Oasis Decks LLC

Did some drywall repair work for me; patched several old outlet holes and various size holes throughout the house and painted the spots. Did a phenomenal job, and will be my go-to for drywall work.

My experience with Oasis (specifically, Tommy Harper, the owner) has been the most frustrating ordeal I've ever endured in working with a home service provider. I can't overemphasize how disappointed I am in the way Tommy abandoned this project and disappeared. The facts and chronology are laid out below as a warning to all Angie's List members to stay away from this company. I signed a contract with Oasis on 8/15/13, and got an estimated start date of 8/26 and an estimated project completion date of 9/9 from Tommy. On 8/22, I received an email from Tommy confirming that the start date was still as planned. On 8/25, I received an email from Tommy asking to push back the start date to 8/29. I agreed. On 8/28, he emailed to push back the start date again to 9/3. I agreed. The construction crew arrived on 9/3 and the early part of the project went more or less smoothly. The foundations were dug, the footings poured, and the frame was constructed as planned, and the inspections passed. During this time, I didn't hear anything from Tommy, and assumed that since work was being done, we were still on schedule. On 9/8, I emailed Tommy to ask for a status update on the expected completion date. On 9/12, Tommy finally emailed me back saying there was a delay in getting the ipe shipment from his supplier, but it would arrive by 9/17 or 9/18 at the latest. On 9/19, having not heard anything from Tommy and having not received the shipment of wood, I emailed him again asking for an update. He wrote back saying there was another delay and the wood should arrive by 9/23, which it finally did. On 9/24, I received an email from Tommy saying the final phase of the project ("all decking, railing and lighting") to be complete by 9/29. On 10/1, Tommy emailed me saying he was nearly complete with the work, but had not yet ordered the bricks needed for the trim around the base of the support posts, even though I had emailed him the color specifications on 8/24, and followed up again on 9/25. Apparently he had done nothing to prepare during that time period. On 10/2, I emailed Tommy saying the ipe cap that was supposed to be installed on top of the railings was not there. The next day he wrote me back to tell me he would not be able to install the ipe railing cap because the fasteners he normally uses for this purpose do not adequately anchor the deck board to the top rail. This was the first I'd heard of this problem, and it took me completely by surprise. I was very disappointed, as that was a nice finishing touch that was part of our design, and he had agreed to it from the beginning. His solution was for us to just forego it and he would do some other odds & ends work in exchange for the money he had already charged us for the materials and labor. In reality, he had simply not ordered enough wood for this purpose, and the fastener issue was just an excuse. I know this because the pile of boards on my property grew smaller and smaller as the project progressed, and by the time the crew had assembled the planter, there was nothing left to do the rail cap. Not having any other options, I agreed to just forego the cap, and asked him for 3 simple things in exchange: 1) Fix the planter that his crew had built in the most idiotic way possible. They had simply built a frame with no bottom, which was obviously never going to hold any soil. I asked him to put a false bottom on the planter so I could actually use it. 2) Reinstall a light fixture that he had to move in order to attach the ledgerboard to the house. 3) Hang a pendant light onto a nearby tree and run low-voltage wiring to it in a buried conduit. Tommy agreed to these concessions, and promised the bricks would be procured by 10/6. On 10/9, having not heard from Tommy in 5 days, I emailed him again asking about the status on the bricks. The next day he responded saying his mason was held up on another job for "a couple of weeks," and admitted fault for not having the materials ready when the mason was available. I wrote back to him the same day expressing my frustration and disappointment at yet another delay due to his poor planning, and asked him to call me to discuss options. I heard nothing from him for 4 days. He emailed me back on 10/15 apologizing, but saying there would be no way he could get the work done sooner. I agreed, and asked him for a firm start and finish date on the remainder of the work. I did not hear back anything for 7 days. On 10/22, Tommy emailed me saying he wanted to meet because his mason had concerns about the installation and he wanted to go over options with me. We met the following day, at which point he explained that he would not be able to do the brick wraps after all, due to a sloping grade in the yard. His suggestion was that we should pay him another $3500 to build a patio under the deck in order for him to finish the work that was in his contract. At this point, I was incredibly frustrated and had no intention of giving him any more business. I told him I would have another contractor pour a stamped concrete patio, and he could finish his part of the deal and we would be on our separate ways. Meanwhile, on 10/24, he emailed saying he would be coming by the following day to install the tree light and fix the planter. He never showed up. On 10/30, I emailed him to ask what had happened and why he had failed to come by as promised. No response came. On 11/1, I emailed again to ask, at which point he replied that he had sent me an email about it the previous week asking to postpone the tree light wiring. When I told him I never received any such email from him and asked that he forward me the email as proof, I didn't hear anything back. On 11/6, while I was at work, someone must have shown up to hang the light from the tree, but it was installed completely incorrectly. Instead of hanging down (like a pendant), it had been strapped to a branch pointing upward. It was, of course, not actually wired up. I ended up having to fix it myself and attach it the correct way. Meanwhile, finding another contractor to pour a patio meant I had to research and find qualified masons, get and compare quotes, put together a plan and submit it to my HOA for approval before the patio could be poured. This process took about 6 weeks, during which time all work was halted. On 12/6, shortly before the concrete patio work was to be finished, I asked Tommy to come by so we could discuss the remaining part of his obligations. I made it easier for him by agreeing to forego the brick work entirely if he would just put some decorative PVC trim around the base of the supports instead. I reduced the scope even further and told him to not bother with the wiring of the tree light and the fixes to the useless planter. I just wanted him to finish the decorative trim and we would be done. At this point, I re-examined my contract and came to realize 2 other problems. 1) The brick work was estimated at $1500, but he had requested full payment for the deal at his last milestone, minus a $1000 holdback, meaning I had overpaid by $500 for the bricks that I never got. This was my own fault for not being vigilant, but it speaks to Tommy's integrity in general. I told him I would even forego this money if he would just finish his work and be done. 2) His proposal called for 8"x8" finished dimensions on the support posts (per our HOA requirements), but I measured them and found they were 6.75"x6.75" instead. I brought this up with Tommy and he agreed that when he would do the remaining trim work, he would build out the bottom 3 feet of each post to 8x8 dimensions. I didn't hear anything back from him after our meeting on 12/6. The holidays came up and I was busy, and had more or less written him off as never coming back. On 1/8, I decided to give him another chance and emailed him asking if he was planning on coming to finish up the trim work. He wrote back on 1/9 enthusiastically saying he would do so the following day. We then hit a string of bad weather, and in a series of texts over the ensuing couple of weeks mutually agreed to push it off until a break in the weather. On 2/16, I emailed Tommy to see if he w

