Deck Creations of Richmond

As discussed in other forums, significant decline in quality at Deck Creations. Our intention was to hire a high end general contractor to design and manage our project, we were disappointed in most every way. Regrettably others in our neighborhood have had similar experiences.

We are so pleased with our porch. The final outcome is perfect and Don Weaver made sure everything was perfect before his crew was done. We decided to have a colonial style, open back porch added using 10 foot columns and powder coated aluminum railing to match the front of our house. Don's team did an amazing job and we have received numerous compliments from our family, friends and especially our neighbors. One person quoted it as a "Kings Paradise". In addition to the back porch, we had them replace our wood porch on the front with composite decking and PVC kick boards.

Price was good, construction is of good quality. Owner is very responsive and accessible. Laborers did not show on several occasions, sometimes with only laborer present.

Don came out 2 weeks prior of service to give me an estimate. He gave me a picture album of what decks his company had built to look at. He also gave me a portfolio of references to contact if I wanted to talk to someone about their work. He said he would call me the next day with an estimate and that also he would send me a outlay pic of what the deck would look like. He text me that afternoon with a pic and the estimate like he said he would. He was the highest bidder of three estimates but I felt he was going to give me a better looking deck than the others by using the premium decking wood and screws instead of nails. The next day Don came back out for me to sign a contract anf explain what they were going to do and when. There were three payment installments: one at signing of contract, one in the middle phase and one at the end of job. Two weeks had passed and Don called and said they would be out the next day to start. Contractor and helper showed up the next day to dig the holes. They were there approximately 3 hrs. County inspector met the contractor the next day to inspect the holes then they started working on the framing of the deck and laying the flooring. They laid the flooring at an angle because he said it gives the floor extra strength. He told me he would be out the next day to put the railings up. Next day he showed up to put the railings on. He said was going out of town for Easter that afternoon and would be back Monday to finish up by putting the steps in and put screws in the flooring. Monday he showed up and had a issue but got it worked out and finished around 5:00 in the afternoon. I can't say anything bad about the work this contractor did. He said he likes working by himself so he doesn't have to look behind him to see if things are done right. He has no set hours which he works so don't expect him to be there at 8 and work until 5:00 in the afternoon. Remember its just the two of them. All that mattered was that he finished in the estimated time in the contract. I am very happy with my deck and how it looks. You will not be disappointed if you use Deck Creations.

We had a two story deck built to replace an existing one. Their quote was competitive with the others we received. The work crew was courteous and didn't leave a huge mess after each work day. We dealt with some weather delays, inspector delays and the unfortunate illness of the owner's family member. But, when there was a clear day to work, the guys were on site. Even though the owner was out of town, he answered each of my calls and returned them promptly. At the end of the job, when we gave him a punchlist he corrected everything we wanted without hesitation. They even washed the deck twice, as it got quite dirty during the bad weather we had. Deck Creations ranks amongst the best contractors we have used and as a reviewer with several years in the construction business, that is not a complement I use lightly.

We had a very bad experience with the masonry sub-contractor who did not pay his staff. Four of the masons working for him showed up at our house at different times asking for payment and threatening to place liens on our property. Eventually the contractor paid the masons. Also the contractor give did not give sizing specs on the columns and they were built bigger causing a cost increase to us. In addition the masons delayed the framing of our project by being inconsistent with their work schedule. On the plus side, the ipe deck floor and design looks really good, but that is due to the skill of the carpenter. The project took much longer than we expected, and often workers would show up to work briefly and then leave for the day. It seems like other times the work would be done when least expected i.e. at night. In all, this project took three months when we were quoted 15-20 working days. Overall, the contractor did not manage this job closely so that we lost at least two, possibly three work days because work had to be re-done. This project looks nice, but we did not enjoy this experience.

The end result is beautiful. The workmanship and the supplies they used are all top notch. We will enjoy our ourdoor living for years to come.