SUNSET DECKS

I couldn't be happier.... I have a beautiful deck. I had a list of what I wanted and didn't want. The owner was able to design the perfect deck, meeting all my wants. The owner was quick w/ my quote. Submitted and obtained approved from my HOA. Submitted and obtained permits and inspections. Started on time despite the uncooperative weather. He was responsive to my calls. He checked on his crews often. All his guys were hardworking, knowledgeable, very nice, and respectful.

During the initial plan and contract discussions, I met with the owner and asked if he would be a part of the building crew. And his response was yes.  Well the owner was not present for the entire build.  In addition to the owner not being present, a different crew came out daily to build the deck. The only main stay was the owner's brother. I sometimes felt uncomfortable because you never knew who was going to show up on the job on a daily basis and they never announced when they were coming and going. We had a few hiccups along the way, but over all the deck was installed beautifully.

The problems began in January 2016.  I receive a visit from STL County Department of Works.  The inspectors tells me my deck did not receive final approval. Which means Sunset Decks was supposed to schedule a final inspection once the job was complete.  STL County will not grant final approval as the beam specified in the plans may not have been used in the build.  STL County states the beam should be stamped with "For Exterior Use" and they are unable to find that verbiage on the beam used.  If the beam is not for exterior use, then the beam will decay at a faster rate and cause the deck to be a safety hazard.

I have contacted Sunset Decks via email and phone conversations with the phone number to the Chief Inspector at STL County and the best times to contact him.  After several follow up calls to the Chief Inspector, I am told Sunset Decks call after hours and when the call is returned b STL County, they always get Sunset's voicemail. I am caught in the middle and very upset as I paid a lot of money for this deck. I HAVE RATED SUNSET DECKS LOW DUE TO THE ISSUE WITH STL COUNTY.  Now I am worried an inferior product was used and do not know how long my BEAUTIFUL deck will last.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

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This project was a nightmare from a consumers perspective. Communication was an issue. The owner was not readily accessible to take of issues at hand and left things hanging. The crew that tried to come back and fix things were at a loss as to what to do. After several emails between me and the owner of Sunset, I was no longer confident that they had the ability to ever correct the numerous issues and asked that they not return. At that point, I contacted the supplier that I'd purchased the building materials from and asked for assistance in determining if the installation was such that it would void the manufacturer's warranty. He was kind enough to arrange for a representative from Timbertech (the manufacturer of the composite materials we were using) to come out and look at the project. It was then determined that not everything was done according to manufacturer specs but he did not think these things would void the warranty. Structurally speaking, both the Timbertech rep and the supplier felt that there were issues of concern with the layout of the stairs and landing including voids in the support structure. They also pointed out a few things that needed to be addressed with the handrails and balusters. At their suggestion, I contacted another contractor to come by and give me an estimate on what needed to be done to correct the issues. More than $4,000 in materials had to be replaced. The stairs and landing had to be torn out and rebuilt and parts of the actual frame of the deck had to be redone to provide proper support. Most handrails and balusters also had to be replaced. Their customer service, based on my experience was The worst I've ever encountered. I really believed at the onset of the job that they were polite and wanted to please their customer. In the end, that's not what I felt. I have pics of the work Sunset did and of the final product after the second contractor finished the project if you're interested.

We are so happy we found Sunset Decks. Our home is on a steep wooded hillside that makes access to the deck challenging, and requires additional manual labor to get new wood in place and old wood removed. We had several companies 'point this out' for us during the bidding process.
The entire experience with Sunset Decks from the call to arrange a bid to the final clean-up was, simply put, one of the best overall experiences we have ever had. Prompt, courteous, professional, accommodating and competitively priced. Oh, and did I mention that the deck looks amazing?!? Clearly pro work with attention to detail. We have already recommended Sunset to a friend and will continue to do so in the future. Could not recommend a company any higher. AAAA++++ ... thanks guys!!

Sunset Decks provided us with good service and good value. They started the job when they said they would and they finished the job efficiently.