Decks & Fences

We were seeking to reinforce a deck where several support posts were rotting. We had gotten several estimates prior to Mr. Shadid's visit, and all of them replacing the existing posts with new posts, with costs in the multiple thousands of dollars. Mr. Shadid came out to our home to do the estimate and noted that from an engineering perspective, the other estimates were not correct: the posts were not load bearing, and those that were appeared to be fine. If we really wanted to reinforce the structure, we could do it by creating a very simple frame, added onto the first, instead of taking down the deck and building it back up again. His solution was elegant, he carefully walked us through the engineering calculations so that we'd be comfortable with his proposal, and he was the only one of the FIVE estimates we received who actually broke down the costs in they way we'd requested. He was excellent. He is a highly qualified professional, and I would definitely trust him to do further work on my home.

I liked his price relative to others. They came out promptly on the appointment day and worked until they had it done. I was happy with the experience.

Decks and Fences traveled from Virginia and reported that the deck easily met code. The advice was extremely well informed and highly valuable. I felt that the report which was accurate was extremely valuable to me and offered to pay for the time and skill but Mr. Shadid generously declined any compensation.

I had a very good experience with him. He was very professional and prompt.

We didn't go with them because they wanted to replace the deck. They were very good. They were professional and came on time. They were friendly and punctual. We are just not in the market for a new deck.

It was awesome working with AJ. He is just so easy to work with. His punctuality and quality are superb. I first contacted AJ after reading reviews on Angie's list. AJ was prompt in getting back to me and scheduled an appointment for the very next day to come have a look and give an estimate. He was on time for that meeting, not only did he give an estimate, he gave many good ideas on how I could improve my deck. He did not try to push to upsell. I compared his estimate with some others, and while his estimate was in the ballpark, his pro-activeness at helping you look at the small things that would make a big difference is what made me choose him. He scheduled the work to start on Monday. His materials reached a day before and he was at my house dot on time to start. His workmanship was excellent and it showed. He did many more small things than what he was originally contracted for, at no additional cost, only to make sure that his work-product was A- Grade, and it was. He worked with his own hands alongside his team. One of the other reviewers had written that do not hire a deck contractor without talking to AJ, and I would vouch for it. I am very satisfied and would highly recommend him. Thank you AJ.... and wish you all the best.

Great man to work with. Spelled everything out up front. Drawings and prices. Started on time and even though encountered some challenges, finished within a week.

We contacted AJ because we were unhappy with the footprint of our existing deck but had no vision for a new design. AJ gave excellent recommendations regarding more sensible footprints at an affordable price, so we selected him to complete the work. He did an excellent job from start to finish. He was responsive, dependable, easy to get in touch with, timely, and his work was impeccable. We love our new deck and the improvement to our yard overall as a result of AJ's design recommendations. We couldn't be more pleased and highly recommend AJ.

They finished the work on June 30th. I basically checked a few decks with everybody else and he had a pretty good rating. He was not too far from where I live so that helped.

AJ Shadid, from First Class Decks, came out to our townhouse on 6/15/11 to give us an estimate on replacing our existing fence. He was on time, very personable, and professional. He sketched a detailed layout of his plan and broke down the costs for each section of the fence. I requested estimates from two other companies after AJ came out. The other two companies had comparable estimates (both were approx. two hundred dollars less) however, I felt AJ seemed to be the most knowledgeable and professional company of the bunch. I called AJ on the 28th of June to let him know I had chosen his company to do the job and it was determined at that time (based on his schedule) that he could come out in three weeks to complete the two-day job. In that three weeks, AJ was in contact with me, letting me know when he would come out to mark the pipes in the yard. He also called to inform me when the contract was being sent out. AJ and his crew arrived on July 18th. The first day the old fence was taken down and hauled away. Holes were dug for the posts and concrete was poured. The poles were put in place to dry overnight. The first days work took approximately three hours. The team returned on July 19th. They installed the rest of the fence to include the gate. This took approximately four and a half hours. All of the materials from the job were cleaned up. I am extremely pleased with the work that was done on the fence. I would use First Class Decks again and I highly recommend them.

