Deckscapes of Virginia LLC

Caveat Emptor. This review does not address Deckscapes' quality of work, but rather a caution to anyone contemplating contracting with them. The proposal I received was professionally presented, although the price was significantly more than my "should cost" estimate, and other proposals. In discussion with the "design consultant", he informed me that the Trex calculator estimate for material was unreliable - by a factor of 2-3 based on the material cost he quoted! Also that my companion total cost estimate of $50 - $52 per square foot was wrong, although consistent with extrapolating the Trex calculator material cost. I contacted Trex regarding their calculator (national average material cost understood), as well as local building supply to get actual material cost. Trex stated that the 2-3 x material cost difference was news to them, and suggested contact with local building supply. The actual material cost from building supply was in line with calculator cost - and again a factor of 2-3x less than the price quoted by the (on commission) "consultant". I subsequently selected a different (highly recommended) contractor for the work, at a price well in line with my "should cost". This review is merely a caution that a well-researched "should cost" is essential if contemplating a contract with DeckScapes and dealing with a design consultant. I did discuss the details, and my dissatisfaction with the design consultant, directly with the DeckScapes Customer Service Manager, but no response other than "I'll look into it".

The whole process was very professional from the start to include the architectural design, attention to detail, woodwork, etc. They also finished on time and the pricing was fair. Great job!

We were very impressed with the designer. The building was very fast and efficient. They were considerate of our property. It looks great.

Deckscapes did a great job on the trex deck and non attached roof structure. Went up quickly, quality construction, looks fantastic. The outdoor kitchen and bar area took a bit longer than expected, but it came out great as well. The company was very flexible to get project done to our expectations and were willing to work with us as any issues occurred or changes needed to happen.

Very well. The sales person was very knowledgeable and provided free computer-generated images showing what it would look like when done. Project got off to a slow start, partly due to weather and apparently partly due to other reasons. We were very happy with the end result. Price was competitive with 2 other companies but their sales pitch was much better.

Excellent from start to finish. Putting in a patio was our big project this year, and since it is a major investment, we wanted to get it done right. We chose Deckscapes based on Angie's List reviews, customer testimonials, a great first impression at our initial appointment, and a fair estimate. We met with Brandon in December to discuss our vision for the project. He told us from the beginning that the project would be a marathon, not a sprint, and he was absolutely right. This company does not cut corners. They are thorough, professional, and reliable, and their communication is outstanding. We had several meetings with Brandon to finalize the design and work out a solution to a design challenge that our house presented. Once everything was finalized, we met with the construction manager, Kim, who contacted us regularly with updates and to ask if we had any questions or concerns. The weather this spring was very rainy, but the crew worked between the raindrops until the job was done. Our patio was completed in late May and it looks fantastic - it's everything we hoped for and more. We are thrilled and would not hesitate to recommend Deckscapes to anyone who wants their deck or patio done right the first time. A big thank you to Brandon, Kim, and the crew for an outstanding job!

Deckscapes did an amazing job start to finish. From my initial meeting with Josh (the owner) to the final day of the installation of the screens, they were amazing to work with. Josh made some great design choices that I had not even thought of like including an outside deck with the screened in porch. Mike, the porch and screen supervisor, kept me in the loop every step of the way and returned my calls and texts right away - even on the weekends. He went out of his way to help me with any issues that crept up during the process and even helped me arrange the furnture on the porch when it was done. He also helped with a few small projects that had nothing to do with this project. Victor, the job site supervisor, was amazing and extremely friendly and hard working. Everyone they sent to work on this job was friendly and respectful. From start to finish, they were professtional and respectful of my house, my neighbors and my time. Everyone around me has porch envy and is asking me for a referral. Kim did an amazing job with the driveway and was really helpful with a last minute change which helped me figure out how best to tie the porch in with the driveway and was able to do it without holding anything up. I love my new porch and driveway and could not have asked for a better company to work with. They did a fantastic job, quickly and professionaly. I would recommend them to all my friends. A++++

I was impressed with DeckScapes from start to finish. I had a basic plan of what I wanted from the beginning, but I got the design help I needed from the initial sales associate (who I believe is also a landscape architect). The construction manager was a great communicator throughout the work-phase of the project, letting me know how things were going, explaining any delays, always asking for feedback or for any issues I had detected. Any issues I detected (almost all minor) were addressed in a prompt minor and my wife and I are very pleased with the end result. This company is very professional and very concerned with making sure you are happy and will be spouting their praises after they complete the job. They want good word-of-mouth and are willing to put in the effort to get it. Highly recommended. I authorized pictures of this project to be posted to Houzz, and they can be found here: http://www.houzz.com/projects/1056979//custom-patio-pergola-seatwall-and-outdoor-kitchen

Deckscapes management, sales staff, project manager, and the entire on-site working staff were professional, informative, and polite throughout the construction. We did nothing but watch the deck get built in a very professional and timely manner. Deckscapes handled all of the necessary building permits through Fairfax County, Virginia, and we did not have to deal with this aspect of the bulding at all. The Deck was built to every one of our specifications; it was put together in a very detailed manner with no shortcuts taken. TREX decks although expensive are well worth it, and if you plan on having one built and you live in the Northern Virginia area, I suggest yoy get in touch with Deckscapes. A great Company that backs up its advertisments with great work! Wayne Gatewood USMC (Ret)

