Decks Unlimited

You need someone who can be relied on when things go wrong, as well as when all is well. This company failed when things went wrong. The deck is nice, but they will not take responsibility for their actions. During cleanup after a $55K deck build (which turned out lovely), a carelessly parked worker's truck rolled down the driveway, smashed into a creekstone retaining wall, damaged a second truck, destroyed a metal archway and two light fixtures, and crushed shrubbery, landing on its side in my flower bed. They attempted to remove it for seven hours, during which time no one spoke to me and they caused further damage to my landscaping with cables and wooden posts. They left without completing the original cleanup and with my driveway covered in broken glass, truck parts, nails and deep oil stains. They tossed the broken arch on top of a shrub border, causing further damage. They left several heavy boulders from a rock garden in the driveway. At the end of that day, the supervisor demanded payment, refused to acknowledge the incident, and complained when I withheld 5% of the final payment pending agreement on damages. The owner of business with whom I had the contract declined responsibility, refused to give the name of his insurance or the name of the worker whose truck caused the damage.He originally said he would have the worker file an auto claim, then refused to do so. He stated that the wall was old anyway and that my several repair estimates exaggerated the cost. No one ever met with me to review the damage. There were several misrepresentations about the cause of the truck failure ("ice on the drive" when the temperature was in the 40's), and irrelevant arguments (worker was from Cuba, owner was in Europe at the time, wall was old). After six weeks and many emails, all of which were initiated by me, the owner allowed me to retain the withheld monies stating that I had thereby made considerable profit and he was being generous, although the amount covered less than half of my damage.He no longer responds to my contacts and has never acknowledged his responsibility in this matter.

It was excellent. Oh my gosh, it's so awesome. It's kind of hot, but I still come out. The pricing, I mean it's sort of high we got it, you know. It was a very good product; we did. It's stucco it's a B.C deck, it's good. The quality of their work is very good. They tore the whole existing decks. They put new boards around the house, the ledger whatever. Everything that was on the old deck they tore it off and put brand new on there. Oh, my God, they did an awesome job! They kept the work site clean, it took them probably about a week. Not bad at all. They carried off all the old wood, then they had the new wood brought in, so it was about a week.

Craig, the owner, and his team of 4 carpenters built us our perfect little deck (20'X14'). He ensured the deck turned out just as we envisioned it with bench seating instead of railings as well as a privacy wall. They worked diligently for 4 days through rain & shine to create the most wonderful outdoor experience for us. It is beautiful, and sturdy as can be as they only use the best wood and screws! They take great pride in each project which is apparent by the awesome job they did on our simple deck we wanted! Fair price for an amazing end product!!

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This is the third deck I have had Craig install for me in the last 15 years. It speaks to his volume of satisfied customers (like me) that Craig is still in business and retains an excellent reputation for professionalism, high quality results and commitment to customer satisfaction. I have a close friend who is a home builder in the Louisville area and when I checked with him he mentioned that Craig Small was one of the few references that a local building supply contractor recommended if he wanted a deck built to specifications and on time. This was a more difficult build for Decks Unlimited than my previous two decks since the existing deck was built over decorative concrete patio and our in ground pool deck. Craig and his crew were very careful in making sure that none of the concrete work was disturbed and were diligent about cleaning up the site after each day's construction. The job took exactly two weeks from the starting tear down to full completion. Every day despite less than ideal weather conditions the crew  was at the site by 8:00 AM and worked till 4:00 PM or later. My wife and I could not be more pleased with the results, the deck looks fabulous! I would highly recommend Craig and Decks Unlimited to any local Angie's list member. In fact, one of my neighbors came by to admire the work and shared with us that he was going to call Craig to get an estimate to rebuild his deck. He had contacted at least 3 other local contractors to give him estimates and not one of the contractors had actually showed up to give him an estimate.  I am sure that dependability and confidence that your contractor will actually show up and work diligently to complete the job as proposed is worth it's weight in gold. I am confident that you will be very pleased with the results and enjoy the renovation experience if you work with Craig and Decks Unlimited.

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The work was started a couple weeks later than originally discussed, but this wasn't really an issue in the end. I want to mention it because some folks expect contractors to show up exactly on a date, but with outdoor work that expectation can be unrealistic depending on weather conditions and other factors.  The Decks Unlimited teams work from one job to the next and will call when you come up on the schedule. Owner was willing to work around our schedule but this ended up not being an issue. Once started the workers were there every day as promised and completed the work quickly. One worker even arrived on a Saturday to get the job done quickly. They did quality work, and the owner was there every day to check progress and discuss any issues. We did have about 10% in added expense after the tear down due to improper construction of the deck originally. This was within expectations and was handled professionally by the workers and owner. Cleanup was performed once the job was complete. About 6 weeks after construction the owner returned to stain the deck and did a very nice job with that.     

2/28/13 Rebuttal to company's response: There is not one ?inaccurate aspect? to my complaint. The reason is I documented from day one all of the conversations Mr Small and I had.

Mr. Small did agree to build any size steps I needed which were supposed to be 11.5? tread and 5? rise. Together we looked at my photo examples of deck steps I needed, discussed what I needed for my deck including overall measurements, the type of wood and their sizes, railing placement with metal balusters, etc. At that point, he took some time to write the quote and gave it to me. I agreed to pay for a deck with steps to accommodate my disability, NOT the ?standard rise and run? steps his crew built.

