Archadeck of Piedmont Triad

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After the work was completed and paid for, I called John and told him that the pergola was swaying in the wind and that some of the railing was separating. He sent someone to fix it. Several months later I called about the same problem and John told me that "we accepted the job as it was and that was the end of our guarantee". We have repaired the railings several time since it was just nailed together with small, thin carpenter nails. We are now tearing it all down since it is falling apart. Also, the composite material, that we used based on John's recommendation and paid so much extra money for, is poor quality, stains very easily and the screws are falling out of the decking floor.

project started 10 days late. very little communication provided by Archadeck. subcontractor assigned to perform work was very courteous and competent but not particularly punctual. half of windows did not arrive with delivery so were reordered - another 2 week delay. finally finished and a leak developed at the storm door. Archadeck attempted twice to seal leak and finally decided that the gutter above the door was the problem and they did not install gutter so - not their problem, even though they did install the door. interior caulking almost non-existent and finish details are a bit rough. a project that was supposed to start 6/9/14 and be finished around 7/4/14 finally started on 6/19/14 ( after much complaining) and finished 8/21/14.

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I was amazed at how nice it looks. The detail work really cleaned it up. I would use them again.

Archadeck of Piedmont Triad (the Contractor) had built three decks in our neighborhood and was well recommended. However, work is done by one of several teams of sub-contractors that work with the Contractor. Maybe different teams built the other decks. Our project, a screened in room over an existing deck, was handled by Mike Mann (the sub-contractor) and his assistant Matt. Matt was incredibly hard working. If you have read Fine Homebuilding or other sources on how decks should be build, this is different. The construction is much cruder and many of the recommendations are not followed. The approach seems to have been to minimize all costs once the price was agreed. This includes the miscellaneous sub-contractors (electrical, painting, roofing) some of whom were unimpressive and either unskilled or uncaring about their work. First problem: The plans that were drawn up were not followed. The stairs blocked a window that should have had a clear view and ended at the edge of the patio, rather than leaving room for a landing. When I discovered this, excuses were made and “it is too late to change”. Rather than discuss changes from the plans with the owner, the sub-contractor simply went ahead and did what he thought best, or easiest. I suspect he did not even have a copy of the plans at the site. There are lots of decisions that have to be made along the way that affect the outcome of a project like this. Unfortunately, the sub-contractor’s taste and judgment differ from the owners. You want to find a sub-contractor that respects an owner’s participation. This one does not. Second problem: I did not know about wood grades, so the contract did not specify these. The result was that we got the lowest grade of wood, full of knots. It was not dry or pressure treated. Inside, this is not too bad as we covered the floor with rugs. But beware. It does not look like the pretty pictures the Contractor showed us. Screw holes are much more prominent than the pictures show, perhaps because of the fasteners used. The lumber used for outside stairs and handrails has developed cracks and warps within a few months. The biggest problem: The design created new gabled roof over the deck adjoining another gabled roof over part of the house (think of a big inverted W). This design was supposedly approved by Archadeck’s “engineers”. This construction resulted in a large “V” between the two ridges. This was filled with a sloping triangular section. The result was that all the rainwater falling in the area between the two gables was directed to a single point at the edge of the building. Bad idea. Then the structure built to catch the runoff was too small and too low. The result is that in a moderate or heavy downpour, the rainwater shoots over the gutter and falls 25 feet into a flowerbed, where it is digging a hole and undermining the patio. Here is where the Contractor completely failed. Communications with the Contractor, never good once payment was made, have ceased. Neither phone calls nor emails are answered. The sub-Contractor has no interest in doing a proper job of fixing problems. I do not know if the Contractor has any control over the sub-contractor, but it is clear that neither of them is interested in having a satisfied customer. Archadeck headquarters did not respond to my inquiry concerning the “warrantee” they provided. I do not know if Archadeck of the Piedmont Triad is better or worse than other contractors. Overall, while we love our enclosed deck, this has been an unpleasant experience and promises to continue to be so. We are going to have to put more money into fixing shoddy work and materials. Whatever general contractor you hire, get independent recommendations of the specific sub-contractors, and chose one that has done a good job and has had good relations with the owner. Be careful about the miscellaneous sub-contractors as well. Make sure they a reputable. Find people who take pride in their work.

he proceeded to tell me that the weather made their business slow. MMMM might be the attitude projected. I would NEVER have this person do a job, he was rude, condescending. He would not even answer the questions. I dismissed him; he was not worth the time or the use of my own precious resource my voice. Caroline Smith

The experience wasn't the best. They didn't put the wood up that was supposed to be installed, and then they made the hole to big for the gutter. The second crew that did come in did a good job though, and they did tell me that they fired the first crew and stopped a job to bring in there replacements.

My expectation with their work was not met and their service was very pricey. But I would still use them in the future and be prepared to negotiate with them.

Cost was high

.The project manager came out first and helped us decide what design would be the best for our area. Then the main carpenter that came out he was very neat and very polite. I hardly knew he was hear except for the noise tht was made while he was building. All and all it was a great job. The manager came by every few days to check on the job. Its been great and we love it.

I am very happy with the finished product. It looks excellent. I might use them again but it would depend on the price.

This company deserves all A's. There is no question. They are not the cheapest company you will find in this area. They are certainly the best. I love what they built for me and now have the luxury of enjoying the beautiful area on a daily basis.

It went very well. I really liked the carpenters that they sent out. They tried hard to do what you asked them to do, and cleaned up well after themselves. They also tried not to do much damage to plants or lawn.

What an experience I must say. The deck is not very nice at all. The wood is seeping up sap and some of the boards are even green. It is disgusting. The workers were not very nice at all. Even the owner was not very satisfying in my eyes. The quality was OK, but for what I paid, it should have been better. Another thing, the project was supposed to take three days and it ended up taking a month, which was not thrilling either. When they came to fix some things, they only fixed one board. I guess I am not very enthused with them at all.

We are very pleased with all aspects of the work performed and the beautiful results they gave us. The service people were all courteous. Their price was fair especially considering the quality of the materials and the work that they did. I do not wish to discuss the price but we had shopped around and it was fair.

The deck looks wonderful. I was surprised at how large it was when it was done. You can actually fit two tables and a grill and still have room left over on it. I did have a small problem with the plastic part of the pergola but they came out promptly and took care of it.

I was very happy with the service. The room is very nice. They had the project completed by the time promised. The workers were friendly and easy to work with. They did a good job. I would recommend them to others.

Larry returned call promptly and arrived on time. Lengthly consultation four our likes/dislikes, terrain, etc. Larry worked up sketch and altered it until it was what we wanted. Job was quoted on basis of sketch and we accepted. Some days later drawings arrived from their office. They arranged all the permits and utilities inspections. We were given a start date and this was held up for a week with inclement weather. I consider this an uncontrollable delay. Once the job started we were never really sure when or if the carpenters were going to turn up but in the end it didn't really matter as the job was completely finished on schedule. Representatives from the company visited the site as the work was in progress to insure all was well. The completion and full clean-up occurred on the same day.

THEIR DESIGN WORK IS VERY INNOVATIVE. THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. I THOUGHT THEY WERE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THEIR FIELDS. I WOULD RECOMMEND THEIR SERVICES.