DENVER DECKS

Demolished the existing deck. Built a new deck using the existing footimgs

Denver Decks was amazing! The team was professional, prompt, pleasant and effective. My deck is beautiful and solid. My neighbors all commented on the amazing craftsmanship and look. The price is competitive and the job was done really well. I can highly recommend them and would hire them again anytime. 

July 26, 2015

Let me start by stating a few facts:

1. Stamped concrete work is expensive and

2. Stonework is even more expensive, and given a 20+ life expectancy, you better love your decisions. 

 

While it is possible to select styles on a website, factors such as size of your deck versus stamp size must be considered and the contractor has the experience to guide.  Careful consideration must be paid to color and highlights, last minute suggestions (while good intended) may bite you in the butt!  Further I suggest not committing to a stone style before seeing the final concrete color and sealant.

 

I first contacted Denver Decks in May 2015, I was told they are very busy and it would take 2 weeks before anyone could even come to our home for an estimate (very reasonable for a reputable company as it is peak season).

 

I was pleasantly surprised when the construction lead contacted me 1 week early to inquire about starting ‘tomorrow’.

 

I met the construction lead in the morning and was somewhat surprised when he hadn’t even been provided a paper copy of the design (he was working off of a tiny smartphone screen!  The two of us discussed our design and determined the deck would be poured on two separate days, an upper deck, followed two days later by the bottom deck along with some decorative elements.

 

The crew was amicable to minor tweaks; such as curvy vs. straight edge and last minute adjustments to the integration of a step into the pour instead of scabbed on.  I must say there was no attempt to minimize the quantity of concrete used, some of the edges were a full 14" thick, this deck was going to last forever!

 

My report turns slightly critical at this point...... and I must insert a caveat here......my experience with concrete is limited to the framing and pouring of several driveways & block wall footings.  

 

The first pour was completed on Wednesday and the second was scheduled for Friday morning.  Friday weather forecast was for 90+ degrees with the expectation for heavy rain showers in the late afternoon/evening.

 

When I arrived home about 430 I realized they had just completed rolling on the sealant.  I was very surprised they had gone ahead with sealant application when heavy rain was expected to begin any minute.

In the morning light we stepped out on our significant investment with the following observations: 

1.    The sealant amplified the colors tremendously, including the last minute contractor recommended highlights (my wife hates the color).

2.    The petroleum smell was strong.

3.    The entire surface was VERY slippery. 

4.    There was a white-ish residue that seemed rise from many of the cracks.  I touched my finger to it, yip definitely oily and smelled of petroleum.

 

So at this point with the major concrete work was complete, there were a few minor, but significant, details remaining such as re-installation of the rain gutter & installation of the 2 custom built window wells covers. 

 

Over the next week the smell faded but the white residue seemed to expand with each rain storm into unsightly clouds covering significant square feet each, driving my wife crazy!  Additionally, the deck remained very slippery, even with careful steps I nearly went to my butt several times regardless of shoe type.  When I was informed that my 10 year old had slipped to her butt/side and our neighbor had gone down hard bumping her head I upgraded the condition to ‘dangerous’ and decided to take action.

The next morning (Saturday), my wife and I, literally spent 3½ hours working with increasingly aggressive brushes and degreasers until finally arriving at a solution that diminished the slip a little on the critical surfaces such as steps anyway.  Later Saturday morning I contacted Denver Decks via email (I find a written record useful) informing them of the dangerous slipperiness and that I had mitigated it somewhat.  By Tuesday Denver Deck had replied that they would strip and reapply sealant when the dirty work was completed in a week or two (I expecting a responsible business owner to send someone over the next day to address a customers safety concerns).  

I move now to the stone bench seat and fire pit. 

Finally we were ready to begin stone work, and despite the pinch in my stomach that i should be there, i chose to not be present.    When I arrived home from work I found a beautiful 48” inch circular stone fire pit centered in the lower deck.  Unfortunately we had specified a rectangular fire pit offset to one end.  By the leads own admission, he ignored an email message with a drawing attached, because he couldn’t open it!

