Deck Masters

The process could not have gone any smoother. Our neighbors had used them to build a fantastic covered porch, and we had been on the lookout for years to find the right builder for our sunroom. Mike (the "sales" guy and who does the designs) walked us through multiple options over multiple visits, and played a huge part in getting the room just right (talked us into adding a covered porch area that might be the best part). The owner John was quick to answer any question I had during the 3 month wait for them to start. And once they started Greg, the production supervisor, and their team was awesome. They made sure everything was done with quality, and the crew was overall nice to interact with. One thing I really appreciated was their flexibility in design, changes, and allowing me to add my own touches (like purchase my own windows, roofing, and HVAC unit). Being a long-time homeowner, I have dealt with my fair share of contractors, and almost always "something" comes up that taints it just a bit. This might have been the smoothest process I have had, especially with a project this large.

So smoothly. I called for the quote, they were out within a week (compared to the other 3 contractors I contacted, 2 of whom didn't call back and 1 who made an appointment and didn't show up). Mike looked at the deck, took measurements and offered great ideas for changing things up and adding curb appeal while not sacrificing space or quality. The work was originally supposed to be done in September but they called the second week of August and said they were ahead of schedule and would I like them to do it early? 2 days, in unpredictable weather no less, and I had a brand new deck, it was that easy! I want to re-do my front porch next year and I will definitely be calling these guys for a quote.

Horrible experience. Deck Masters owner built the deck too close to my furnace exhaust and it therefore did not pass inspection. Owner cursed me out over the phone, telling me "to move the fu$king exhaust vent". I refused to move the vent based on the fact Deck Masters should have noticed this vent prior to building the deck, and therefore should have informed me the deck would be built out of the way of the vent. They failed to do so, and I am now out >$5000 with no deck to enjoy. Do not use this company if you want to be treated respectfully and to have a deck built free from defects.

The Deck Masters of Cincinnati exceeded expectations. We met with Shannon, the non-salesy sales guy who listened to what we wanted, made suggestions and drew out the design and provided an exact quote for the work while on the appointment. He was super accessible via text message, email and phone for questions, and ultimately we upgraded our railing choice and decided to hire them. Fortunately, they had a job fall through for some reason, so they actually arrived ahead of schedule and completed the work. The crew consisted of 2 very skilled and professional guys who really took pride in their work. For instance, one day I saw Shannon stop by and drop off some wood. When I later asked one of the guys about it, he said that he didn't like the condition of some of the cedar they bought and so he had Shannon return it and get different boards. That kind of stuff lets you know that they care about the results. I really don't have anything negative to say, I feel like what we paid is fair for a deck that is around 400 sq ft. including a walkway that extends to the side of our house, with an upgraded railing. Here are a few other notable positives that stood out to me: - Shannon (the sales guy) is also in charge of the work crew and was on site several times throughout the job. We've had other work done where the salesman sells you something, but there is a complete communication disconnect with the crew who isn't aware of certain details you'd discussed during the sales process - that communication gap didn't exist here. They did everything they said they'd do. - The inspector came by for 3 different parts of the job to sign off on the work. I didn't meet him until the final inspection, which was a breeze. He said he saw all he needed to see during the structural inspection and voluntarily complimented the quality of work they did. Coming from a guy who inspects these for a living, I put a lot of stock in his opinion. - The work is always the most important, but the 2 man crew was also very pleasant to be around and generally helpful. For example, we had some deck furniture delivered while they were working and the guy from Lowe's asked me to give him a hand lifting the very large box off the truck. The Deck Master guys saw what was happening and dropped what they were doing and came over to help us get the box off the truck. Again, to me that is just a small indicator where I wasn't expecting or asking for help - but it speaks to the quality of employees at Deck Masters. Building a deck is a pretty big deal and investment, and I can't recommend these guys highly enough.

Deck Masters was fantastic. They provided great advice on the re-design of our deck space and came up with a layout that better suited our space and needs. The entire team was professional and very hard-working. When we ran into a slight issue with the steepness of the steps for our dog, they were quick to accommodate changes that would make the steps work much better for him. After the deck was completed, we ran into another issue of the skirting not being long enough to reach the patio we had installed. I called John to see what our options were, and he sent his team out and installed a trim piece at no extra charge. They take customer satisfaction seriously and really deliver on all counts. We are extremely pleased with the service and quality of work from Deck Masters.

Deck Masters did a super job on adding a screened in porch on our house. Beautify results. Very professional carpenters and workers. Very courteous and hard-working. Very fast once on site. Kept us posted continually. Owner stopped by to inspect work in progress about evry 3rd day. Started and fininshed construction right on time. You'll have to wait several months since they are booked well in advance because of their great and well earned reputation, but they are clearly worth the short wait. p.s. go with the cedar on walls and timberteck on floors - worth the extra price.

