FRANKLIN FENCE & DECK

What a nightmare and very poor experience: I contracted with Franklin, Fence and Deck to replace my wood deck (also installed by Franklin, Fence and Deck) with a composite Timbertech deck. What should have taken 2 weeks max, ended up taking over 3 months and 2 separate crews. The first crew did a horrific job and even failed the code inspection for the frame (I had to call the city and have them come out to inspect the deck since I was concerned with the workmanship...despite Mike Costello (owner) telling me the workmanship was up to code). Mike Costello's initial approach was to argue with me and dispute the poor workmanship. He ultimately had to own up to his incompetence after failing the code inspection and inspecting his team's work. After multiple arguments, Mike finally agreed to put another team on the job, remove the entire composite deck, purchase more composite materials and correct the problems created by the first team. Once Mike advised me the deck was completed (2nd time and 2 months into the job), we conducted a walk through and I pointed out multiple areas of concern (poor cuts, uneven decking and just plain poor workmanship). Mike's crew advised me he instructed them to use the same material to cut down on costs. Again, I found myself having to argue with Mike about delivering a high quality product. He finally agreed to replace many of the composite boards and railing (ruined by his team's poor workmanship) and we proceeded with another 3 weeks of work on the 3rd attempt of the deck. Franklin, Fence and Deck is a poor excuse for a deck company and only completed the project due to my persistent oversite of Mike and his team. I strongly discourage anyone from contracting with this company. I also recommend anyone that has used Franklin, Fence and Deck in the past to have an inspection completed on their deck.

They use sub contractors for the work. We went through three different groups. Failed 3 city inspections and the 5-7 day project ended up taking 5 weeks. Had to end up cutting my losses and hiring someone else to do the work. Pictures show a little of their finished work. Boards not square or same width, different length spindles, and their fix to make posts same height.

I had to do a lot of research to figure out that this company, specifically Brian, was the company/person, that was sub contracted to do a deck job. He was horrible. He refused to do the deck like I wanted, so I lost square feet. He redid a deck on the existing footings, which later turned out to be installed incorrectly and I had to redo the entire deck. He put in a gate that sagged. It was terrible. Then he built a retaining wall. My father and I looked at it, and we knew something was wrong. I hired an engineer shoo confirmed it, and that had to be redone. He was a total jerk to me. I have had it with these contractors being rude to me, then doing poor work and saying it was because I was in there face, or a b---h, or some other horrible excuse. Beware.

Terrible. The gentleman I signed contract with said they could probably get started on June 1. I called him on June 1 and he siad he wouldn' be doing the work that another crew would be doing it. Didn't know when as the permit wasn't back yet.  It takes up to 3 weeks for permit to come back. From the time I gave him deposit in early May they should have had plenty oftime. Found out that permit wasn't even applied for until end of May.  Permit finally approved and couple of guys would come out and work three or four hours and then maybe wouldn't seethem for another couple of days. Finally started working and said it would be ready middle of next week. But really didn't see them for another day or two.  One guy got sick the other guy came out worked till noon byself and left again.  There were excusues, excuses and more excuses.  Finally after many phone calls etc the owner got another crew in here and they got it done.  Was getting my patio done but they didn't want to build until deck people got out. That put me out of the loop and had to wait and get patio done two weeks.  Had to fix my own gutter after they said they would re do it. Never called me again until they wanted final payment. Don't you think you should have a follow up to see that I was satisfied? Did find board that had a bdad place in it that I had ti fill with them. And decking board that has big gash in. I didn't call back and knew I would get same song and dance...we will fix it timmorrow etc.  Why bother? I would not recommend them.

unknown

I had a bad experience with it. I found them on Angie’s List. I know that one of my friend use them too. They did everything they said. It’s just they weren’t very timely and professional. They started the job and then they didn’t come back a week or two. I would tell friends and family that I wouldn’t use them.

Before you get any work done be sure to specify in the work order exactly what you want. Verbal is not  good enough! The work order is one page this is not enough room you should write what you want on multiple pages. (they will not be specific enough, they will not take notes). The person you are talking to may not be the one doing the work!!!!

The deck was banded with 2x10's when they removed the materials to replace the decking. They did not replace this. They left the 2x8s only, joists. This caused issues with the finished product. I expected 2x12 cedar veneer but since the 2x10 were not there they used 2x10 cedar veneer. Many, many angles and shortcuts used. no joist hangers, no metal post supports, no columns supports, no attention to detail,  the gaps in the decking floor are very uneven, yes even this detail should be addressed,  the screw lines are crooked.....many others....