We wrote two checks, one for $10,000 to Oasis Decks, and the other to Tommy Harper for $500 so that he ?could pull the permits.?  Tommy quickly got the permit for the deck and began work on it first. The deck builder did a beautiful job although Tommy was not there every day. We have been completely happy with the deck. Meanwhile, pallets of stone, gravel, and sand were dropped off in our backyard and driveway. Debris continued to accumulate.  We paid the second installment to Oasis.

Workers began digging the area for the walkway and patio and scattered the dirt along a silt fence in the middle of our yard. Right away we contacted Tommy to notify him that the dirt could not remain there. He kept assuring us he would move the dirt but it never happened. We went back and forth on this issue several times, even after the patio was complete and eventually the builder took care of it when he removed the fence.

The workers dug a trench for the gas line and ran a hose but did not connect it to the stub. We kept asking to see the gas line permit which Tommy never produced despite repeated requests. His workers set about installing pavers over the line and building the sitting wall.

Tommy called at one point and asked if we could go ahead and pay $1,200 because he had to purchase the fireplace kit from his personal account.  We wrote the check to Tommy.  While building the fireplace, the pavers around it became discolored (bleached) from the paver cement or the mortar from the fireplace veneer. We kept pointing this out and Tommy continued saying he would take care of it and that he provided a 5-year warranty on the stone. Still no gas line permit.