I met the Deckscapes guys several years ago at a home show. We obtained an estimate back then, but it took several more years of countless bottles of Roundup and failed battles with the weeds before we pulled the trigger on the project. Of course, we are now saying "why didn't we do this sooner?" Our driveway and patio look spectacular. Neighbors and literally complete strangers keep coming to the door to ask about it and tell us how gorgeous it looks (the old driveway must have looked pretty bad, huh?). The attention to detail and the precision of the job really impressed us. The crew was amazing - definitely masters of their crafts. Project came in exactly at cost. Timeline slipped a little bit but that was entirely due to weather. It really is true - you get what you pay for - and it shows. This was not an inexpensive project, but the finished project is so beautiful. We can't wait to have everyone over for a BBQ in the spring!

Deckscapes took the time to provide a very detailed and thoughtful plan, we corrected/enhanced a few details but they had great ideas and their experience showed. Meanwhile we reviewed several other proposals from companies we found and some that were recommended to us. Deckscapes had been recommended by a friend. We really liked their detail, their personal attention, and we are very happy with the finished product-- it has very nice trim details that we do not see on other porches (and we have spent a lot of time looking at other porch and patio work). It is a composite and PVC wrapped porch with lighting on the step risers and exterior lighting as well as ceiling fan lights etc. We also added stepping stones from the fenced in yard as a pathway to the porch steps. We feel we got our monies worth-- they were not the cheapest (nor the most expensive) quote, but they were in the same ballpark as the other quotes. We did negotiate on price a little bit and we are very happy, one year out with the product. We had one service call to add additional support to one of the door frames and they responded quickly and its fixed. The construction crew was the same group of 3 guys, everyday while building, and they have been with the company for several years (a good thing in my opinion) They worked long days, all day with almost no interruption-- I work from home most days so I really saw their progress and work ethic. They guys were busy all day, they all knew what they needed to work on, clean, and respectful. There were some minor schedule delays when it came time to coordinate with the electricians, but that caused no issue with our overall timeline, and I think with such a big project-- somewhat expected-- but we were kept informed, we passed every inspection with flying colors, and our questions were always answered in a timely manner. The group that installed the patio was also just as professional, long time company workers, and did a fantastic job. Overall I would definetly hire them again. It was a very positive experience for us and we get a lot of compliments on the porch and we use it everyday-- its been just what we wanted and has fit our lifestyle.

Excellent craftsmanship, prompt and efficient. Would highly recommend.

It went well. I did not end up using them because of the type of deck that I wanted to have put on but they were responsive. I had nothing unfavorable to say about them. They even followed up you know some companies you will get a quote and you will never hear from then again. We were looking to get a patio and we decided we were going to do deck instead of a patio.

I liked the owner of the company. He was very professional and punctual and responsive. However, once the contract was signed we had to deal with his mother who ran the office. The day of the install, we ran into design problems and could not get a hold of the owner. We talked to his mother and she seemed defensive on his part. I think it's a big mistake hiring family members to work for you in the office. You need impartial and professional customer service. We overcame the issue and at the end of a very long, hard day of installing, we found that the decking floor had not been laid correctly to where the angle of the planks lined up with the angle of the bench. This can depend on the crew he hires, but we were told they were very professional and worked with him all the time. We decided that we did not want to rip it all up again as we could probably live with it. It just irked me that this even happened. Not only that but the bench they were to build was not done properly and they had to stay very late getting it right. By the end of the day, I was so ready for them to be gone. Maybe this is typical, I don't know. A couple of years later we called with cracking wood issues and we once again got Mother who was very defensive and argumentative. By this time, I knew I'd never work with them again. I feel it's a shame as the owner was very nice and we do love our deck despite the various issues. As a side note, 4 years in, we had our deck power washed and we noticed that 5 or 6 strips of wood that had been replaced a year or so after install, were in really bad shape, with the surface power washed off. The other planks were fine. This tells me that they used different grade of composite which is a shame. I just don't know if I have the energy to call and wrangle with the Mother again. If it hadn't been for her, the whole experience would have been so much better.

Their salesperson was extremely friendly and made sure I was aware of all of the options available and that I picked an option that would not only fit into my budget but that I would be happy with long term. Unlike similar companies I was getting quotes from they did not have a high pressure pitch that required a signature that day. Since I wanted to resurface my deck in the TrexPro material he gave me samples in all of the colors to keep as I made a decision. Once I decided to go with Deckscapes they got me on the schedule within a few weeks. Most of the work was completed in a few days. The project manager came by every day to check on the progress and made sure the area was kept clean. During the walk through the project manager was more thorough than I was and tighten a few bolts that he thought was too loose himself. Overall it was a good experience from start to finish.

