SIGNATURE DECKS

Our experience with Signature Decks is why we have Angie's List.  Under the 100+ inches of snow that fell last winter, our deck collapsed.  It was a good-sized deck off the ground floor of our home.



We called three different providers, and Signature Decks was the most eager for the job.  Bruce, the owner, was prompt in returning phone calls.  He came out to the house and took the measurements, even giving me (good) advice about what to expect of contractors, no matter who we hired.



We went with Signature Decks based on their availability and the reviews here.  We're glad we did.  They handled all the permitting requirements with the town.  The took away the old deck and, in less than two weeks from start to finish, delivered a great new deck.  The crew was courteous and professional.  And their pride in craftsmanship was real.  When the framing looked done to me, Bruce pointed out a joist that was slightly bowed.  That wasn't good enough for him and they took another day--at no cost to us--to reframe that part of the deck.  Honestly, I never would have noticed the curve, but Bruce did and fixed it.  I was impressed.



The new deck looks great and is well made.  We're thrilled.  We don't anticipate building anymore decks, but if we did, we'd hire Signature Decks to do it immediately!

Bruce and his guys were amazing. They replaced two decks for us and paid attn to every little detail. He was extremely competitive with price, professional, on time, and did great work. I can't say enough about how positive this experience was.

Bruce was great to work with, he was always responsive and punctual.  He was able to get started earlier than we had estimated. The deck looks wonderful; Bruce's suggestions on the red cedar and some other touches made the plan I provided turn out better than I even expected.  The deck framing construction is structurally very solid, and Bruce went with a two beam approach that looks good and will definitely last.  There was minimal impact to the yard leaving no mess after they left.  
The cost was very competitive, although Bruce only performed the deck work, and we had to hire other contractors to do additional plumbing/electrical and install a patio door.  Again, we were very pleased with the entire process and especially the finished product.  Would highly recommend.

The contractor kept us informed of the expected daily status and worked closely with us around the details of the construction and any cost impacts of changes we wanted.  Overall a very positive experience.

Great job by Bruce and his dedicated crew.  On time, on budget. No surprises.   It's refreshing to have work done in such a straight-forward way. The deck looks great.  Highly recommended.

The deck looks beautiful, exceeded my expectations.  The ipe wood of the deck is gorgeous, and works perfectly with the clear red cedar railings and steps, and the ballusters are made with decorator's bronze colored aluminum, which gives it class, I think.It was a pleasure working with Bruce and his 2 workers.  Tom, his main worker, was very meticulous in his work, and put in long hoursevery day until it was done.  There was no interruption of days on the job.  It took longer to finish than Bruce predicted, but that wasmainly due to the steepness of the hill they had to work on.  Bruce kept me informed thru-out the process, and at one point convinced me to change the design of the steps, which ended up being the right decision, and they look great.  He has an excellent eye for design.
I'm totally happy and pleased with the results.  The beautiful deck has added lots of value to my house, which looks out on a pond - the house really needed an outdoor area, almost above the trees, on which to look at the view.
It was a pleasure working with Bruce and his 2 workers, and fun to watch the progress.  I would recommend them highly.

Bruce and his crew were a pleasure to work with.  I talked with a lot of potential construction companies and no one had anywhere near the competency.  Bruce knows decks and was easily able to get past all of the design aspects of the project that had been challenging for the other potential ntractors, and therefore we didn't need to also hire an architect or other additional contractors.  He also easily connected us with a surveyor when we needed some assistance at the last minute.  We found Bruce on Angie's list and this alone made the membership worthwhile.

After 2 years of looking at and meeting with companies/individuals for replacing our rotted and unusable deck, we found Bruce and his team from Signature decks. We were very impressed with the way in which he took time to answer all our questions, provided us with a variety of options for our deck in regards to materials, layout, and pricing, as well as his constant communication during the construction phase. His team of workers, Sean and Tom, were professional, friendly and always punctual. As the weekend approached, and the project was continuing to the next week, they made a point of cleaning up the yard knowing our 2 little ones would be playing there. Bruce reassured us that he would always be available to answer any questions in the future regarding the deck. Lastly, we are very happy with the final product and appreciate the attention to detail that Bruce and his team gave to our deck.