The team did great work. I was most impressed with the speed: They took down the old deck and had almost completed the new one in just one day. The second day was spent on the cabled railings. I enjoyed working with the salesperson and continued to have good communication with him between the time of signing the contract and the beginning of work. The on-site team was very friendly and professional. The deck looks great and is solidly built. The cost was reasonable and on par with (and actually slightly lower than) the other quotes we received. We're very happy. Only negatives: 1. We had to wait several months between signing the contract and having work begin. But they let us know this would be the case and were responsive when we contacted them asking for updates. The truth is that this company does a great job and is popular. 2. The only complaint about the work is that the team left the footers for the previous deck buried in the ground. The new deck has a smaller footprint than the previous one, so those footers were left in areas where we wanted to do landscaping instead of being underneath the new deck. When I found the first one (with nails and wood sticking out of the ground by several inches), I contacted the team and they returned to remove it (the wood and the surrounding concrete). But I subsequently found others, which they had just buried under less an inch of soil. Removing the footers might be beyond the scope of typical deck removal, and we probably should have discussed this and specified that the footers would be removed when signing the contract. I wrongly assumed that everything would be removed. After trying to remove the remaining footers myself without any mechanical equipment, I gave up and planted around them. I decided not to contact the company again because I didn't want to delay the landscaping. 3. Cleanup is up to the homeowner. There were a lot of screws and other debris left around the site, all of which had to be cleaned up before children and pets could be around the deck. There was even a screw left sticking straight out of the floorboards after the first day on site. A small bit of landscaping was trampled, and the lawn was damaged a bit, it'll all grow back. Overall, we're very happy. The few complaints are relatively minor and probably to be expected when you have any sort of outdoor project.

Quick response when we called for an estimate. Once we signed the contract, we were given an estimated wait time and received a phone call the week before the start. During construction, the workers arrived early in the morning and worked efficiently. They kept the construction area clean and disturbance to the surrounding areas to minimal. Ken and Josh communicated with us throughout the construction to ensure we are satisfied with the quality of their work. We are very happy with the new deck. Will definitely recommend them to others.

The deck was built a whole month earlier than plan so we have been have to enjoy it more. The project went fine, there were some delays, mainly d/t the rain, and when one of the workers removed the base of the old deck, up against the house, the boards were rotten and infested with carpenter ants. We had to get an exterminator out before the deck could be built. Exterminator was able to come out the next day so construction was only delayed one day. Deck masters put new wood foundation on the house to replace the infested, rotten boards. The workers were all professional and helpful and followed my requests and answered my questions. After the deck was built, I noticed that one of the steps was slightly loose, and couple boards on a stand they custom build needed a few nails. John Stark, (president of Deck masters) came right out and corrected these matters. The deck is beautiful and very well built. I am very satisfied with Deck Masters, their skill, workmanship, and good communication.

Construction was completed quickly and the quality was excellent!

My first contract was with Mike Fresch. He responded to my request for an estimate in December 2014 and promptly came out to my house to meet with me. We discussed various options for construction of the railing and preservation / demolition of the existing deck. Mike prepared an estimate and returned to meet with me again. My husband and I had discussed the project more and decided to eliminate a walkway we had built between the 2 deck sections and have 2 separate decks rather than a connected one. Mike quickly adjusted his estimate. He gave options for replacing all the deck boards. He gave options for different railing alternatives. He gave options for different ways to construct the landing and stairs. We talked through my budget and the options and we agreed on a plan. Mike never steered me toward higher cost options. Just gave me the choice and cost and let me decide. Deck Masters only required a 10% down payment to schedule the job. Mike told me that it would be several months before they could do our project which was fine with me. It turned out that it was a little longer but I was not in a hurry, just wanted a good product. The day before the lumber was delivered I received a call and was notified. No surprises. I hate surprises. The day after the lumber was delivered the crew showed up before 8:00 am ready to go. They carried every piece of lumber and tool on their backs around to the back of the house to work. Each worker introduced himself to me and they were very professional. The crew leader went over the project with me to make sure he understood what we wanted. He had the sketch of the plan on his phone also. They did not swear but did sing to their radio as they worked. lol On the second day, we decided to leave a portion of the original deck in place under the chimney. The crew leader asked about what our plans were for that and I told him we had originally planned to enclose it and make a little storage area. We already had the materials. I asked him to get a price to do the extra work and he checked and told me that they would do the labor for free since they were already there and that they would only charge me extra if they had to purchase materials. When do you ever get a contractor to not charge for an extra?? So the second day the demolition was completed and most of the debris hauled away. The crew worked until 6:00 pm -- and this was Good Friday. They had some punch list work to do and a load of demolition to remove so one worker came back on Monday and finished by noon. Another positive note: Deck Masters did not ask for payment before the job was completed. There were a few little things they did to make the original work match their work which they did cheerfully. This was not an easy job since it was not all new construction so they really went out of their way to do well. They even removed a bracket we had on the old deck and carefully placed it out of the way for us. We have had many experiences with contractors over the years and I can honestly say that this was the best one ever. Thanks again!