The salesman and project supervisor said all the right things and outlined how the job would proceed. An Angie's list rating of A and of course good references made me decide to use this company. Then the 2 man crew began the work mid February. They had to remove the railings, and decking and I was assured that they would clean up the site as they worked so that the debris would not be in the yard while they were building the new deck. The debris was the last thing to be removed from my yard, and I had to clean up wood and nails and screws to numerous to count from under my deck. The deck was to be wrapped in white PVC trim boards with a vinyl railing system. The fascia and stair risers had to be redone because the crew nailed all of it when my contract read "screwed in place with white trim screws". At first they said they would fill the nails holes with white putty and it would look "ok". The decking is supposed to be installed with screws and I have a large amount of nails around all the deck edges. The job is still not complete and the project supervisor has not returned my phone messages. I was able to talk with the salesman once in the past week and he promised to get me answers to my questions. He responded by leaving me a voice mail saying someone would be out to look at the deck in the middle of the day to look at my concerns. I would expect them to show up at dinner time when I'm home, or first thing in the morning, so I could talk with them. I have no idea if anyone showed up in the middle of the day and the salesman has not returned 2 subsequent messages. I'm writing them a letter today and keeping a copy handy for the BBB, just in case. 05/04/14 Update: The Owner of the company responded to my letter and came out to look at my deck the same day and was very surprised to see the quality of work and assured me that my deck was not built to the quality that Deckscapes provides for their customers. My deck was torn down to the framing once again and re-built. The new crew was great and my deck now looks wonderful, it was built by skilled carpenters this time. I'm very pleased with the finished job and very happy that the Owner took responsibility on the project and re-built the deck instead of trying to correct the problems created by the first work crew.

The rep/manager never contacted me. I called the company 6 weeks later and informed the lady that we never heard back from the rep. She jotted my information down and said she would tell the rep to get in touch with me. This occurred in October 2013. It is now March 2014. This company was highly recommended to us, but we did not have any luck with them.

The plans were agreed to and the work commenced as requested. It took about a month to complete the work since it was cold weather. They were very responsive to small changes to the plans while it was being built. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. The new deck is very well-constructed and is serving our needs. We had very few complaints while the work was being done and they did a great job cleaning up after the project was done.

Very professional from design to build. They were flexible and worked with us on the issues our lot presented. I would definitely recommend them and plan to use them again in the future.

Deckscapes agreed to handle all of the paperwork for us, which included many steps related to having our neighborhood re-zoned, allowing us to build the screened-in porch. They went through all of the required steps with the county as well as the home-owners association. This process took longer than anticipated (we originally expected to get a special permit instead of having to rezone), but they kept us up to date on each step along the way. The quality was fantastic - I couldn't be happier with our porch. Along the way Deckscapes made several suggestions of things to add that cost additional $$ - they were great suggestions, most of which we went with, and they have made our porch much more attractive and usable. One example was asking if we wanted outdoor drywall on the part of the house that would be on e wall of the porch...we said yes and it is much nicer than if we had left the original siding up. They also asked us about installing outdoor heaters in the ceiling, which we did as well. We are able to use our porch almost year round, with the exception of the coldest part of winter. They also made other helpful suggestions, things like offering to replace our other outdoor lighting fixtures which we had decided to change out so that the new ones on the porch coordinated. They did not charge anything additional for this. Deckscapes was very professional to work with, very patient, provided a lot of good ideas,and the quality is amazing. I would hire them to do any service they offer.

Amazing design work. Of all the designs we had completed we liked Deckscapes the best. Would have contracted for the work, however they were priced high compared to other quotes from similiar companies and similiar project. When entered into price negotiations, Deckscapes quickly got to what I thought was the bottom line number (said they could go no lower without changing specs). Appreciated the quick negotiation to the bottom line. Unfortunately they were still high so we decided not to contract with them as I had better quotes from similiar companies. When I informed them I wouldnt be using them, they were disappointed I didnt enter into further price negotiations. Lesson of the day then is that their bottom line number isnt really their bottom line number.

Excellent customer service and building integrity from first contact to project completion. It's been over a year since completion and we still are amazed how nice our "new" deck looks. I highly recommend this company. We particularly wanted to ensure the new construction was built to code. Deckscapes delivered.

The construction was good and the deck is solid. It looks good and the design was good and I'm pretty satisfied with the work they did. There have been 3 times that the lighting system has failed to operate. However, deckscapes was quick to respond and make the appropriate repairs.

I thought the price was high. The people are very nice. A guy came and did the estimate and he's very professional. They invested a lot of time upfront which I appreciate. He showed me a mark up, the graphic on his computer and all that but when they will do the job, they will send out regular people and I don't have any idea who those regular people are but apparently, the main guy will keep in touch but I like to deal with a small company with the owner and the worker and that type of thing. He called me back a couple of times and asked me about the prices and it was so pressuring. I wouldn't pay that much for it.

If you are in the market for a patio please call Gene Evans from Deckscapes. He, in a word, is awesome. Why did I choose him. Because out of all the other contractors that I vetted, he was the only one that listened to my needs/wishlist. He delivered on everything he said he would and in a timely manner. If you are in need of anything for your backyard like a patio or deck, please do yourself a favor and call Gene at Deckscapes of VA.