The walkway was built on an incline with three paver steps. After looking at, we decided the walkway would be too steep and asked to have more steps placed. We agreed to pay additional ($800) for this but wanted as many as necessary to flatten the walkway. The workers added three more steps, for a total of six.  The walkway is still not as level as we would have liked, but it just wasn?t worth the argument.  During all this we paid the third installment.
Next, workers set about digging the area for the concrete pad under the deck. That area had a large basement window with a window well and drain in front of it. On the day they poured the concrete, workers removed the window well and poured the concrete right over the drain. The entire concrete pad was poured level with the windowsill. We had never agreed to removing the window well or covering the drain, and certainly don't appreciate the concrete being as high as the windowsill. We continued pressing to see the gas line permit and debris continued to build up in our yard and driveway.

Tommy contacted us to arrange for the final payment.  He asked if we could use the $1200 payment paid earlier toward the extra walkway steps and archway on the fireplace and we agreed.  Tommy kept complaining that he needed payment to pay his workers so we paid another $5,000 and told him we would not make the final payment until the drains were completed and the grounds cleaned up.  A worker came out and did a half-hearted job and installed two of the three remaining drains.  Two of the lines were not ran as far out into the yard as we agreed and were left exposed.  The front downspout was never completed.  Tommy insisted that he could not run the line under the sidewalk as he had originally agreed to do.

Tommy was still pressing for the final payment so on April 22, we arranged to meet him at our home. I pointed out to him that the drains were poorly done, the pavers were bleached, the concrete pad was a problem, and as no gas permit was produced, I had to assume one didn't exist. Tommy said he would make the drains right and get the permit for me in a few days but he needed the money to pay his people.  He kept insisting to my husband that even though the drain network was on the contract, he wasn?t charging for it so therefore it didn?t really matter.  Like a fool, I paid him the remainder ($4300) to pay off the contract.  Tommy agreed to come back in two days and correct the issues that I had pointed out and I would pay the extra $1200 that was in addition to the contract.

No surprise, we haven?t heard from Tommy Harper or Oasis since.  We were still concerned about the gas line so checked with the county and have learned that only one permit was pulled for the deck but we actually needed three additional permits for the gas line, patio, and fireplace.  County personnel have advised us to notify Tommy Harper that he is responsible for obtaining these permits and give him a chance to respond before making a formal complaint where they will review and possibly revoke his license.  We left a voicemail message with Tommy but as of yet have not received a response.

Excellent service

We decided on Oasis to build our deck because the estimate was less than two other estimates and because the owner, Tommy Harper, showed an understanding of what we wanted and offered good suggestions for improving our design.   He was prompt in meeting with us and in providing an estimate.  The work started as soon as the permit was approved and was completed in 7 days.   The workers worked hard and were very efficient.   The deck looks great.     We highly recommend Oasis and would use the company again.    

Although his estimate was higher than the others we received, we felt the quality of materials he was using and his close proximity to our home were bonuses worth the increased cost. Due to rain and a higher volume of business than anticipated, Tommy and his crew started on our project three weeks after the date originally agreed on. The deck was done in a timely fashion, the workmen cleaned the area each day and the quality of the work is good. However, the deck turned out to be 50 square feet smaller than originally agreed, and it is still not complete six weeks after we last saw him. The contract specified that there would be lattice placed around the bottom of the deck and that has yet to be done. When I told Tommy that my husband and I wanted that work completed as specified in the contract, he said he didn't want to do it because if we covered part of the deck next summer one side would have to be taken off to accomodate for the moving of the stairs. We are now unable to get Tommy to answer our phone calls or emails. I will admit that I chose not to pay the full agreed-on price when he came to collect the final payment as the work had not been completed. I guess he decided it was worth not getting the full price to not complete the deck. Additionally the yard under the deck was not smoothed out after construction was complete, and our basement is now flooding through the window where the clay moundschannel it in. I am sure that we will need to crawl underneath the 4ft high deck and do that work ourselves. Needless to say, I am very disappointed in the lack of professionalism of this contractor and would not recommend him.

Tommy Harper was a referral from our neighbor- he did their deck, fence, and patio last year. During the estimate, He came and gave us many creative design ideas to help formulate our deck, then quoted us the best price for more options than "the other guys". He was prompt and went out of his way to prevent issues from our sensitive HOA and even installed a door which is not in their usual project offering. He also handled the county permitting which was a big timesaver for us.
His crew was friendly and very professional. They had great attitudes and were very knowledgable in their trade.
Throughout the process, he did quality checks and didnt hesitate to change course if we pointed something out or asked questions. Although he doesnt have the technology for inital computer generated drawings for decks, etc as the other guys did, but he is planning on getting that soon.
The professionalism and quality of work showcased by him and his crew, combined with the great value is a win win situation. We would certainly recommend him.

