Ranch Carpentry LLC

In 2008, John Jones, owner of Rancher Carpentry LLC in Leander Texas and Austin resident, upgraded our propertyand lsquo;s back deck at a cost of $14,000. On February 29th 2008 it was approved by the City of Lakeway to commence upgrading the back deck to include a cover and tile flooring plus re-beaming under subfloor to support the additional weight and cover. By 2014 we noticed several tiles and grout lines were cracking exponentially and were soft when stepped on. Under further investigation we found extensive soffit board and plywood rotting below the tiles. There was also extensive rotting on the plywood surrounding the deck's perimeter edges. In April of 2014 I requested John visit our home to potentially work on a project. I did not go into details because I wanted to ensure he would show up. John came to our home and I presented the problem. John investigated the issues and admitted he made a mistake by not adding flashing along the perimeter and not applying a water barrier like Red Guard over the soffit material below the thin set and tile. I gave my opinion that it was John's failure to provide the proper flashing and a water barrier under the tile that exponentially rotted our $14,000 deck upgrade. John explained he had installed several similar decks and never had a problem. He also reassured me that he would take care of this issue fairly and proposed I cover material costs plus $1500 to rebuild the deck and he would cover the cost to demolition and remove materials. John boasted about his positive rankings on Angie's List and the fact he has been in business since the early 1980s. He was very adamant about his high level of customer service which was the backbone of his success. John asked for a few short weeks to get his schedule in line and we agreed on his proposed terms. June 2008: John and I volleyed back and forth for almost 2 months to select materials and set a specific time to begin demolition and rebuilding the deck. John kept rescheduling his demolition and construction date because of his current obligations. I desperately needed my deck repaired because it was a serious hazard in its current condition. I made a decision to employ another contractor for about the same out-of-pocket expense and informed John that I would only need him to demo the deck for free per our agreement. On June 16, 2014 at 7:40 PM, John responded to my request via text message that he will not perform anything on my deck because it was no longer under warranty and because the previous homeowners failed to apply a sealant every two months to prevent water from penetrating the grout lines. As a prior homebuilder, I consulted with the City of Lakeway's Director or Building and Development Services and two additional contractors who all concurred with my opinion that no amount of sealant would have prevented this from happening, based on the way the deck was constructed. As a matter of fact, the City of Lakeway now mandates that all tiled decks have a water barrier applied under the tile. It is my opinion, and that of experienced contractors, that tile placed on wooden decks is highly susceptible to expansion and contraction due to the extreme elements would have inevitably crack the grout or tile causing water to penetrate the surface. If flashing and the recommended water barrier had been installed correctly, the worst I would have contend with would be replacing broken tile and re-grouting cracked grout lines. The James Hardie Corporation requires all cement based products should be covered by paint or other barrier to prevent deteriation and water penetration, since it is a very porous product. John has never returned my phone calls or replied to my text messages to make good on our promise and our agreement. I was left to take full control over the project and all of its costs. I had left John extensive phone and text messages that if he did not comply with our agreement, then I would seriously consider filing a small claims suit against him for the full amount of damages plus any other damages I could legally recoup from. I have not filed a small claims suit as of yet but will consider this should he not contact me before the Texas statute of limitation runs out to file a case.

John Jones, also known as JJ was given a drawing of exactly what I wanted. the rail was to be both cable and wood. He said he would hand pick the red wood from Eastside Lumber. He did not, matter of fact the wood was nothing like the sample provided. It was stained from strapping and had many knot holes. It was to have been delivered the day before so I could stain it on all sides. It was not. The crew used my rollers to slap on the stain and immediately wipe it off. Essentially doing so that it didn't have time to penetrate the wood. John was never on site when it counted. He crew was left to do what they though and not what I had discussed with him. The railing was installed so that the stainless cable could not be used. John said he had to design a metal strip for it. Well no that wouldn't have worked. John also placed the 4 x 4 on the corner, well a metal cable can not make a 90 degree angle through a piece of wood. The design showed 2 4 x 4's on either side of the deck corner. The 4 x4 was attached to the house, no room for the cable. The deck is not safe (it is off the 2 floor), it is nailed to the house. It needs to be bolted so that it won't pull away form the house. There is also nothing to prevent racking, which is also a safety hazard. John prided himself on leaving a gift, well the gift was using my, I paid for it, wood. He did what he wanted which was to slap together 2 tables I do not want. the extra wood was to be used to make air conditioner fences. They carted off some of the larger pieces of wood (which I know were used on another job) and then the rest. John was also suppose to remove and add wood around the garage door that was rotting. they only did half the job. He was also suppose to come back and lightly sand the wood and apply more sealant. Never saw him again. Matter of fact his text messages are proof of his character. 2 other people that used him had major issues as well. But they will not step up and post of his and quot;issuesand quot; John will talk a good story but his work here is not safe. Hire someone else save yourself the money and headaches. There must be a reason why there is no physical address for him.

The work is still ongoing. They do work as we need them. They are currently doing an awning for us. We trust them. We trust that the work they are doing they are doing right. They balance price and schedule. We created a relationship with this company and they are our first go to company for any job.

Our experience with them was great. It was a great crew. They were professional and on time. It was well-run.

Johnny and his team far exceeded our expectations. He finished early and under budget.