At this point I’d totally lost confidence in Denver Decks to make good decisions and felt I had to be present to supervise all remaining work.  To their credit, two days later the pit was rebuilt, even incorporating real time adjustments to size to best fit the limited space and supplies on hand.  But by placing the pit in the correct location they exposed 3 of 4 pieces of rebar used for reinforcement.  So now we have a beautiful stamped concrete deck with 3 locations that look patched!

 

Oh but there was another hang-up; the capstone was not the color we specified.  I mentioned this point to the lead, he assured me it was only “2 shades lighter” and being a natural stone mined in New Mexico, had superior Ultraviolet Ray resistant properties and was comperable in quality to the ‘best’ quality fireplace they just installed.   While I love the idea of using a natural piece of stone, and appreciate the offer to use a superior product, it felt like he was trying to slip this one in and hoping we wouldn’t notice.

 

Oh wait there was yet another hang-up; the capstone appeared to be drooping on each edge – a tape measure proved 1 edge was a solid 1” lower then the other.  So once again I contacted the lead, sent pictures, and he agreed to re-work.

 

After the firepit and bench was completed Denver Deck came back out one last time to close on a few outstanding details:  Strip the first sealant with power wash, reinstall the rain gutter, and install the two window well covers.  Silica was mixed with the sealant leaving a slightly gritty surface eliminating any slip (outstanding).  Denver Deck made such a big stink regarding reinstalling the rain gutter I pulled it from their scope, and will replace it myself.  And finally with regards to the window well cover; when I lifted it into place, it fell into the hole.  Closer inspection confirmed the cover was fabricated almost 2 inches too short.  We discussed this conclusion with company owner (Phil) who rejected it outright and issued a credit for $175, telling us to make it ourselves!

While overall i'm reasonably pleased with the end result, several key details fell well short of how i'd expect a reputable company to treat a customer:

    1.  Handling of the customers high concern regarding slip hazard; 

    2.  Handling of the poorly made window well cover; 

    3.  Choosing to slip-in a capstone of significantly different color, from the customers choice.  

    4.  Not just taking care of the rain gutter, returning it to a pre-construction condition. 

Craig F.

Littleton Colorado,

July 2015

These guys were *fantastic*. When I contacted them for a bid, they came right out. They left material samples that made getting approval from my HOA a breeze. I opted to have a composite material deck installed and their craftsmanship lived up to the standard of those materials. I know that the material will last for decades and the structure they created will as well. Any material that was not composite (the framing and supports) were either pressure treated or installed so that no water can remain in a place to rot out the support (they used a membrane on top of every single joist!)

I was having a hot tub installed separately from their work but they engineered the deck above and beyond what was needed to hold it. When I mentioned that my HOA had questioned how far out the stairs were going, they found a way to move them back so it was no longer an issue -- and this was not a simple change. They elected to jack hammer out an additional 6" of concrete so they could install the stairs within my existing landscaping.

They had some labor issues (beyond their control) that made the project move a bit slower than I had hoped but the care and quality of work more than made up for that.

Excellent service from beginning to end. Fast quote and follow up. Work was done as agreed and professionally done.

Clean up and follow up inspection were done. Personnel where great, friendly and efficient. I would recommend them and will use again if possible.

We got three quotes but we decided to go with Denver Decks because they provided us with an actual timeline of events and pictures of what the deck would look like.
It took 13 days and they were done.  They tore out 1 really old deck and built a brand new one on top of it.  I was never home the entire time they worked.  I only did one final walk through with them.  The deck had only some minor issues which they fixed right away.  They cleaned up their entire mess and sprayed down the deck before they left.  
Overall, they were fast, efficient, and best of all, you don't have to worry about them screwing up.  They'll do the job right.