Mr. Small?s comment, ?even though he paid only for standard steps? is not true. On the first and second days of construction, I handed my photo examples to Craig. He did not need them. I put them near the area where they were working and pointed them out to the workers as well as Craig, every morning before they began working on my deck.

An extra step was not added as Mr Small claims. It is my understanding that the total rise height of 34? for a set of standard steps would require stringers for four steps to be built. If he had built an extra step, I would have five steps, not the four that was built. When I was asked to come out to ?look? at the steps, the workers laid the tread boards, unsecured, on the stingers for me to walk up them. It was not made clear to me that Mr. Small was checking to see if I was able to use the steps at the inaccurate measurements. He did not inform me the step measurements were 10 inch tread/7 inch rise and not the 11 inch/5 inch. So I was lead to believe that they were.

Mr. Small was well aware of my dissatisfaction with the steps. His stance was he was not going to rebuild the steps or offer any other remedies or suggestions to correct the problem.

I did compliment the workers on the majority of the decks construction but that did not include the steps. I did not say, ?I really wished the stair treads were wider?. I said that the steps were very unacceptable because of not being built as agreed and now I am unable to use the steps to access the deck up or down. I asked what could be done so I can use my deck as I needed.

I am not sure how he means, ?I should have known that he wanted them wider?. Because I repeatedly made Mr Small aware of our initial discussion on 4-7-2012 and pointed out the photos to him.

What I agreed to was for the steps dimensions of 11.5 x 5 inches that was agreed on on 4-17-2012.

I made every attempt to make my physical needs understood so there would not be any misunderstanding.

His reference to, ?customer now wishes he would have built wider steps" is NOT true. The truth is I wish Mr. Craig had built the steps to the dimensions we both decided at the beginning of the job and for which I regrettably paid for.

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I was very pleased with the entire process.  An estimate was done when I was not at home and placed in my mail box.  We talked afterwards and agreed on a time frame, weather permitting for the work to be done.  Again, I was not home when the work began, but they handled things very well in doing the work in my absence. The job was finished on time professionally also.   I just had to show up to pay, and with the type of service I had, I was glad to do that.  This is a very professional operation.  I am not ashamed to invite someone for a meal on my deck now !

Great.  See above for details.  In summary, Craig Small came out and I showed him what I would like to do.  He gave me a selection of materials and we agreed to a time for the work to start.  The finished product really looks good.  I would recommend him to anyone who needs their Deck worked on or needs him to build them a deck.  His operation is really good.

We had an old rotting two-level deck that can't be reached from the ground. It had become dangerous and needed to be replaced. We contacted Craig Small and he came out to give us an estimate. He returned a couple of times so we could work out some details, and he had planty of pictures of his work so we could choose the features we liked. We got on the waiting list and his crew started the job when they said they would. They were polite, professional and prompt. We lost one week due to wet weather, but as soon as it was nice again they got done in a hurry!They accommodated the design I had drawn up to give us some privacy on the sides, yet be nice and open in the back. The craftsmanship is phenomenal, the finished product is just beautiful, and we could not be happier. We have not stained yet or chosen our post caps, but the quality of the work will show in the photos. 

He did added lot of details and extras that a lot of companies don't do. He is very honest and I would highly recommend him to anyone.

He removed an old deck, he reviewed the plans with me, then he started the construction.  The wood quality he provided was great, and the quality of his work was excellent.  They specialize in deck construction, and they were very efficient and professional  There was hardly any waste. I would definitely use this company again.

Craig Small, the owner came to my home and gave me an estimate.  He was very professional, knowledgeable, and helpful in answering all my questions.  He gave me a detailed bid on the spot.    I asked to be put on his list of future jobs and several weeks later he started the work.   His carpenters, Alberto and Steve, did a fantastic job.  They are all skilled professionals who take pride in their excellent workmanship.

A great experience. DO: get everything in writing, and go over the list with the contractor carefully to be sure you understand it. DO: If the crew is doing a good job, tell them--they deserve to hear it!

Excellent quality work and good price. They started later than promised and the work took longer than expected but it wasn't that bad

Design was great, work was done on time and professionally

Deck was approx 30 years old. Called several companies for estimates in either repair or replacement. Decks Unlimited promptly responded and came with numerous photos of previous work. Very professional and responsive to our deck design ideas. Cost was very reasonable. Performed all work as agreed. The finished deck exceeded our expectations. Very impressed with workmanship.

Craig Small (the owner) was very professional and responsive. He wrote us out a detailed estimate, and was ready to get started in just a week and a half. His prices were better than other contractors that we checked with as well. His team finished building the deck within a week, and we absolutely love it! The details they put into the design really make it stand out. We have the best looking deck in the neighborhood now!

THEY WERE THE ONLY COMPANY WHO WAS WILLING TO CRAWL UNDER THE SPACE TO INSULATE. THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB BECAUSE THERE WORKMANSHIP WAS SUPERB. THEY ONLY WORK IN GOOD WEATHER, BUT THAT IS EXPECTED. THEY WORKED TOGETHER. IT WAS TWO MEN. WHENEVER ONE TOOK A BREAK, THE OTHER WOULD TAKE OVER. THEY GOT IT DONE IN A VERY PROMPT WAY. THEY CAME BACK EVERYDAY TO WORK ON IT. I WOULD HAVE THEM OUT AGAIN BECAUSE THEY VERY COURTEOUS GENTLEMAN AND THEY ARE A VERY PROFESSIONAL COMPANY.