Bruce and his team did an outstanding job in every facet! I can't say enough good things about them. The deck itself is a work of art. If you have never seen an IPE deck you have to take a look at one before going composite. The attention to detail is amazing. Every mitre is cut perfectly, the cedar wrapping and railings are gorgeous, there are no joints anywhere on the decking. We have a built-in bench that came out great. The crew was always right on time, friendly and professional. They did a great job cleaning up. While Bruce had some challenges with his supplier pricing, he stayed committed to his original estimate. He is a man of high integrity!

They did a good job. He is very detail oriented and particular about his work.

Bruce and his crew were extremely professional and great at what they do! We had to go through additional permitting with the city of Waltham for flood plain issues, and Bruce did as much of the leg work as he could. The deck itself is beautiful. They used quality products and werer done on time and on budget. Bruce is extrememly friendly, easy to work with and has great ideas about design and building decks. When the job was finsihed, Bruce pointed out to me they had cracked one of the top rails, though we could really notice it that much. He came back a few days later and replaced the whole top rail without us even having to ask. this guy does it right- Quality is of the utmost importnace to him. We would hire them back without hesitation! We also get compliments when people are on the deck about how beautiful it is.

In addition to being a very skilled craftsman, Bruce is extremely professional and responsible. I interviewed 3 contractors for this job, and I felt that he was by far the most knowledgeable and the most trustworthy. Signature Decks was $1000-3000 more than the other contractors, but Bruce provided higher quality materials and a more elegant design such as angled edges and railings bolted onto the exterior of the deck. After we settled on using Signature decks, I asked Bruce to come out to the house again to help me fine-tune the deck design. Since we were limited to only 19 feet between a bulkhead and a bay window, I wanted to explore options for a half-octagon ?jet-out?. He spent almost 2 hours helping me stake-out multiple options. My wife and I are very happy with the 3x3 cantilever extension on the jet-out. Once work started, Bruce kept me informed throughout the construction and I felt very comfortable with his recommendations and his honesty. His carpenter, Tom, is also very skilled and friendly. Bruce also stands by his work and materials. 2 weeks after the deck was completed, I noticed a few 3 inch splinters on 1 of the floorboards. I called Bruce and he replaced that board 2 weeks later. We haven?t had any other boards splinter on us. The following spring, I noticed that the railing next to our bay window was loose. I called up Bruce and he came out with Tom 3 weeks later and rebolted the loose railing and it is now very tight. Note that this railing was bolted to the house because of the proximity to the bay window. All the other railings that were bolted to the deck never got loose. One big decision after the deck is built is whether/how to treat it. Bruce explained that we could leave the cedar and ipe untreated and it will go grey over time. As per Bruce?s recommendation, I decided to stain the Cedar railing with the ?3-year? Olympic cedar tone stain from Lowes. The red-tone of the treated cedar really accents the deck and looks beautiful especially at sunset. However, once you stain the cedar then you need to restain it every couple of years. If you want to treat the ipe, you need to use a more advanced exotic hardwood sealer, called Mesmer?s. I found it easiest to order it online since they don?t sell it at the large do-it-yourself stores. You need to be careful to follow Mesmer?s instructions to ensure a smooth coat and to properly dispose of any used rags in a water-filled metal container. As per Bruce?s recommendation, I plan to let the ipe ?go natural? after only 1 treatment. It?s been 1 year and the ipe still looks good and is just starting to lighten in color.

We are thrilled with how this deck came out! We had originally planned a lower budget job with Trex decking but when we met with Bruce and discussed the pros of Ipe wood (fast-growing, sustainable and extremely durable hardwood), we decided it was the better choice. It is a beautiful red wood and really dressed up the front of the house. Scheduling was a bit difficult because he was quite busy but once they got started the work proceeded on schedule (despite a nasty hornets' nest they uncovered when dismantling the original deck!). Everyone who sees the job they did comments on the excellent quality, right down to the precise pattern of the nail holes. We would definitely use this company in the future!