We met with Tommy, the owner, on  around mid May 2012.  We found him to be very helpful and easy to talk to.  He returned an estimate to us within a few days.  He returned on May 23, 2012 with the contract, which we signed.  We then gave him a check for half of the amount.  He gave us a ballpark estimate for when he thought he could begin.  That date ended up turning into several weeks longer due to rain that delayed his completion of the previous job.  He said that he liked to finish a job completely before going on to the next one.  We totally respected that.Around mid June (I didn't record the date)  Tommy called to say he would be at our home a certain date.  He came that day along with two other men that he wanted to introduce to us.  One gentlemen he said would be supervising our job, and the other was a young man  helping him over the summer.  The three of them looked over the deck and gazebo and discussed various topics in detail about the best approach to take.  Talking with and listening to them gave us a tremendous feeling of relief in that we felt we were in good hands.  After that the one supervisor stayed by himself and the other two left.  The man worked the rest of the day in the scorching heat.  He never complained or slacked off.  He began assembling the railings that day and even got a few sections up.He spent the next couple of weeks returning periodically to work.  He needed to get a particular type of bracket to handle certain angles so that held him up slightly.  We became concerned when certain railings did not look level, nor were all the railings in the gazebo attached to the posts at the same height.  When we spoke to the supervisor about this he showed me how they were level from one section to the rest, although with the naked eye, they were obviously not at the same height.  Over the rest of the job we had several conversations about this and I have to say that he never once acted frustrated with me or my husband.  He indicated that he would do whatever it took to make us happy.  I also called Tommy on two occasions to express my concern.  Both times he listened patiently and never once made me feel like I was being unreasonable.I have no doubt that this was a frustrating job for this contractor, as it would have been for anyone because they were not building their product from the beginning and had to work around an existing deck and gazebo that had imperfections.My only reason for not recommending this contractor is simply the frustration of feeling like we had to check behind the supervisor with each new railing that went up.  He made everything as good as he could when he finished, but in doing so, had to leave screw holes were brackets had to be altered.  I'm sure he does excellant carpentry in many ways, but this job was extremely frustrating.  I do not feel the need for the company to be contacted as Tommy was aware of our feelings and made every effort to make us happy.

UPDATE:
We have had to come back and update an A rating review and downgrade to a failure.  When we originally contracted Oasis we were led to believe they were experienced with waterproofing.  We began having problems with the waterproofing.  My husband began researching the proper way to waterproof around the posts (on the manufacturer's site) and discovered it was done completely wrong.  We contacted Oasis and they came back to attempt band-aid solutions.  In addition to the bead-board ceiling molding  due to exposure to moisture, over the winter we are now experiencing electrical problems on our outside outlets.  This is due to the fact that are outlets installed by Oasis are now exposed to the moisture.  They are tied in to our other outlets on the outside of our house and is causing the GFI to trip.  We have not contacted Oasis about this second failure because we do not trust them to fix the problem.  We have now had to pay for electricians to determine where the problem is.  We will need to pay another contractor to remove all of our planks and completely redo the waterproofing (I am guessing $10000).  We also have warping that they also "fixed" last summer that is still there.  Additionally we have to postpone our plans for our backyard.  I regret having to write this review.

ORIGINAL REVIEW
Tommy was able to begin building sooner then he expected so we hit the ground running!  We were very pleased with the professionalism showed by Tommy's team.  Although it took a little longer to build then expected I was very pleased with the timeline.  Tommy hoped to be done in 2 weeks but spring weather had a different plan.  Even though it took a week or so longer then expected I felt that it could have taken longer with the bad weather we experienced.  Once the deck was at a point where the guys could work protected from the rain, they would be here despite the bad weather.
The only real concern was dealing with the garbage created by the construction.  Because of the extended length of the job, the pile was beginning to cause problems with our grass in the area.  I had to request that it be moved before the completion of the deck and that took a couple of days longer than I had hoped.
We LOVE our new deck and will strongly consider Oasis when doing the patio in the future.  I may add a picture in the future but do not have one at the moment and thought it was more important to get the report up!

