Deck Solutions LLC

Chris was very helpful in helping me select the right composite materials, guidance on railings, deck layout, and any questions I had. His team tore down the old deck very quickly, removed all debris, and then built the new deck, steps and railings in a very professional and timely manner. I'm very pleased with the new deck!

Had a GREAT experience working with Deck Solutions this past summer. We were glad we used their services for our deck this summer and we were completely thrilled with the finished product! We had excellent communications and service from the get-go--Dan came out and gave us a very fair estimate; he knew his trade and gave us a variety of options-not pushy either. Molly in the office was terrific in communicating all along the way; from the start dates, to rescheduling (due to rain--wanted to make sure our solid color stain would adhere!) as well as texting us in advance to let us know when their guys would be out! Both their service and techs were professional and considerate; they were meticulous when painting around our wrought iron spindles, which was VERY important to us--and they cleaned up well too! Our deck went from pathetically peeling to looking brand new! Very pleased and you will be too!

They were very professional and took great care in keeping things neat. Arrive on the stated day to completely clean the deck and then returned 3 days later to stain. All staining was done by hand, tarps were used to protect plants. 23 year deck looks like new!

Prompt, meticulous in their work. Made sure everything was protected and cleaned up when done.

Excellent!!! It was a pleasure to work with Chris on the design and layout of the deck. He designed a superior layout for the deck boards and a railing system that surpassed what we had with the old deck. He designed two new staircases that met building codes (the old ones didn't). And he used CAD software to create multiple views of the deck to help us visualize the deck before the project commenced. Pricing for the deck was based on the CAD models, and the pricing was very fair (IMO). While we were working on the deck design and corresponding bid, our town (Wheaton) decided to install a new water main for our neighborhood. The city tore up the entire length of our street along with our driveway and front lawn. Chris was very accommodating in scheduling the project around the activity on the street. The crew that tore off the old deck and replaced it with the new boards and railings was awesome! Ian (the crew chief and master carpenter) really knew what he was doing. His crew was talented and very easy to work with. They were neat, cleaned up after themselves every day, and hauled the components of the old deck away throughout the duration of the project. Ian did a very solid job of preparing the deck framing for the new surface. He repaired sections of the framing that had rotted out, and re-aligned sections of the framing that were not built properly when the deck was originally built. This was very important to me: a deck surface needs to be installed on a solid and level frame. I wanted to install rubber water shields on the top edges of the framing to prevent future rot. Ian worked around my slow pace and gave me time to do that as he made progress on other areas of the deck. Finally, Ian upgraded the framing so that it would support these improvements: a 'picture frame' around the edges of the desk surface, a 'parting board' that improved the layout of the deck boards, and the new railing system. The new deck surface is awesome. Deck Solutions used "camo fasteners" to fasten the boards to the framing. There are no screws or nails on the surface of the deck. The fasteners are completely hidden. Ian's skill and professionalism in installing the surface matched that of the best finish carpenters that have worked at my house. It looks beautiful. The new railing system is perfect. Ian routed grooves in the upper rail of the railings to accommodate the wiring that I needed for the low voltage lighting. He drilled a hole through the center of one railing post so that the wiring could be run under the deck and then routed to the grooves. (that is not easy to do with a four foot post!) And he drilled pockets into the rest of the railing posts that I could use for stuffing the wires and wire nuts that would be associated with each of my lights. A week after the deck was installed, Deck Solutions came back to apply a coat of stain to everything. I really like the material they use. It is a transparent, oil-based stain that soaks into the wood. It does not create a layer of finish on top of the wood. We had a choice of 5 or 6 different colors. The man who applied the stain was very meticulous in his work. It looks great. NET-NET: I know that this is a very long review. But I felt it necessary to describe the details of the work that was done so you can appreciate the quality of the work. My wife and I are both very pleased with the new deck. And we will be using Deck Solutions each year to clean and apply a new coat of stain to the deck. One last thought: Chris is very knowledgeable about the various technologies and materials available for building decks. We asked him to quote the cost of replacing the deck that is off of our second floor. Chris examined the situation and recommended a solution of deck panels and support pedestals that would rest on the flat roof of the house that is below that deck. He designed the layout of that deck and its supporting infrastructure and gave us a bid for the cost of replacing that deck. But he also suggested that the deck system was simple to install and that I could probably do it myself. He gave me his CAD drawings for the design. I decided that I will be installing that myself next year. I was very impressed that Chris offered me that very cost effective option and actually made it easy for me to proceed on my own using his design and CAD drawings.

Work performed was top notch. Old deck was removed, along with all debris. New cedar deck was installed and looks fantastic (whole process about about 1.5 weeks, start to finish). We had a minor issue with the final inspection from the permit office, but the issues were resolved quickly/professionally.

Went very well, love the new color!

Excellent. They arrives as promised, cleaned deck and returned later in the week to stain everything. They were very neat, protected house and other items. Deck looks great.

Seemed better last year. Had an equipment problem and tried to tell my I didn't have any water pressure. Came back a couple of days later and he discovered it was his equipment. Never used anything on the deck to clean, nothing for the mold. They came the next day to seal the deck. Much more messy than last year. Left with large spots of sealer on the siding, doors and bricks. There were pools of sealer on some of the boards. They were going to come the next day to remove the excess but we had several large storms which appeared to remove the excess sealer. Deck is done, looks okay; we'll see how it holds up.