In a word, Bruce Ferraro and his Signature Decks craftsmen are "superstars!" If you need a deck and you have the opportunity to hire Signature Decks, just do it--you won't be disappointed. We waited seven years to rip down an old set of wooden stairs off our kitchen to the backyard since we bought our 1939 Cape in 2003. This Spring we decided was the time to put on our deck. I interviewed two other deck contractors before Bruce, but when I met him it was supremely evident that he was head and shoulders above all the others for the following reasons: - Superior domain knowledge in the area of deck construction; Bruce isn't just the president of the company...he's was on the job doing the work each day. Because of his experience, he has a great design eye and helped modify the original design I proposed so that the stair placement wouldn't impede the traffic pattern. - Professional through and through: he did what he said he would do when he said he would do it - Punctual: He and his master carpenter (Tom) were at my house every day from the start of the job at 6:45 am ready to work at 7:00 until the very end. - Great Communicator: Bruce kept me in the loop each day from in-person morning discussions to end-of-day updates by phone. We put up two panels of lattice for privacy and Bruce made sure to get my input on the height, width, and placement before it went in. - Personable, Fair, & Reasonable: Bruce is just a nice guy. He never made me feel silly for asking questions or that I was bothering him; he put me in touch with a land surveyor that he uses frequently for his jobs who was priced much more reasonably than others I contacted; he also helped me decide what stain/sealer I should use to protect the Ipe deckboards and the Cedar railings and lattice once it was complete. I also want to give a shout out to Tom, Bruce's master carpenter. All of the things that I just said about Bruce also apply to Tom. He was a super nice guy and extremely skilled at what he does. When you hire Signature Decks, you're not just getting a run-of-the-mill deck contractor--you're getting true professional craftsmen.

We contacted Bruce late in the fall of 2009 to rebuild our 20 ft. by 16 ft. deck. The deck was over 25 years old and had held up well, but was getting to the point that it needed to be replaced. The deck has only about 1 foot of ground clearance and once Bruce saw the deck he immediately ruled out using Ipe decking, which had been our first choice. He said if he used it he guaranteed we would have problems with the wood due to a lack of airflow. He then went over the alternate options and we chose to go with ?old? cedar in 6 inch widths with the floor boards angled. The existing deck had railings all around with 2 openings to exit. He suggested that we consider going with no railings to open up the deck to the backyard and, once he had the deck finished, we could then decide whether we wanted benches and/or planters built and installed. We decided to take this route, but the bad weather in the fall intervened and Bruce told us we would be the first job he would do in the early spring of 2010. True to his word, Bruce contacted us in February 2010 and the deck was rebuilt during the week of March 8th, 2010. He was able to use the pressure treated existing supports since he found the stringers to surprisingly be in as good condition as they were 25 years ago. Once the deck was completed, we decided to have 3 foot by 3 foot benches installed on the 2 front corners, but decided against installing permanent planters. Bruce suggested we seal the deck with Olympic Maximum with cedar toner because the new wood begins to lose color quickly. We were able to get 2 coats on the deck right away in the small window of good weather in between the rainstorms in March. We are pleased with the results and the workmanship that Bruce and his crew displayed. He showed up to start the work on the day promised and kept us informed as the process moved along. We highly recommend Bruce and Signature Decks. Just a word of thanks to the Angie?s List members who made us aware of Bruce and Signature Decks.

Bruce came by with samples and photos. Very professional and amiable. He gave a clear quote for the job and the number of days required to complete it. We were really taken with his professionalism, right down to the correct screws to use, his workmanship and his perfect on-time execution. Our deck is used three seasons and is a key part of our summer enjoyment. We are thrilled with the results and continue to recommend Bruce highly. Trust him - he's simply the best.

