Huckleberry Fence & Deck Co

When we had thought of having our deck remodeled almost ten years ago, we had received estimates from several companies. We liked the people from Huckleberry, and we visited several decks they had constructed around Eugene. They were clearly the best. They weren’t cheap, however, and we finally ended up building the deck ourselves. That took a long time but in the process I learned a lot about deck construction. Fast forward to early 2017. Our insurance company said they’d pay for the repair, including replacing the remaining deck surface because we couldn’t accurately match the color of the original decking. I immediately recalled Huckleberry, and called them up. A rep came to the house, we discussed what was needed, including rebuilding it with hidden fasteners, and he assured me that they could do it well, that they did it all the time, and that they had a lot of experience with the particular decking material, including the hidden fastener system. I didn’t go check out any of their work, because I thought it was the same people. That lack of due diligence on my part was a fatal error. I paid them half the agreed upon amount at the beginning of February, although they never provided me with a contract or other documents as required by state law. (And I didn’t learn until later that they were supposed to do that.) They promised they’d begin construction in about three weeks. Time went by, the date came and went, I would call and they’d promise me a new date. Because they usually wouldn’t answer the phone, I’d go to their office. Promises. Finally they came and removed the old decking. In talking to the main carpenter doing the job, I learned he’d never worked on a deck before. When he finished, the bare deck framework sat for a couple of weeks with nothing happening. I had to chase them down. More promises. Finally they showed up and started working, but every time I’d go by I had to correct some of what they were doing. Turned out I knew more about decks than most of the workers. A couple of them were great guys, very friendly and professional, but they had no experience with the hidden fastener system. And so it went. Days would go by when no one would show up, and the incomplete deck just sat there. At one point, I had to leave the country for several weeks, and I received an email asking me to pay the second half of the money, claiming they had finished the deck. But I emailed my neighbor, who informed me that it was far from complete. I refused to pay. After I returned, I continued to pressure them to finish. They never really did finish, but I got so tired of dealing with them that it was easier to just pay them off. Three and a half months had gone by. When we began, they promised they would complete the job in two weeks. But after three and a half months, they still weren’t done. There remain several parts of the deck where I will have to fix what they didn’t construct correctly. Boards that don’t lay flat. Lines that don’t run straight. Uneven cuts. Missing fascia. Failure to reconnect the deck lighting. And so on. But I preferred to pay them off and save myself the hassle of continuing to pressure them to finish. I’ll post one photo that is emblematic. It’s a place on the fascia where it took three attempts to find the stud behind the board. This is typical of the work they do. As I said, I am partly at fault. Had I done my due diligence, I would have discovered that the company I dealt with a decade ago had been sold to new owners a few years ago. The craft that had so impressed me before is clearly not there now. I learned a lesson. I’d recommend that others don’t repeat my mistake.

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We went with Huckleberry because our previous experience was excellent. However, that has all changed. During the installation process they caused a section of the next door neighbors fence to collapse and made no effort to repair the damage. The fence was not straight and had to be corrected. Several of the post caps were not level and had to be corrected. Overall a very bad experience.

We chose Huckleberry because of the quality of work they do. Brad came out and gave the estimate in May of this year. We gave the deposit in June. Huckleberry was not the cheapest quote, but we went with him for the quality. After several weeks and months, they finally started the project. i had to call Bradly every 2-3 weeks to see why they haven't started. Brad would give one excuse after another. Finally they started. Bradly did not look at his engineers plans, because he did not realize that the codes were pretty strict. It took them several weeks to do the footings and of course more money. 
Luke, the head builder, was on site and was the most professional person. Luke was up front with all the details and timelines. Brad was not. 
I have dogs, one of which is 13. She is nearly blind and deaf. Our house sits on a hillside and my old dog has access to the upper deck vial dog door. i asked Brad to call me when they remove the railing on the top deck, so I could make sure my dogs do not have access to that area, which is an about 14 foot drop to the bottom deck. My Daughter in law came over to the house to find all of the top rail missing and my dog having access to that area. Brad just look at me like I was stupid when I called him on it. 
Brad promised to come back after we paid in full to have his crew fix the footings and the dirt around them. They spent so much time on the footings and now the dirt is touching the wood. Bradly PROMISED to come back in 30 days, it's been 3 months and no show. Bradly does not follow through and lies to get the job.
Huckleberry puts out a good product, we are very happy with the quality of the deck and railing, but the journey to completion was a nightmare.  If you hire them, keep on top of what they are doing and don't expect follow through from Brad.