DISTINCTIVE DESIGNS 4 YOU INC

The workmanship was good. It was too expensive and the owner is very slow to respond.

A properly engineered and installed fiberglass pergola / metal pan ceiling system should easily last 20 years and require nothing more than routine periodic cleaning and painting. The contractor and his installers failed to properly plan and execute the project to successful conclusion. The foundations needed to support the columns were not installed "square" . . . something that should be easy to accomplish for any quality contractor. They apparently did not have the proper tools to cut the concrete to install the foundation for the columns . . . subsequently setting the foundations on top of the patio. The fiberglass column bases were larger than the poured concrete foundation resulting in a remedial additional concrete fix. Again, a quality contractor don't make these kinds of mistakes. The initial two structural failures were repaired at no expense to me . . . although in retrospect, it is reasonable to conclude those repairs were suspect too. Why? I experience a third structural failure in five years! The contractor's repair solution still did not reflect an understanding of the root cause of failure. I was unwilling to pay the labor for the proposed third repair and felt this system was steadily becoming a maintenance / safety nightmare and decided it was time to remove it. Additional factual / documented comments supported by photographs can be made . . . but will leave it to the above. For obvious reasons, I cannot recommend this contractor. He may / may not do a good job for you. If you select him . . . hopefully it will be a good result. The reason for the "F" rating . . . the project proved to be a failure and structure had to be removed. FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS (10/01/2013) Contractor misrepresentations require additional comment. Contractors states: "We did not manufacture the product we only installed it." RESPONSE: Contractor had product on display at the Chattanooga Home Show in February 2008. The product was reviewed again at his place of business. I will never forget his words . . . "this product will not sag like wood." It did sag and I got pictures to prove it. Water did not drain completely from the gutter system. He marketed and sold the product . . . he had a duty to know the product he was selling. Contractors states: "post bases were poured at an angle and when it was brought to my attention I offered to remove them and re-pour or offer a free stone cladding upgrade to correct problem." RESPONSE: This is a total misrepresentation. Competent installers, properly supervised, pour concrete correctly. When the installation was complete, only then was it realized the installed pergola / ceiling was out of square as confirmed by the metal ceiling pans. The contractor never offered to disassemble the system and re-install it correctly. The column bases were 16 5/8" square . . . the pour foundation post bases were less than that. That was unacceptable. Contractor brought in a concrete mason who framed the bases and POURED ADDITIONAL CONCRETE to enlarge the bases to approximately 18" square. This is NOT an upgrade as purported by this contractor . . . but a REMEDIAL cosmetic fix to properly size and make the bases to look decent. OFFER OF FREE STONE CLADDING UPGRADE NEVER HAPPENED. CONCLUSION: It never occurred to me that I would need to oversee and supervise (baby-sit) the project for this contractor . . . from having it evaluated by a structural engineer, taking measurements and ensuring it was properly installed and square, and performing water flow tests to ensure the gutters drained out completely. After three structural failures in five years, coupled with a contractor apparently not grasping the root failure causes WHICH SHOULD HAVE BECOME APPARENT TO HIM WITH THE FIRST FAILURE . . . common-sense suggests it was better to cut the losses and replace the structure.

The contracts were signed in September 2012, with the work starting soon thereafter. We made no demands as to the start date of our project and the only thing that we asked for was that whichever crew worked the project they will work on only our project. The salesman promised that the crew would work on our project only and would stay on it til completion. The crew lead had a general computer generated drawing with general measurements. There was multiple problems with getting the proper materials delivered to the work site, not just once but multiple times. Materials laid in the yard for weeks killing grass and creating a problems for the crew in moving around the job site. The tear down of the old deck went without problems. The crew working consisted of a lead (Damon) and anywhere from 2 to 4 others at any given time. Problems identified to Mr. Conn consisted of: The crew not showing up at all, on multiple occasions; The crew would arrive after 10:00 and usually leave by 2:00pm. The crew, on multiple occasions, left our job to work on other jobs. Incorrect installation of drywall; shoddy painting with white overspray on walnut deck and railing, which we have been unable to remove; attempting to install drywall without replacing insulation that had been removed; improper installation of inner ceiling material; incorrect installation of screen door; incorrect installation of gutters and downspouts. After complaining to Mr. Conn about the way our job was being handled, he came to the job site but took no action that we could see. After numerous complaints to Mr. Conn, he removed Damon's crew and sent in Bobby Wooten and 2 other individuals, who did a very good job making the porch look close to what was expected. The last crew completed their work near the end of February. It took approximately six months for a project that should have taken no more than one. I will commend Bobby Wooten and his crew for making sure that the work that they did was to our satisfaction. Although we now have a porch, we cannot in good conscience recommend this company to anyone.

They did a good job. There was a problem and they corrected it. I don’t have any complaints. A part of the structure had warped so they went ahead and took care of it. The price was fair. I didn’t get any other bids. I did a little checking around and I knew the side had some issues so the price seemed fair to me. I wanted a company who had a clue and I didn’t want t a guy in a pick up truck. They were good. I had more problem with the salesman than I did with the workers. He was harder to deal with compared to the president of the company and the people who built the deck. I guess if there was a different sales person it would have been totally different. They came right out when I had a problem.

I looked at their website and the work they had done on other homes and it was good. They did provide us with some reductions and things they didn't charge us for. The quality is excellent, they did a really good job. Hunting season had just started and their subs would knock off early on a Friday and hardly work on Fridays - I don't think that's unusual in this area.