I wanted to build a privacy fence at back of my townhouse. I wanted it to be finish by the end of May. I got two other quotes, and wanted one more. I contacted AJ, told him approximate length of the fence, and what type I wanted. He gave me a quote on the phone, which was much lower then the others, so I hired him. He came out and finish the job faster then I had expected. The fence looks great and build very well. He even did few feet more then what we had agreed without any extra charge. Great job with big smile, I would recommend him to anyone.

Complete customer satisfaction! AJ Shadid’s Decks and Fences business is second to none. From the initial meeting with AJ to the post installation review we were more than impressed with AJ and the delivery of service from Decks and Fences. My initial phone call was returned in less than 24 hours, AJ was always on time and our expectations were exceeded. We were provided a schedule and cost that were delivered exactly as planned. We could not be happier with our more than 400 square foot decks that we will enjoy for many years to come. I cannot say enough positive things about Decks and Fences.

I asked Mr. Shadid to provide a quote for repairing some warped boards on my deck and doing some general beautification work. He indicated up front that he doesn't do power washing or painting, but that he would gladly provide and estimate for the carpentry. He arrived on time and was very warm and friendly. He inspected my 40+ year old deck and found only 8 boards that needed replacing. He said he would use 4" galvanized screws instead of the original steel nails to perform the repairs, as they would last longer. He also inspected the entire deck and assured me that the only work that needed to be done was to replace those few boards. I was thrilled that he didn't try to upsell me. He arrived at the appointed time to do the work and brought one carpenter with him. When they were done Mr. Shadid reviewed what he had done, including drilling 4" screws into the ends of all the boards on the deck surface (about 30 screws in all). They cleaned up all of the debris (including sweeping up the wood shavings), and were gone within about an hour. I intend to have Mr. Shadid come back and remove/replace a 15-foot split rail fence, and I look forward to working with him again.

They did everything very well from start to finish including getting the permit. They were very organized, on schedule and communicative. I always knew what was going on. They were neat and clean. The owner was really great to work with. I wish I could get a contractor like him every time. He was, by far, the best contractor I've ever worked with. I couldn't have found a better contractor. He did everything exactly as we asked.

Decks & Fences were excellent. She did an excellent quick job replacing our door.

Part of a mutual fence fell over during a wind storm. AJ came out and wrote my neighbor and I up a quote to replace the damaged part and the entire fence line. We were so happy with his quote we decided to replace our entire fence line. AJ and his team worked in near freezing weather and a brief snow storm to finish in 2.5 days. The new fence looks great!

I designed the deck, had an architect produce drawings and obtained a building permit for the deck from Fairfax county. With a firm plan I invited three companies to submit proposals for building the deck. Decks & Fences had the lowest bid. This is the basis for my giving Decks & Fences an A for price. From my interaction with A. J. Shadid, the head of Decks & Fences, and the person who would actually build the deck I predicted that Decks and Fences would do the best job. The contract was awarded to Decks & Fences because I felt they would do the best job at the lowest cost. A. J. Shadid gave several excellent suggestions for improving the deck which I accepted. A. J. Shadid always came within a few minutes of the scheduled meeting time and having built approximately 4,500 decks is quite knowledgeable and could clearly explain his viewpoint. The fact that A. J. Shadid was always punctual, and capably answered my questions is the basis for the rating of A in punctuality and professionalism.. Decks & Fences responded quickly to all my e-mails, encouraged questions and gave understandable answers. This is the basis for the rating of A for responsiveness. The deck is now complete and exhibits outstanding attention to detail, workmanship and planning. This is the basis for the A in quality. The contracted cost of $10,300cost may seem high for a deck with an area of 160 square feet. The reason for this is that I used the highest quality polyvinyl rail system.