Excellent! I found Tommy and Oasis Decks on Angie's list and then checked them out with the Better Business Bureau.  Overall I'm extremely pleased with their work.  Tommy was able to deliver me a quote and completed the job before some of the other stamped concrete contractors could arrive and give me a quote.  They actually finished ahead of schedule!!  I would recommend this contractor to a friend and have already done so.  I wish Oasis Decks all the best in their future business ventures.

Outstanding experience!  In accordance with my preferences, Tommy researched the Fairfax County zoning codes in order to determine the specifications and maximium deck size I was authorized.  After several conversations and two redesigns, we developed a deck that BEST met our family's needs, code, and the HOA constraints.  In addition to designing the deck, we developed an overall backyard plan that includes hardscape, spiral staircase, and an enclosed porch under the rainscaped deck.  Due to financial constraints, we will be installing these other items in years to come.  Tommy was not only understanding of this circumstance, but tailored the step-wise plan and cost structure to comply with our budget.  The work was completed on time, in spite of inclement weather (crew worked on Saturday to make-up the day missed, due to a thunderstorms lighting).  He is reasonably priced and performs quality work. Highly recommend.

They never bothered returning my call.

We are disappointed with him. We called him and he said he would come but he didn’t turn up. He said that he would mail the estimate. He mailed saying that he would have to come and see the back area again to give an estimate. He never gave the estimate to us. I would not use him in the future.

Mr. Harper arrived for the estimate on the day & time as scheduled (others did not). He brought several samples for us to choose from. He & his crew performed all that was promised with minimal interference to our lives.  We are very pleased with the new deck & receive many compliments on the work from visitors to our home.  The delay in sending in a report on the work has nothing to do with Mr. Harper & Oasis Decks; time just got away from us. We plan on having Mr. Harper return to put up gates at the top of both stairways as we now have a grandchild who is walking.

Started on time, finished within time forecasted, and performed in a responsible, professional manner.

Tommy Harper of Oasis Decks responded well within the 24-hour response guarantee.  He gave us an excellent quote and was willing to go through what turned out to be a very painful permitting process including 2 trips from Manassas to Warrenton and 1 to our town to obtain both our County and Town permits.  Hello, fellow Fauquierians!, Tommy purchased a Fauquier County Business License just so he could take on our job so that tells you he wants to expand his business into our area.

It took 2 weeks to get our permit but less than 5 days for Tommy's crew to tear down the existing 30-year old deck and to build our new deck and fence.  Tommy's master carpenter, Pepe, turns out beautiful work.  He and his team work non-stop and take great pride in their work.  And, the results are outstanding! 

You'll be very happy if you use Tommy Harper, Pepe and Oasis Decks for your deck and fencing needs.

They were outstanding. I’m very pleased with them. They were very thorough. They always looked for the deck to dry before re-staining it. Their price was high. I went with them as the quality of work was good. They came when they said they would. It’s was a very small operation; it would just be one person and his partner. They were accommodating and it was adequate for us. There was no rush. We have no complains with them. I would use them in the future.

Crew arrived on time, worked all day; came back the next day and spent entire day cleaning up, finishing; extra attention to detail taken re: leveling, edges, border etc..all the small things were attended to and resulted in a beautiful faux slate finish to the patio area..clean up was complete and professional..

We recently replaced our back deck with top of the line, Azek decking material.  Finding Tommy Harper and his crew from Oasis Decks of Manassas, VA proved very fortunate for us.  After seeing what a great job they had done on our neighbor's deck, we arranged with Tommy to discuss our plans.

Our entire replacement/remodel project went smoothly and quickly.  The professional demeanor and thoroughness of Tommy and his crew made our project planning so easy.  Tommy listened to our needs and was very helpful in making informed recommendations.  We trusted him from the beginning.  Omar and his team arrived promptly and worked diligently every day until completion.  Excellent craftsmanship.  The crew took good care of our yard and area surrounding the deck.  Good clean-up.

