YourDeckBuilder.com

A+ ... Top to bottom, this was likely the best experience I've ever had with a contractor. From our initial consultation with Matt (owner) to working with John (job manager) to Angel (foreman, master builder) every part of this project went according to plan. There were literally no hiccups and at no time did I feel like I was not part of the build. Watching Angel and his guys efficiently create our new deck with skill and care was a pleasure. We had a few quirky additions, to include removable hatches for access to hot tub side panels, a small divider to offer separation from a nearby grill, as well as creating more space - yet closure - around the base of an avocado tree within the deck - all were done in a thoughtful and elegant manner. I was always able to effectively communicate what idea I had in my head and Angel took that info and executed the job perfectly. The work was quick, but expertly and efficiently done. Initially, we were told our build would be 'end of April' - but with some creative scheduling by John (always inquiring very respecfully and never with any pressure) we were able to be slotted in and our build was done ahead of schedule. Let's be frank - hiring a contractor for any job is always stressful because we are conditioned to expect the worst. In truth, these projects - given how much money is spent - should be a gift. The Yourdeckbuilder team made our experience an absolute pleasure - and most importantly we love the final product.

Perfect! Very professional and we got exactly what we asked for!

An absolutely delightful experience and wonderful craftsmanship! The team at YourDeckBuilder did a terrific job from the early planning and design phase through final deck completion. Even had a few minor follow-up items that they proactively scheduled with us and completed. Our project included one 21’ x 14’ redwood deck with pergola as well as approximately 90’ of wood and cable fencing. Matt helped us through design and cost options, the overall project process, and timelines. We looked at several deck providers, and YourDeckBuilder was very competitive and had some of the best crafted decks that we reviewed. During the fabrication and installation process, Gabor and Ralph were prompt, courteous, and very hard working craftsman daily. Also appreciated their communication and clarity on the the current week events and future activities. They were very collaborative in their approach and gave us ample advance notice to make decisions (deck coloring, seating arrangements, pergola slat spacing, etc) which made the process very comfortable and less stressful for us. I would certainly use the team at YourDeckBuilder again, and would recommend them for your future project.

Angel and his crew are master craftsmen. We got a curved redwood deck and it looks amazing! They also demoed our old deck and pergola. Great job!

They were amazing to work with. Professional, efficient and did a great job!

First; because this company builds decks only their price was more than competitive. So much lower than all of the other estimates I got, that I was a little bit hesitant. I had nothing to worry about. John was wonderful; from signing the contract all the way through to coming by when it was finished. He kept his eye on the project all along. He also came up with ideas that neither I nor any of the other companies thought of. They checked carefully to see if permits were needed (no, thank goodness) which I always appreciate. Angel was in charge of the work being done, and in fact did most of it. He is highly personable, professional and works his butt off. As the deck was being built he came up with ideas to improve the project and solved any problems that came up. I do have to say that this is one if those companies that work on more than one project at a time. So if you're in a hurry you need to be clear with them about your timeline. When we had an unforeseeable delay John found a way to shorten the delay time. I have to say that this cost me LESS THAN HALF of what my highest estimate was, and I can't imagine a better outcome. The pictures don't do it justice.

We were incredibly pleased by the professionalism and skill level of this company and crew. John came out and gave us an estimate, Matt oversaw the work and Angel was the foreman of the job who was at the job site every day. They gave me a time estimate and finished one day early. Angel and his crew arrived early every day and started working exactly on time, they kept a consistent schedule and the work site was kept clean. We had designs given to us by a landscape designer. They made plans according to these designs but the designs did have some flaws in them. Instead of building with the flaws and not consulting me, they came up with better ideas and consulted me about it. The work turned out better than expected and we are incredibly pleased. What's more - it was a quick and painless process. This company takes great pride in their work and it shows. We opted for a deck made from ipe, which was an upgrade. This was not something yourdeckbuilder tried to sell me on in any way, but they did answer many questions I had about it and decided that it was the right decision for me. This brought the price of the deck up significantly.

Very well indeed. Could not be happier.