I wanted the deck and rails screwed together not nailed. Specially said not a nail in the top of the deck. I received nailed and screwed decking and nailed railings. Cedar veneer was brad nailed as well. The nails used to construct all of the deck were brad finish nails (except the joists). These nails rust and streak the wood after a week or so. boards cupping due to no fasteners. I accepted a larger than standard bid because I believed that they would do what I wanted. not so

Every complaint was met with "well that's how we do it".. 99% of all deck are done that way.. absolutely no compromise and no customer is right...or even that will cost more... just NO.. I would point to the other two decks we could see from my yard and say that is not how that deck is built, no avail. You will say don't pay until it is right, I did that but the crew came back to fix my issues and messed up the deck even worse, I became afraid to call them back because I did not know what I would find when they left.

I have spent several weeks post competition, screwing the nailed pieces together, (railings loose and dangerous, brad nailed together, wiggling)  the way it should have been per my instructions.

If I knew then all of the shortcuts they would take, the work order would have been several pages! but you do not know until you have been thru it. If you want a quick, slapped together deck, pay less that your average quotes.

Really upset with myself, I know better.

I went with this provider because he told me he could finish my job within 3 to 4 days barring no rain.  His price was in line with other quotes.  Other fencing companies were booked up and I needed the fence asap as I was moving to this location and needed protected fencing for my dogs.  His 2 man crew showed up on Monday as promised and worked on Monday and Tuesday.  The rest of the time the crew showed up sporadically and told me that they were moved to other jobs.  It took over 30 days, not 3 or 4 days to complete the job. I was given lame excuses of why the crew was not there which I did not believe.  The Crew told me they were working on other jobs.   It took at least 4 "walk throughs" before the job was only satisfactory.  The work was sloppy and not up to par.  I had to call repeatedly to get the provider to correct and repair the sloppy work.  The same things were addressed multiple times.  The provider finally came out and stayed with his crew until I was ok with the work.  I am only mildly satisfied with the quality of the work.  I would not recommend or use this company again.

unknown

Ed Crane began the project on May 3, 2013 and finished on 6/12/2013.  While the project stretched out a bit, the design was unique and the thought first rate.  Execution was superb.  One year later, only minor binding on one gate that I took care of.  There is no warping or other imperfections.  None of the other quotes began to capture what we asked for and Ed delivered.  He periodically would ask for clarification if terrain or some other variable raised its head.  We could not be happier

Was one of the most frustrating experiences ever.  Original estimate and measuring was done in timely manner, with work to begin in about 3 weeks.  We had to chase them to get started and communication was difficult and frustrating.  We had strange difficulties in communicating about the arbor although what we wanted wasn't elaborate or complicated.  One crew began fence posts (I think they were from a different company) but then didn't come back for days and days.  It took several weeks for the fence to be finished.  In the middle of all this, Mike, the owner, said there was a mistake in measuring and it would really cost  $700.00 more.  We did not commit to paying the extra and they continued with the fence.  In the end, the fence is good, the gates are good, and the arbor is very good, but it was a negative experience all around.  I would not hire this company again.  We did not pay the extra cost in the end, although they might have been truthful about the incorrect measurement. We don't know. We found out they destroyed a section of irrigation pipe when digging the holes and didn't mention it. (It was very obvious) We had to pay our irrigation installer to have that fixed. 
I understand that sometimes companies can't help having issues while providing a service.  We are very understanding and were really in no huge rush to have the fence completed.  But, the lack of communication on their part and the sudden addition of cost made them suspect to us.  I think there is a better way to deal with issues.  It's called good communication and customer service.

Great

It took 4 weeks for them to get to the job (which had been indicated when I received the estimate).  But work was completed in one afternoon.  I was pleasantly satisfied with their work.

unknown

Had an aluminum fence with brick pillars installed at our new home. Turned out looking awesome and is the talk of the neighborhood. No surprises, great communication, and flexible to small changes. Would highly recommend.

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Excellent work. Friendly and professional. Worth the price and time to get the fence we wanted.

Dee Dee was our consultant, and was very helpful during the scoping of our project.  We had many questions to ensure that everyone was on the same page, but she was always willing to answer them or get back to us with responses.  The finished product (fence + 2 walk gates) satisfied our high expectations, as the quality of the products and the labor are both impressive.  One minor specified scope item was overlooked during construction, but this was fixed and positively portrays the customer service.  We would consider using them in the future.