     My husband and I subscribed to Angie's List because we wanted to search for a deck contractor.  We read details of the contractor list and were satisfied in calling Denver Decks, since the contractor had good reviews.  I also had a gut feeling about this company.
I left a message when I called their  number and wrote a note to them via their website.  My call was returned by Philip Tussel and we arranged an appointment to get an estimate.
      Paul, a Denver Decks representative,  arrived on the day and time scheduled. ( He was professional and resourceful.)  Paul showed us samples of decking and railings. My husband and I wanted and looked  at Trex decking. Paul suggested a Timbertech railing system .  The colors in combination with both Trex and Timbertech were beautiful.  We initially looked at " Trancends", in Trex decking.  We selected complimentary colors and designs for the deck . Later I made upgrades to the decking materials in a new color selection .  It was a pleasure working with Philip while  we were negotiating what we wanted in the proposal.  Philip was patient and worked with us by providing new estimates with every upgrade we made to the project.  The estimates were fair and reasonable.  We waited seven years to build this deck and we wanted it to be built to our satisfaction. 
     Philip did not require money up front.  We paid him in-full  after each  project was completed to our satisfaction.   The Project of the concrete walkway was also contracted through Denver Decks.  They have a Concrete Division.  While Paul was at our initial appointment, we selected the stamp pattern and colors for the concrete walkway.
      We were given an estimate and proposal for the concrete the same time were received the deck proposal.  We also made a small tweak to the concrete proposal when we asked the crew to bury the downspout pipe drainage under the walkway.  (Easy)
The deck was built first by a two man crew.  Glen is a  the master deck builder.  He is very particular with measurements and does a stellar job.  His helper, Rick,  also worked diligently with Glen. The deck took seven days to complete.  It is beautiful.  I could only admire it  through the sliding doors for awhile. My husband, who is a stickler for detail and correct measurements, is very impressed with the outcome.
  The concrete walkway was formed and poured after the deck was built.  It is so impressively beautiful.  It looks like stone. The concrete crew was supervised by Carlos from Denver Decks.  Neighbors came to see the final product and are interested in the work quality. Thank you Denver Decks.  I recommend them to anyone.

I have not decided to actually use them yet because I am still waiting for the plans of a couple of companies. But they have been pretty good so far. They came out, looked at the front deck and then emailed me a quote. The best thing about them was that they arrived on time. They came out when they said that they would and gave me several options for the project. They responded about a week later with quotes on two different options for the deck.

We haven't proceeded with the job yet.

Update...they were prompt, professional and very good. We are very pleased with how the front and back porches look. They are functional, and aesthetically pleasing. They answered our numerous questions and re designed the layout several times for us. Overall, very pleased.

They tore out the old deck and rebuilt the new one.  In the planning stages I originally wanted him to replace the same foot print but in talking with them and some of the things that my wife and I wanted we had them out on a small piece on the side of the house.  Everything else was virtually the same expect for a small piece that we added which was about 200 square feet.  We knew what we wanted but we didn’t know how much it costs so that’s why we asked him to price it out and then we would decide based on their estimate.  The deck is great and we love it.  We liked everything about them.  We also had issues with home owners association because the amount of time they took to complete was about 4 weeks longer and that is the only issues we had. The company itself was great to work with.  We had busy bodies that showed up on first day that kept complaining.  They were great in dealing with the complaints and trying to accommodate everything they could to make sure they didn’t infringe anybody else.  They really took care of what they needed to and then it just took a little longer than we wanted.  There was only one guy that built the entire deck and a couple of people helped with demolition and to move the lumber back and forth.  They were intending to have several people working at it but due to scheduling reason or personal reason they didn’t have enough people get it done within that time frame.  They were great.  It was a little pricey than we thought but it was of quality work.  We did try to negotiate on the price.

The deck is not quite finished (will be done this week), but so far we are extremely satisfied.  Glen from Denver Decks is our one-man crew and we are very impressed with him - professional, friendly, does excellent work.  The day he started, we joked with him that we'd be happy if it could be completed by Memorial Day weekend (giving him only 5 days) and I think he took that as a personal challenge.  We had a completely useable deck (only the railing remaining) within those 5 days. 
We are also very satisfied with the cost.  We had a total of 4 bids - asking each for a quote on wood and also composite - total size 24ft x 14ft.  One came back so low and the promise to be completed in 3 days - they were eliminated right away.  Two others came back very high - even for wood - at around 17K and 19K.  
Highly recommended!

DD were very responsive with a quick quote. They were too quick to start the project with not enough time and consideration given to the overall design, costs and weather conditions. A design review prior to material ordering was never done so there were mistakes were made. The quality of the  building subcontractor was quite good and I would not hesitate to use him again. The electrical subcontractor used for this job was nice and very capable but took extreme advantage of change orders. What I consider to be small changes equated to an additional $1200 in charges. I was able to negotiate that down but it should have never happened and was very unprofessional in my opinion.

