highly recommend Decks by All Means. See the finished project in the attached pics...everyone who comes in says "WOW"!

Well, this winter's weather played havoc with any outdoor projects, and this porch was no exception. January and February in Raleigh had record colds and snow falls, so trying to build our porch during that time was very daunting. But Bob Means and his crew worked through some trying conditions to complete the project as quickly as possible. The original estimate was for about a 3-4 week job, but it wound up taking about 2 months because of the weather. Through the whole process, Bob was good at keeping us informed about his schedule and when his crews would be able to work. The electricians were working on such a cold day that they couldn't feel their fingers after a while! And the painters had to some back several times because the weather prevented a normal schedule. But the end result was worth the wait, since we wouldn't have been able to use the porch much in February even if it was completed on the original plan! The porch and deck blend in perfectly with the original house. All the finishing details were just what we wanted and done very professionally. Bob came back personally to do some finishing touches, including thoroughly cleaning the floor and stairs to remove any construction dirt or stains. Bob's price was the lowest of three bids I had for the work, so it was very reasonable. And there were no surprises in the price, even though there were some changes from the original plan. All in all, a very satisfying experience. I would not hesitate to recommend Decks by All Means for your decking projects.

It took them 4 days to return our phone calls. Our 1st message to them was left on Sunday night at 7:30 PM. We had to follow-up and leave a 2nd message on Tuesday morning. Finally we received a return call on Thursday. Due to their poor responsiveness, we would never use them!

Bob worked diligently on a design for me as we seemed to be constantly "tweaking" things as we went. He was extremely fair with me and provided me with plenty of options, but also giving me a time-frame to make a final decision - as they had to remain on schedule during the construction. We began construction by demolishing the original deck and hauling off the debris. Once we dug the footers, we ran into a problem as several of them contained water and had little or no real compaction. Bob worked with his Engineer to design the footers for my deck, which some of them ended up being more than 3 foot deep. Being in construction my whole life, I know that this part of the job is vital to the a crap-shoot as you can never really tell what type of soil you are dealing with. Bob had an answer for everything he seemed to encounter. The original deck was a platform deck that was roughly 18 foot x 20 foot open deck. Bob built me a covered porch that was roughly 16 foot x 18 foot with an additional walk down lower deck of 10 foot x 18 foot, so the total deck size is roughly 26 foot by 18 foot, with two stair cases on the corners of the open deck that extend down to my yard and fire pit. To do this, Bob had to initially build me a shed roof that attached to the back of my home while matching the existing Architectural design of the home. The new covered porch is roughly 6 feet tall, so we also poured a 4 inch thick concrete slab under the deck that will be used for storage of lawn equipment, bicycles, outside furniture, etc. The lower portion of the deck also has four doors (two in front and one on each side) for easy access to the storage area. When we purchased the home, the back deck was a measly 10 foot by 12 foot deck. I added on to make it an 18 foot x 20 foot deck. That contractor told me that he was going to use "premium" lumber, which ended up not being the truth, so when Bob and I discussed the fact that he only uses premium lumber, I was skeptical at first. Let me tell you, they do make the stuff and it is exactly what his crew used on my job. In fact, they culled out the bad pieces to either return or use in less conspicuous spaces. They installed 3 floor boxes for electrical, two flood lights and a ceiling fan / light fixture for the electrical side of things. Every time a new Contractor came out, Bob called me to see how things were going. I might not have seen him every day on my jobsite, but we talked nearly every day and I always knew what was going on. My family absolutely loves our new porch and deck! It is beautiful and the workmanship is amazing. I worked with the guys a few times and was amazed at how many nails they use! This thing is solid! Like I said before, I have been in construction for more than 25 years as an Inspector, and these guys are definitely "Top Shelf" when it comes to this type of work. Not only would I recommend them for your project, but Deck by all Means is the ONLY deck builder that I would recommend. The price was really great too, as most estimates came in at near or above $30,000. I picked up the phone after meeting Bob in person said, "I have $25,000.00 to spend, no more - and I need a deck built for that amount." We shook hands and the rest is history. If you chose anyone else to build your next deck, then I wish you luck. These guys are awesome!