Outstanding. Every aspect of the engagement was handled with consummate professionalism, from the initial site visit and the bid process through to the culmination of the job. Of special note was the quality of the day-to-day communication of the job foreman in keeping me apprised of what was going on, what to expect and what was actually happening. This shouldn't be so hard to achieve from a client service perspective, but just about all the contractors I've hired fall short of this mark. Yourdeckbuilder.com set the mark and set it high. I could not be more satisfied.

Matt installed a beautiful redwood deck to replace our old large rotting wood deck. His crew led by Angel was amazing, could not have asked for more. They were as quiet as one can be building a deck, respectful and kept things very clean. We have had several construction projects done on our house and were very impressed with this crew in particular. Matt was incredibly responsive throughout the estimation and decision process and provided the best guidance for options to replacing our deck. We went back and forth on wood options, railing, etc. until we made our final decisions some 1-2 months later. I contacted at least 5 companies and found many on Angie's List appeared to have sham reviews as the knowledge and price of most competitors was a joke. Very thankful to have found Matt and his crew.

unknown

Matt and his team were punctual, responsive, easy to reach for questions and feedback. The final product was beautiful beyond our expectations!

.

They were, prompt, courteous and clean. They came when they said they would and finished near the estimated time.  One especially nice thing they did for me was haul a very heavy fountain which was on the deck down to the backyard where it will live. I like it better there than in the dining room where it sat during the repairs.  It had been many years since I had employed a contractor to do work on my home so out of an abundance of caution I had asked Matt to provide me with evidence that he had workmen's comp and liability insurance for his workers and he provided this to me promptly. He clearly answered all the questions I had before the work started. There were no problems encountered and I am very happy with the beautiful result.

I was disappointed in the end result. For the price quoted, i had assumed that at least a light sanding would be done on the deck before applying the new oil. But it wasn't, and the results were quite disappointing. The deck looks like it needs to be refinished again soon. He built us a beautiful deck very well originally, but the maintenance part was costly and not first rate.

unknown

From start to finish, of a lengthy 12 month process, Matt and his crew were there all the way.  A drawn out and complicated permit process, caused many delays in the start of construction.  Matt was patient and always there for any questions, even during the permitting.  Once the job started, Matt and crew were again more than professional.  Above and beyond.
Throughout numerous construction jobs, I've never had a contractor and crew show up EVERY day without fail. Your Deck Builder did!   Professional all the way, Matt clearly communicated every detail that was occurring and took time to answer any questions. His knowledge of materials and construction proved invaluable, as several times design changes had to be made on the fly due to several enormous trees and the roots.  Matt listened, gave his input and was willing to accommodate our needs.
Not an easy job, Matt coordinated numerous details and made sure to always inform us.  
The decks look fantastic and are a testament to Your Deck Builder's attention to detail, professionalism and construction knowledge!   This is truly a project that could not have been done without Matt and crew.  Working with them was a pleasure and I can only hope to be fortunate enough to use them again.  Great guy and beautiful work.

It was a pleasure to work with them. Only very minor details were not perfect. Over-all, it was an excellent (though costly) job.

MattThompson constructed five decks for our hillside home in 2011. Since then, we
have hired him several times to do additional work. Matt has is a precise and
careful craftsman. He has vast skills and knowledge about many types of
construction. The city inspector even praised his workmanship! He is very
honest and straight forward. He is very easy to work with and has solved a
number of complicated construction problems for us in creative and successful
ways. He does much of the work himself and only hires very qualified assistants
and he supervises well. Matt is excellent at following through and finishing on
time.

It is always a pleasure to deal with someone who knows what they are doing and are good at it.  Matt Thompson is such a contractor. Matt kept our telephone appointment promptly and after viewing the site and discussing the project over a couple pencil sketches, he fully understood just what we wanted.  Matt introduced us to his lead man, Angel, who also clearly understood what we wanted.  Their two-man crew showed up at the scheduled time (We allowed them to start at 7:00 because those September days were very hot) and went right to work.  Matt ordered the materials we agreed on and had them delivered on site.  The crew prepared the ground, set the concrete foundations and erected a substructure.  By the middle of the following week, the deck was complete, including railings where we wanted them, a boxed storage area that doubled as a seat around the old Chinese Elm, and a broad curved step to the ground level.