Well--the summer of 2016 was very wet and it was difficult for there to be three or more days without rain. I appreciated their not ignoring the need for the wood to dry out before they painted. I know they were as frustrated as I was yet they were always cheerful and kept in touch with me as to their plans

very well done - beautiful color well sealed

Great - the person was very hard-working. The scheduling person was good to work with too. Scheduling was easy to do, person arrived on time and got right to work. Will use them from now on.

They did a good job...I had used them before. They power washed and stained a few days later. All plants and bushes were covered.

Work went really well, the only thing is the sun bleached out the stain. I don't know if there is an answer to the problem

Before now I always shared comments about providers hired from Angie’s list very quickly after their service was performed. That’s because I was always thrilled with the outcome and couldn’t wait to tell the world. But in the case of Deck Solutions our experience was totally unacceptable and it took a few months to get everything squared away. Following that, I just didn’t feel good about this feedback so I put it off. But it’s time now and I owe it to the community to post our experience. Our wooden deck is about 22 years old and in great shape thanks to our continuing to clean and seal it annually with power washing and a new coat of clear sealant. In the past we hired a low-cost one-man operation and all was well. But after all the years, although the deck remained strong and initially looked good after annual cleanings and new seal coat, it collected dirt quickly, didn’t look nice for long. So this year we decided to look into getting a top flight deck maintenance company to clean, sand, and stain it. After getting estimates from several Angie’s list providers, we decided on the most expensive estimate, Deck Solutions, because we liked what they had to say about their process and the high marks from Angie’s list members. The charge was $1,452 of which we paid $726 for them to start the job. After step one .... power washing the deck .... we were stunned and deeply disappointed by how much dirt and old sealant was left on the wood. The entire deck was an uneven, blotchy mess with some parts clean-ish and other parts horribly dark. Deck Solutions sent out someone to inspect and he said it was the best they could do. There was no way we were going to proceed to the next step at that point. We paid about $200 the previous year for power wash and sealant where the wash left the wood surface clean and bright. How on earth could $726 buy us a power wash by a top-rated company that left the deck looking worse than it ever had in 22 years? We told Deck Solutions not to come back until we determined our next step. Then, we had 3 totally independent firms come and look at the deck. They all said they had no idea what was done to make the deck look so blotchy and uneven. We then hired the deck maintenance company our neighbor had been using for years and we liked the look of his deck. (Buy the way, his deck was built at the same time as ours, with the same material, by the same company.) It turned out to be a more expensive charge, but those folks gave the deck a chemical wash that made it look like brand new bright, clean wood getting into every nook and cranny. And the finished product after sanding and staining is masterful with a superior guarantee. So we told Deck Solutions not to come back and asked for our $726 to be refunded. They were not happy and pushed back. But they did finally agree saying that because we paid by check they would refund with a check --- but that it would take a couple of months for the refund. It took every bit of a couple of months, but we did get the amount refunded in full. Lesson here .... pay with a credit card and have more protection. I have photos of the results of the wash by both Deck Solutions and the other firm we hired to re-do their work. I also have video of the wash process as it was being re-done by the second firm. We believe the difference is apparent and speaks for itself. Sorry to not be able to give a good grade to this provider as I have to everyone else I hired through Angie’s list. I had built up so much confidence in A-grade Angie’s List providers, I never thought this would happen. Every time I’ve read a “one-off” bad remark in a sea of great ones for a service provider, I suspected it was the customer who was wrong ... not anymore. :-(

Work is completed. I did receive a follow up phone call from Dan this morning. They did good work. The cleaning of the deck was very good. They sprayed the deck and it was extremely windy that day. They protected all the siding and windows, they did a nice job. Overall, no complaints about the work. The estimate was done very professionally. Where the disconnect was was communication. The company did not confirm when they were coming out to clean the deck, they showed up unannounced. Then at least 10 days went buy before they came out to seal and again they did not call to confirm. The work is good, the communication needs to be worked on.

Good...response were a tad slow, but overall job and finished project was to my liking.

Excellent. Came when scheduled, move heavy items off the deck and back on. Very careful about applying stain, used Yaris and plastic to protect house and flowers.

The job is incomplete. They showed up unannounced 2 weeks ago. The deck was cleaned and it looks fantastic. I've never been able to get it that clean on my own. The problem is they have no returned my email and I have been calling off and on for a week and I get a fast busy. This morning I called and I was able to leave a message. That was 4 hours ago. There communication has been poor. I'm betting they do good work, based on what I have seen so far but they have dropped the ball.

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Wonderfully! They did an excellent job - everything looks beautiful!!! I couldn't be happier with their service, the job they did, and their communications with me throughout the process. Very professional, friendly, hard working staff. They are a great company to do business with and they do superb work!

unknown

It went very well. We are very pleased with the finished product.

Overall, the experience turned out very well after a few minor hiccups.  Originally, they were out to clean the deck and told us they would be able to do a semi-transparent stain, but was then told they would need to use a solid color.  This was not a good thing as we had just paid for a cedar deck and would be diminishing the value of what we paid for if we simply painted over it.  That being said, the guy I worked with came out again and re-inspected and that wound up being the case.  They came out and did a great job and had the job completed as soon as possible.  In the end, I liked the guys we worked with and would probably use them again.

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