We were amazed at how quickly the job was finished. We were able to go,about our day with no distractions or complications.

Received prompt responses throughout. On time estimate, always available for questions. Outstanding service and workmanship

They were by far Not the cheapest however, they were the only ones to
NOT ask for a down payment. 100% payment upon completion and
satisfaction. The only pain was my HOA who took forever to approve the plans.

Phillip was great to work with. Very professional and his team does beautiful work. We love our new outdoor area and use the fireplace all the time

I found a few companies on Angie's List and Philip from Denver Decks was the first to come out.  It took us a couple of months of looking at estimates, investigating systems to keep the area beneath the deck dry (Dri-B-Lo, Rain Escape, etc) and kept changing our minds, asking questions and asking for bid adjustments.  Philip was very patient and helpful, and sent updated bids based on our requests quickly.
When I am involved in something I have no experience or expertise in, communication is the very most important thing to me.  I need to feel confident that there are no stupid questions, and that time will be taken to help me understand.  This and price were the two reasons we chose Denver Decks.  Philip called me with every step, letting me know when to expect materials and trailers and a crew to show up.  EVERYTHING was on time, and the entire job was completed in about 8 working days. 
My wife runs an in-home childcare business, and the crew (Clint, Paul and Mitch) was very professional and friendly.  If we had a question about the process, they stopped everything to explain it.  My wife or I never felt like she couldn't go out and ask what, why or when about anything.  
The deck is beautiful, the Rain Escape system is great, and we are very happy.  We highly recommend this company.

Phil and his team were wonderful from the start. Phil sat down with us in July to design the patio with the benches and determine the colors and patterns. A week later we had our estimate with an anticipated start date of Sept. 10th. We received a call in late August stating they could start the day after Labor Day, so we were thrilled that the schedule was moved up a week.
The crew arrived Tuesday morning and started to bust up the sidewalk manually and quickly discovered they needed a jackhammer because of the rebar, so their initial task was delayed nearly 3 hours until the jackhammer arrived.
Things progressed as planned after that with the electrician and mason arriving as planned and performing their work flawlessly. We had a water fountain that was removed and we needed to move that electrical box to outside the poured patio and we needed additional outlets. The mason discussed the design and placement of the benches with me prior to starting. We just love the benches and how they curve to match the flow of the patio.
The sealant brought out the gorgeous colors in the concrete. Everyone who has seen the patio and benches remarks at their beauty and design.

They show excellent workmanship and they make sure they get down everything down in writing.

Denver Decks was excellent and I'm very pleased with my deck. They were very professional, seemed trustworthy, and knew what they were doing. The job took a little bit longer but there were some things they had to deal with and the outcome was great. The owner was prompt and went over some things pretty quickly. They didn't go over the price of what they estimated. I would absolutely use Denver Decks again in the future.

Denver Decks did a good job.   Very professional.   They outsourced part of the job that didn't go as planned but they made it right and had it fixed.   It was mostly the gutter area that needed some rework.  We're very happy with the results.

They did a very nice job, and I was impressed with them. They were very easy to get a hold of. I didn't have a single problem with the inspection. I am planning on putting a new deck in my back yard, and I plan on using them again.

Phillip, gave me several bids.  1) was to replace existing support rafters, that were rotting or  2 ) to replace entire decking.  I really appreciated him giving me these options.  He keep me informed of when the work would be done, the workers were right on time, very professional and courteous. I was really pleased with the work performed.  Cleanup was great.  I specially appreciated Philllip explained to me why the support rafters were rotting & what they would do with the new rafters to prevent this from occurring again. (no painting) I was real nervous about the weight of the decking & rod iron that was initially installed with a crane.  They supported the deck & rod iron before any work was performed & it never moved!!! This is why I joined Angies List to get work done by professionals.

Phil is very professional and his estimate was accurate. We  had a vision of what we wanted and it really came true. Phil's crew were great to work with, and I wouldn't think twice before hiring them again (when needed).

Overall, we had an excellent experience with both Philip of Denver Decks and Mike.   Philip  obviously had lots of design experience and experience working with HOAs and county building inspectors.  The weather changed from warm to very cold and back to warm while Mike was working.