We are very pleased with the resulting deck.  It is something that we have wanted in our home for many years and, based on his performance on this job, we plan to continue with Matt's company for annual maintenance of the deck.  Matt is an easy-going guy and although he had other jobs in progress at the time, he made a point of coming by and checking on the progress of our job two or three times every day.  Matt's people were professional and hard-working and they cleaned up the work area every evening before leaving.   

We have no reservation about recommending Matt Thompson and YourDeckBuilder for this kind of project and believe you will be very pleased with the results.

Contractor performed all work in a very satisfactory manner and on time. There was some disagreement about the scope of the work, but after one or two phone calls he performed everything that I expected and at no increase in cost. That disagreement is the only reason that I gave him an overall rating of B instead of A.

Matt and his guys were the greatest.  I gave Matt some sketches of the deck layout and the design of the custom railings and he knocked it out of the park.  The railings were unusual and very specific but Matt reproduced the design perfectly, even having some of the hardware custom powder coated to match my drawing.  Could not recommend him higher.

Quality work throughout, from the first day to last.  
Two issues that had to be considered for this deck were its non-standard shape and the deck did not have  easy access.   Both challenges were met with (seemingly) no problems.
Finally, the area was left clean with the deck ready to use.
I highly recommend YourDeckBuilder with no reservation.

Matt is very professional. He is punctual as well. Matt's price was a bit higher than other quotes I received, but he also was the most thorough in his assessment. I was not worried at all that there would be any surprises, and there were none. Matt and his team were really great. I felt completely comfortable with them being at my home.

BLOWN AWAY! These guys are not just deck builders, they are ARTISANS!  Because they are not your run-of-the-mill contractors, this is not something that goes up in 3-days so be prepared. (The last contractor we hired 7 years ago to basically replace the original deck in it's existing design did it quickly and it shows.) Matt gave us a realistic timeframe when we started the project that initially seemed like a long time but once he and Kyle started their work and we witnessed all that went into it, we happily adjusted our time expectations. (A big chunk of our project included digging and earth moving which added time onto the project).
I found Matt through Angie's List last January after a long search. I chose him because of his photos, ratings and great reviews, the additional link to his website and his Facebook profile where he has even more examples of his work, and finally because he is a Veteran in the armed forces. I like the idea of giving my business to people who put themselves in harms way for our country.
We started communicating with him last winter when we got the bug to do this. He came out and walked the property with us, gave us his ideas and a day or two later a detailed estimate. We immediately liked him. Matt has a great personality, he is responsive, professional, courteous and quick to return e-mails and phone calls. He is everything you would hope for when dealing with a professional.
I suffered a back injury that was taking much longer than anticipated to heal and we put the project on the back burner until we were sure we could swing such a financial endeavor. I kept in contact with Matt over the months reassuring him we hadn't forgotten him. After we decided we could move forward with the project, we contacted him this fall with the go-ahead and a list of additional things we wanted to add to the project. (we decided to widen the original deck plan and add a jacuzzi spa and storage room to the mix). He came out again, walked the property with us, gave us his ideas and e-mailed a proposal a few days later.  
Matt isn't the cheapest guy out there but I am convinced he is the Best of the Best. This was a lot more than we initially expected to spend but he didn't just throw up a deck, he transformed our entire living space with quality workmanship and incredible attention to detail. We liked his work and our experience with both Matt and Kyle (and their helper Rodney) so much that we came up with weekly change orders for him with more add-ons and additional projects. They were great at working in the new ideas for the best effect, and coming up with solutions to related issues (we had a makeshift solution for drainage and guttering and he showed us a more efficient way to do it that resulted in beautiful new gutter with another Angie's List contractor that compliments his work).
We are in awe of the beauty and quality of his work on a daily basis. Our friends and neighbors are amazed at the transformation and everyone has been referring to it as "the Lounge". We highly recommend Matt and Kyle and will stay in contact with them for maintenance and future projects! They deserve an "H" for Honors!