AJ is excellent to work with and his crew were fantastic. We wanted the deck to be finished before a housewarming party and they worked extra late to make sure this happened. The deck is beautiful and still looks great 2 years later. They not only were the lowest estimate we received, but they were so easy to work with and we could not have been more pleased. We hope to use them again at some point to screen in a porch.

We really appreciate the promptness and friendliness of this company. Everything was done smoothly, on schedule and in a most professional manner

Absolute highest recommendation! We picked "Decks & Fences" because Angie's list gave him top billing. Wow were they right! Top quality work, great price. Had quotes from other decking companies running up 50% more! AJ runs the company and does all the precision work himself, with several workmen to help - so you are assured top quality. Does not have multiple crews like the other companies, so quality control is consistant. He has been doing decks for many, many years, too. Quoted a 4 day job and was done in 5 consecutive days (we had additional lights installed). AJ is one of the most decent, respectful contractors I have ever dealt with in over 30 years. Rare to find man like this who loves his work and was an absolute pleasure to deal with before, during and after the deck was built. All monies due only after job was complete, i.e. trustworthy. Clean up of the site was complete. We will add a wrap around next year and would not even consider using anyone else.

Mr. Shadid did excellent work, very detail oriented. The porch looks very nice. I plan to ask him to do our fence and lumber retaining walls too.

Mr. Shadid (owner) came the day following my first phone contact. He noted problems that an earlier contractor has overlooked. Shadid gave two quotes for (a) replacing the existing support system in existing position,or (b) replacing in new positions to support all joists. Gave written detailed estimate on site and followed up with typed version. Engaged and he came within a week with assistant to perform all work - there was a day break to let concrete harden for new posts. Work well performed. Shadid is conscientious, knowledgable, courtious, explains well and is eager to please and is easy to deal with. His prices are fair.

I recently purchased my home and was then notified by the county that the upper deck, or pergola, that was erected by the previous owner did not meet the county zoning codes and therefore had to be torn down. I turned to Angie's List for help in accomplishing this. From the initial phone call to set up an estimate to the final completion of the work, I was quite pleased with my experience working with AJ Shadid. For the estimate, AJ showed up promptly and was able to schedule the estimate visit the very next day after I called. He explained the process that he would take in tearing down the deck, including what he would not do. (He specializes in decks, not replacing siding.) When it came time to perform the work, AJ called me one morning stating that he had an open afternoon and that he could do the tear down that afternoon. I would have preferred to have the date scheduled in advance in order to coordinate more effectively with my HOA, but it all turned out well on that end. The work that was performed was as agreed upon, and AJ left my deck clean and in order. It was an easy experience to have the upper deck torn down in order to be compliant with the county codes.

It went FABULOUS! I'm now such an Angie's List believer! AJ was punctual, polite, honest, and best of all does GREAT work! My whole experience was completely painless. Being that my job was so small, I was really worried that I would be treated like an afterthought, and that absolutely did not happen. AJ helped me through the Condo Association approval process, listened to all my suggestions (made them better as a matter of fact!), answered all of my questions, was completely thorough, gave me several options, and gave me the best price out of three (all Angie's List people) estimates. My little deck (which is small, but not easy, as nothing in this building has a 90 degree angle, and there's no such thing as a straight line for some reason here) looks so great! I even had an association member swing by and comment on what a great job he did! Thank you AJ! You are MORE than welcome to use me as a reference anytime. I'm so impressed, my neighbors are impressed, my friends are impressed, but best of all you made this SO EASY! Thank you so much!

Based on the many positive Angie's List reviews, we contacted AJ for an estimate on a potential deck project. AJ promptly came to our residence to evaluate the situation and provided us a detailed estimate in a timely fashion. Our project turned out to be much more complex and expensive than we had originally anticipated - hence we did not pursue the project. However, working with AJ was an excellent experience - he was very thorough in explaining our possible options and answered all of our questions. He clearly knows his stuff. If the project had been less complex, we would have certainly hired AJ.