Owner, Mike Fresch, was responsive and showed real care about our job. His crew was friendly and took time to answer questions when asked. Job was done on time and looks great!!! Two relatively minor issues and I mean minor. Rubbish pickup could have been better planned. We live back a private drive and dumpster that was ordered was far too big and there was no place to put it. Mike solved that problem professionally and quickly. At foot of the deck new stairs his crew had to remove pavers to put in the footer. Mike said the replacing of the pavers wasn't his responsibility but the building inspector wouldn't give final approval for the job until they were replaced . I called my landscaper and he did that work for me for a minimal charge.

Mike came out to the house and was able to provide an estimate within a couple of days, which was much faster than the other contractors I met with. This includes one who is very highly-rated here who did not give me the courtesy of *ever* providing me an estimate, even after a month and regular weekly phone calls asking for an update. Once I signed the contract, Mike quoted me a lead time of 2-3 months to get around to my job. This proved to be a bit longer than the high end of that estimate, although they were in and out very quickly once they started. In any case, I would recommend locking them in early if you hope to get to your project in the near future, because they book well in advance and stay very busy. They estimated about 2 weeks to complete my job, and it turned out to be closer to 10 days. This includes a day that was mostly set aside for the electrician to come out and install the lights and another where work was postponed due to inspections. So they completed what I would consider to be a fairly big project in just over a week of workdays. Very impressive, and the quality of work was very good, at least to my eye. The crew worked quickly and kept the job site in order, and the project manager was friendly and available for questions but the project was mostly hands-off for me, which was worth the peace of mind. Overall, I thought that Deck Masters did an excellent job. It's possible that you could do better price-wise, although I will add that I was quoted nearly twice as much for the same job by a different contractor. Further, the DM crew works so quickly and with such precision that they're probably worth a little more in terms of cost and lead time, and the attentiveness Mike and his team showed me throughout made them a clear standout among the handful of contractors I spoke with regarding my project. Highly recommended.

Replied to request for quote quickly. Developed a unique design for the patio at a reasonable cost. Started project on time and worked long days to complete the job quickly. We requested minor modifications during construction and they were open and wiling to making the changes along the way. We love our new patio!

Since we contracted with them during their busiest time of the year, it took about three months from estimate to completion. This shows how much in demand they are. Once work started, the pace was quick and I was shocked how much would get done everyday. The old deck was torn out and hauled away before i had even left for work that day. The retaining wall took the longest to build as they had to bring in fill rock one scoop at a time. They did this with minimal impact to my house and yard. The deck took two days to complete and the wall and patio took another 5 days. We are so happy with the results. With building the patio, we are now utilizing a third of our back yard that was previously unusable. The sales guy, Mike, was a pleasure to work with and came out to our house at least three times. He presented so many ideas, we had to keep talking about it and have him work up numbers for the various configurations we could go with. We finally settled on a design, paid a down payment, and waited for our spot in line. There was one small miss understanding with the design and they were immediate to come in and fix the issue at no cost to us. This shows that they are committed to keeping the customer happy, even if it means spending a few extra bucks when they don't have to. We are very please with the results and will use them again in the future. We are so happy with the patio, we may redo the front with the same pavers.

Initially I called Deck Masters in April and left a message stating I was looking for an estimate on a deck repacement and left my number with a request for a call back. After not receiving a call back after more than a week I called again. I was told by Mike that Joe Shuster would be the person taking a look at my deck and giving me an estimate. It took over a week of phone tag before connecting with Joe to set up a time to meet. Joe came by on a Monday with a pad of paper and a tape measure He took some measurements and told me he would email me that evening with some information/options so that I could make some decisions in order to have the actual estimate to me on Wednesday. Joe never emailed me that night and on Wednesday after 11 pm, I got an email that started out with "this is not an official estimate"and then went on to give a barrage of prices in reference to 2 attached drawings. There were no attachments so I emailed Joe twice...and he never responded. I am not sure how this company has an A rating. I am sorry I wasted my time with them. Update: After posting the above review I received a voice mail message from Mike, the owner of the company. He was very appologetic and explained that there were several issues with Joe that they were not aware of until it was too late. Joe has since been let go (a very wise business decision!!!!) He offered an increased discount and the opportunity to restore his good name. I greatly appreciate this offer but I have gone with another company. It appears that there may have been a bad apple in the bunch who misrepresented himself and unfortunately the company.