Bruce was very good at communicating with us from the start and helped us to pick the right wood for us. He started the job exactly when he said he would and did an amazing job. The deck is gorgeous! I was also impressed with how much Bruce really cares about his projects and puts 100% of his effort into what he does. We are very happy with the results and would highly recommend using Signature Decks for any deck project.

They were great. They were wonderful, friendly and very professional.

This is exactly why you go with Angies List to find guys like Bruce and Co. I got multiple bids and Bruce stood out immediately. His logic for the best solution to our decking needs turned out to be spot on, going with Ironwood as opposed to synthetics or cedar. Prior to the job, Bruce kept me informed of the long range time frame and the short range as we neared the beginning. Kept me updated at work with the daily progress reports. His crew was super pleasant and easy to work with for multiple days. Craftsmenship is outstanding and we have ended up with a deck more beautiful and fitting to the environment than I thought possible. Designwise, Bruce came up with the idea of omitting railing along the back end that integrated with the hill behind our house, really putting the whole project over the top. And Bruce is a great guy. One of those home improvement things where you're kinda sad to part ways. In short, Total Pro. Great Craftsmenship and Design, Good Folks. Definitely one of those cats you want in your Home Repair Corner.

excellent, only weather delays

This has been the most satisfying experience I have ever had with a contractor. Bruce was immediately responsive to my request for an estimate, provided a detailed blueprint for my consideration (no other estimates I received did that), and once I signed on, set a schedule that he followed faithfully (except, of course, when bad weather set in). He asks for no deposit until the work begins, one-third at the start of construction, another third at the mid-point, and the final third upon your satisfied completion. This company's attention to detail is superb. Bruce took extra effort in hand selecting the wood boards for our deck at the vendor, and Tom, the major carpenter on the project, took exceptional care in putting them into place. Bruce makes sure that all town codes are met, which could come into play should we sell our house. Our previous deck, installed by our home's previous owner, was far out of code and was an issue when we negotiated the purchase. We couldn't be happier with the final product, our deck looks better than some of the cabinetry in our house. Regarding our price, we chose the higher options, such as Cedar railings, benches and IPE (ironwood) for the deck. If simply choosing pressure-treated wood, it would have been some $4,000 less. Bruce even did some minor work on our brick walkway for no extra charge. At the end, they did a complete clean up. There was no damage whatsoever to my lawn or landscaping. I wish they did more than decks, I'd use them again for carpentry in a heartbeat.

I couldn't be more pleased from the beginning to the end of the process. The first day Bruce came to look at the job and I wasn't really sure what kind of materials I wanted used (thought I might want composite) Bruce educated me on the advantages of Ipe (Ironwood) and that's what I decided to go with. When he saw the space he potentially would be working with, Bruce made some design suggestions that in the final product totally exceeded my expectations. All along in the process I was kept apprised of what would be done when and the follow through was always there. Bruce and his carpenter, Tom, displayed an attention to detail that I believe would be second to none and daily left the job site immaculate.

He quoted the deck. His price was very competitive and better than some New Hampshire contractors were pushing. He finished the deck on time as promised.

AT OUR FIRST MEETING BRUCE BROUGHT WOOD SAMPLES, OFFERED A LOT OF HELPFUL ADVICE ON DESIGN AND EXPLAINED IN DETAIL THE WORK INVOLVED. HIS PRICE WAS RIGHT. BRUCE HELPED ME IN A COMPLICATED TASK OF OBTAINING TOWN ZONING PERMIT, AND PROVIDED A GOOD AND VERY REASONABLY PRICED SURVEYOR. BOTH BRUCE AND HIS CARPENTER AL WERE PROFESSIONAL, FRIENDLY AND VERY EFFICIENT. THE JOB WAS DONE WITHOUT DELAY AND WITH NO MESS. IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE TO WATCH THEM WORK, AND I AM VERY PLEASED WITH MY NEW DECK. I RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES VERY HIGHLY.

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