I worked with Mike Costello to set up and manage the job. Mike kept me posted every step of the way. His crew took about ten days of on-and-off work to complete the job (there were some delays due to weather). I'm pleased with the result.

Mike was very prompt and patient. We made many changes to the original plan (even the day they started working) and he never once complained! The crew that did the work was awesome. Very considerate and hard working. They worked on a very cold wet windy day!
I would highly recommend this company for any project you have!

Professional estimate - detailed - knew what I was getting for the money. Installation was quick and installers were professional. They offered the best product for a fair price.

I am very happy with Franklin Fence and Deck.  Mike Costello ended up having to come to my house twice.  The first time he came out he recommended that I have a survey done rather than just building on the current fence line, but still gave me a full estimate for the design we had worked on.  I am so glad he recommended this as the survey showed that my backyard was actually 2-3 times as large as the original fenced in space.  After the survey, he came out again and worked patiently with me through the design process.  The work was started promptly, and although there was a delay during the build due to the foreman getting ill, it was finished in a timely fashion.   Mike and John (the foreman) kept me up to date and informed, and worked very hard to get the fence closed in as quickly as possible so I could let my dogs out.  The finished result is beautiful, and I am looking forward to working with Mike again if I re-do my deck.  I have also recommended Franklin Fence and Deck to my parents who are looking to build a fence.  I would recommend Mike and Franklin Fence and Deck to anyone.

Mike was very responsive in the estimate and planning stages. He helped me choose a design that met our HOA restrictions. He informed me that cedar was the best choice and explained how it should not come in contact with the ground because it would be susceptible to rot. The start date appointment was set and kept. The crew came and unloaded all the materials on the first day and finished the job in 3 days. However, Mike never came to oversee any of the construction. On the second day, I noticed the attached pickets were not only in contact with the ground but in some areas almost imbedded in it. When I informed the crew that this was not acceptable, they said they were not told about this. To remedy it, they took a power saw and cut unevenly along the bottom of the eastern section. In 2 other areas they did nothing. They expected to be paid the day they finished, however I was at work until after dark and wanted to inspect it first. The office secretary called early the next morning to come out and receive the final payment, so I had until 8:30 a.m. to see the final result. Mike was out of town. She walked the perimeter with me, and I pointed out several problems: fence pickets in contact with the ground, posts with large cracks in them, nails protruding where they didn't come in contact with the rail, stapled tags along the bottoms of most pickets, several rails with splits and gouges in them, and several pickets with large knot holes in them. If I had come across a substandard piece of wood, I would have chosen another. She said she would let Mike know about the problems, and I gave her the final payment. Meanwhile, I crawled along the base of the fence digging the dirt away from the pickets and pulling off the stapled tags. After several weeks of calling and miscommunication on their part, Mike came out and told me to mark some of the pieces that needed to be replaced, and he would take care of it. And someone did, but they never called first, so I wasn't present. By this time it was October. In July of 2012 we were unable to open one of the gates. The pressure-treated fence posts has twisted causing the gate to become wedged shut. Then we noticed several of the other posts had also twisted and the rails were pulling away from them. So I had to call again. Mike didn't come, but he sent someone else, and I happened to be home. He said he would need to replace the 2 posts by the gate. A week or two later, I called to see when they might come to take care of the problem and was told they already had. Well, what do you know....the gate opened, but they hadn't replaced the posts. Instead they shaved off a piece of one post and attached a screw into the other one to help hold it in place. I called again, and the same guy came out. He did apply one other screw and straightened the gate latch. He explained how pressure-treated wood is not as good as it used to be due to environmental standards. According to him, this and possibly the design of my fence was the cause of the twisting, and hopefully it would not continue.

Franklin Fence came to my rescue!  I started trying to get a fence up a month before I moved.  Unsuccessfully dealt with several other companies remotely for about 2 wks after I started.  I was in La., & needed a fence up on the property that I bought in TN.  Called several companies from Angies List & started dealing with one (YardDog) almost immediately.  It's a long story, but YD strung me along for almost 2wks without an estimate or timeframe.  It was getting closer to my move so I had to do something!  I called Franklin fence & was in connection with DeeDee almost immediately!  She went out, measured the property, & had me an estimate within a couple days.  She knew of the situation I was in & guarenteed that they could complete it before my move.  Knowing that we were dealing with each other remotely, DeeDee mailed me pictures of the proposed fenced area.  She always answered my calls & Franklin came thru for me!  I am now moved & King is enjoying his new backyard.  Thanks Franklin Fence!

They had a good price and that is why I choose their service. I thought that they good quality and professionalism.