We met with Joseph the first week of April. He seemed somewhat knowledgeable, but did not bring any resources with him (past job pictures, type of stones, etc). It was apparent that he was a sales guy and not the actual builder. He was under the impression that we were interested in a deck, which may be the case, but I could have sworn I entered into the request that we were interested in a deck OR patio. Therefore, when he arrived, he did not have any information for patios. He said that he had an idea of what we wanted and would get back to us with a quote. A couple days later (4/4/14), he emailed and provided us with a $8000 quote. The catch is that he also asked in the email how far out from the house that we wanted the patio to go. From this, I conclude that he A) did not write down the information and B) that he couldn't possibly provide an accurate estimate without knowing the desired dimensions of the patio. I promptly emailed him back the dimensions and the type of stone we wanted. I have not received a reply. We received a quote from a second contractor on 4/5/14 and they completed the work the following week with the patio being 34% cheaper than this quote.

First used them 20 years ago on a screened porch. Job went perfect. Second time was a new house and had them do another screened porch. Had some issues long the way, they took care of it, no crying, complaining, excuses. Third job was adding a small shed onto the house. They unintentionally cut an electric wire in a wall. Nobody knew about it until a few weeks later. John came out and took care of it. After the first job they did, I didn't bother getting a bunch of quotes for the other ones . I called them up and asked what it would cost. They are not the lowest bidder and don't try to be. They did good work and that was what was most important.

When speaking on the phone with the gentleman, he said he would have Joe call me. I never heard anything back from them. I called again to let them know I never heard from Joe, again nothing.

I met with Mike Fresch on March 7th to discuss what I hoped they could accomplish. He gave me a quote at that time, which I thought was a little high, but I chose them anyway because of their reputation. Communication after the initial sale was not that good. I had to get in touch with them twice to get an exact date for the project. The second time, I asked that they give me a heads up as to when they would be at my property. John Stark was supposed to call me, but I had to call them back only to find out that they had already started the project. Because it was during the week, and because of the short notice, I was not able to be there. I returned to the property the following weekend to find that they had not put on the doggie gate I had requested. When I questioned Mike about it, he acted like this was the first he had heard of me wanting a gate. He said he did not include it in the plans or charge me for it. Clearly, he forgot to include this in the plans. We even discussed exactly what it would look like. I called John Stark later to let him know I was upset about this, and I was not going to pay anymore $$. He said they would get back out there & build the doggie gate at no charge. I went back to the property a couple days later to find my patio furniture had been piled up on top of my flower bed, and my lower level furniture was also left out in the elements. The job site was not cleaned up at all. I have found over 90 various sizes of nails and screws, some up to 6in in length, in my yard and lower level. I informed John about this, and his comment was, "I'm sorry, they usually do a good job with that." Bottom line for me......they built a great deck, but the communication and clean up was poor. I would highly recommend anyone using this company to make sure you are present when the work is being done!

Deck Masters did an terrific job. The deck is over 12 feet off the ground. The new deck is incredibly sturdy and the Timbertech boards require little maintenance. The quality and sturdiness is incredible.

Mike came out and worked with us to develop a design and select the materials to build a low maintenance deck. We agreed on the design, locked in the pricing and requested installation be completed by the end of December 2013. They were able to meet our construction schedule requirements. The crew was the best and worked in snow, icy winds, and some sub-zero weather to complete the structure on time. We agreed to finish tying in the existing brick work to the deck when the weather got better. Last week they came back and finished the job, cleaned up the worksite and replaced a piece of wood the was defective. We now have a beautiful deck now. The crew was extremely professional, very skilled, friendly, and were amazing workers considering the weather conditions they worked in. Great Job Guys!!!!!

Planning, working out the details, and execution of the project was exceptional. We experienced an unexpected rough winter which slowed the start, but once they began, the process couldn't have been smoother. The professionalism of the workers, coordination of inspections, electrician, and addition of pavers, made a large project take just 10 days. They were very good at thinking through options and building the porch onto the existing house, so that it's built in seamlessly. We had everything we desired including great suggestions for electrical placement, switches, and woodwork detail. They know what they're doing, and execute it above expectations quickly.

Everything went smoothly except we requested the deck in April and did not get it until about August. The add said they accept Discover Charge but did not mention a 2% charge, so had to make two cash payments.

They did exceptional work, were very professional in manner and workmanship. My husband, who built the original deck, was concerned that there were some areas that would provide challenges to get them just right. They were up to the challenges and I don't think my perfectionist husband found one thing to complain about. (That's a first.) They worked in single digit temperatures and seemed to enjoy and take pride in their work. They cleaned up every day and left the deck and yard spotless. I would recommend them highly. I'm sure we could have found someone who would have done the job cheaper, but, I don't think we could have found anyone who would have provided better quality - and in this case I think we got what we paid for. The deck is absolutely beautiful!