We love our new deck and highly recommend Oasis Decks (www.oasisdeckandpatio.com) and owner Tommy Harper.

Overall, we are very satisfied with the job - quality work, professionally done.  The owner met with us on three occasions to complete the deck design and selection of materials.  We selected the Trex product line from several options.  The bid was competitive among the three obtained.  Oasis Decks obtained the Fairfax County building permit.  The work began on schedule but was delayed due to almost a solid week of rain in May.  The work crew demolished almost all of hte old pressure treated wood deck and completely removed it from our property.  New footers were installed to accomodate the increased square footage on the upper deck.  Once the new footers and new decking joists were installed we had an inspection from the County and then work began to install the Trex deck system.  The work crew (two men) were very hard working and detail oriented.  They explained all that they did on the house.  The final deck wound up costing us a bit more than estimated principally due to the fact that the Trex post accent lights are almost $100 each (pricey but beautiful at night).

We visited the Oasis Decks booth at the Chantilly home show in February and they were one of several deck contractors from whom we accepted designs and estimates.  We selected Oasis Decks for several reasons.  First, Tommy Harper is an honest man who reflects a "no pressure" approach to sales.  His references were credible.  His photo album of completed projects was impressive and he patiently supported our deck design objectives and requirements.  Of note, Tommy was product agnostic.  He gave us his recommendations and let us decide.  He didn't push one product over another and there was no pressure sales techniques. 

      We could not have been happier with the entire experience.  Tommy was a delight to work with from the first meeting to the very end.  His guidance regarding the materials and design was much appreciated. He was in contact daily, most definitely concerned that we were comfortable with every detail of the project.
     Tommy's crew, with Pepe as foreman, was also great.  They arrived each morning at the scheduled time, and were willing to work well into the evening to make certain the project was completed on time... a week from start to finish.  Pepe and the crew obviously take great pride in their work; and, both Pepe and Tommy were more than happy to answer any questions we had throughout the process.
     They cleaned up thoroughly and had all the old decking hauled off in the single week time frame i spoke of.  We are thrilled with our new deck, and have already recommended Oasis Decks to friends and co-workers.

 I had specific requirements for both deck (wood) and fence (3 rail) and in my discussion with OASIS, they were able to suggest various options and ultimately provide me with exactly the replacement products I wanted.  They scheduled the work and began the jobs on time.  Both jobs were completed within the time line given (including all necessary county permiting and inspection) and with minimum hassle and disruption to my home.  Mr. Harper was availble thoughout the process to answer questions and provide information as needed.  I am very satisfied with the final products and recommended OASIS to others.  My neighbor (who wanted deck work done) inspected my new deck and has since decided to use OASIS to replace his.   

The project went very well. They were able to begin the work ahead of the scheduled date and aside from a few weather glitches that held up production and the county inspectors they completed the work within the time estimated in the contract (10 days). Tommy's team clearly knows what they are doing. Demo went extremely well. When they removed the old covered porch structure there was minimal rebuild required as a result of the removal. They kept the work site relatively clean and piled up debris in one corner of the yard. The workers were punctual, polite and efficient. The deck went up in a phased construction process and each phase was completed at daily intervals. The finishing touches is where Oasis really shines. They paid attention to the smallest details when constructing the deck. From the mill work on edges and additional trim boards around the structure to the low voltage lights that cleverly concealed the wiring under the deck rail it was a Class A job from start to finish. My decision to go with Tommy and his team at Oasis Decks, LLC was validated at the end of the project when we had a beautiful and well built deck to enjoy just in time for spring.

The project went very well and we are thrilled with the results.  Tommy and his team were very professional, responsive and punctual.  They always showed up at the exact time they were to be here.  As the deck and fence progressed, they would take the time to ask questions to make sure the design and certain project milestones met with our approval. They completed the project on a timely basis despite being slowed by inclement weather.  We highly recommend Tommy and his team.  It is rare to meet someone who provides both great creative designs and great customer service at a reasonable price.

From meeting Tommy at the Home and Garden Show, to the phone calls, estimate, and work, everything was done very professionally and in a timely manner. He was diligent in meeting our needs and wants for our new deck on the back of our home. We would highly recommend his services.