DECK BUILDERS INC

We recently hired Deck Builders, Inc (DBI) to build a new screened porch with a replacement deck and stairs and are very pleased with the results. The owner, Ricardo Anturiano, and the work crew- led by Ronald — were professional, courteous, and hard working. Ricardo was frequently on site and available to answer questions in person, by phone or text. We interviewed 4 different builders in our area before ultimately choosing DBI for several reasons: First, DBI was able to provide the TimberTech composite boards and railings we preferred; second, they offered the most reasonable pricing for our project; and third, we were impressed with their level of expertise and decades of experience. DBI completed our project within budget and the quality of their workmanship is outstanding. If you are looking for an honest, skilled builder, we highly recommend Deck Builders, Inc!

Outstanding service from true professionals. Completed our deck exactly the way we wanted. We are really impressed with their work and would highly recommend using Deck Builders for all of your work. We have received nothing but compliments from all who have seen the end result. We are really enjoying sitting on our deck.

This is truly an amazing company! We recently hired Deck Builders, Inc to build a new deck and a 3-season room. We are very happy with the results! The team was professional, courteous, and kept us informed throughout the process. Randy Morgan started the project with us and provided design and conceptual ideas for the space, taking advantage of the natural light ultimately improving our original thoughts. Ricardo Anturiano and the work crews followed providing additional suggestions as the project unfolded to maximize utility/functionality yet keeping costs at a reasonable level. Ricardo, the owner was frequently on site and was available for any questions in person or by phone. Three things set Deck Builders, Inc apart from other builders and those we interviewed: 1. Attention to detail in all phases of our project especially in the design process, 2. Communication and schedule adherence throughout the project, 3. Reasonable cost and excellent build quality Deck Builders, Inc completed our project on time and within budget, which was greatly appreciated. The quality of their workmanship is excellent. The work crew were amazing in their skill and work ethic. We would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy construction company. Thank you, Deck Builders, Inc for doing such an amazing job! - Eileen and Tom C

We built a brand new deck on the back of our house, replacing the original deck. Deck Builders did a great job from the minute I called them to when they completed the work. Randy was very collaborative and responsive as we refined our requirements and specifications. Once we committed, Deck Builders helped us with the County permits and our HOA submission. The two person crew, Baldemar and Miguel, were phenomenal. They worked incredibly hard in very hot conditions and always answered our questions and inquiries as they were doing their work. They were always very positive and seemed to care a lot about the quality of their work (which was excellent) Ricardo came by several times and ensured everything was done to specification and even made some recommendations on lighting, which the crew installed. I would strongly recommend Deck Builders to anyone.

Excellent quality and easy to work.

I was very pleased with them. They were very professional. They were exceptionally good. I referred them to 2 people. It was great.

DBI did a professional job and met Fairfax County Specifications. The new deck is beautiful; my wife and I are very happy with the results. Great Job! Keep it up! We highly recommend Deck Builders Inc (from Manassas0

During the past ten years Deck builders has built our deck and gazebo, remolded our basement, and repaired the carport . Recently Ricardo, our project manager, designed and installed adaptive railings for the deck and entrances to our home. The workmanship and product were outstanding. We highly recommend Ricardo and Deck Builders for all home project needs.

We couldn't have asked for a better company / contractor to work with. They were always on time, knowledgeable, kindly steered us away from design mistakes we had suggested, used best materials, and got our job completed exactly in the time stated. They were fast, considerate of our property, and their attention to fine details and willingness to meet our desired results were so good, we used them again several months later for a second project, which turned out perfect like the first one. They also left job site ( our home ) very clean during work and after completion.

Deck Builders were AWESOME! From the initial contact for an estimate to completion they were timely with appointments, spot on time! Very knowledgeable with good suggestions to accomplish the design to our needs. Materials were delivered on time and the deck was completed in a timely manner. All workers were accomplished, friendly, and picked up trash and debris and took it away daily. Great experience working with Deck Builders. We contacted them initially because we had friends that used them and were also very pleased with their work. Highly recommend them !

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 Fabulous job done by the company!  Right from the start Luis Figueroa was on time for the appointment, listened to what we had to say, made valuable suggestions and assured us we'd have a beautiful screened in porch!  We interviewed 2 other companies and chose Deck Builders because of the professionalism displayed by Luis and the price point was the best!
The crew was very professional.   Showed up rain or shine!  They worked from morning until dusk and completed the project in about 3 weeks.  If we had a question Franc would answer it or find the answer for us.  All products used are top quality and we expect our screened in porch to last forever!

We originally interviewed our former landscaper who asked to bid on the deck, patio and fence project. He presented us with a ridiculous bid of over $80,000 and did not incorporate many of the features we wanted in the design. It was all about him!

As a result, we solicited bids from six Angie's List deck builders who work in our area. All six visited our home and made presentations. The bids were all over the place. Some left out features and options we requested, others did not size the deck correctly, and some tried pushing products we did not want. So we wrote out a detailed set of requirements for the project outlining every feature and preference we wanted in the finished project and we asked them all to resubmit so we could compare apples to apples. One told us that he had already submitted the perfect proposal and we could take it or leave it. Four ignored us. Only Luis Figueroa from Deck Builders responded. He redesigned his original proposal and drawings and agreed to every one of our stipulations. He provided all required documents for review by our HOA modifications committee.

We awarded Deck Builders the contract and never looked back. They did an outstanding job. Ricardo and Luis closely supervised the entire project. The deck and fence crew did excellent carpentry and used high quality materials. They installed the Trex deck floor in a stunning angled pattern and copied this pattern on the two stair landings. The team worked long hours and never complained. We added the drainage system and ceiling after the project began. Deck Builders handled this change order very professionally. They provided all the details and cost and offered us options for both the drainage system and the ceiling.

The mason and his crew did an outstanding job on our new patio. they took great care with the substrata, ensuring that it was the correct depth to fit beneath the lights on the bottom riser of the staircase and at the correct distance from the basement door sill.

Ricardo and Luis were very responsive to emails and telephone calls. Each made his cell phone number available to us. Nancy, who runs their office, was always attentive to our inquiries. She facilitated communications and handled the billing. Deck Builders billed in five payments as they had specified in their contract. There were no unpleasant surprises and everyone was friendly and professional.

Deck Builders transformed an ugly scene with a substandard deck and screen house erected by a previous owner and a mud hole outside the basement door into an outdoor paradise which we will enjoy for years to come. A complicated project with a tight timeline and several different components is successfully executed through mutual communication between builder and customer and through the detailed specification of requirements.

We checked both the Better Business Bureau and Angie's List before hiring this company.  The positive grades on both sites were encouraging so we called to get an estimate.  Luis Figueroa was the person who came to the house to give us the estimate.  He showed us some pictures of the work the company has done and made some design suggestions for the new deck.  He was very personable and professional and we liked his ideas.
Timeline:
Contract signed on 27 August 2013
Project started on 19 September 2013
Job completed on 15 October 2013
Complaint #1:  It should not have taken almost a month to replace the decking and railings on an existing deck since the pilings and support structure were in good shape and did not have to be replaced.
Complaint #2:  The workers that were sent to build the deck were slow and did sloppy work.  They didn?t pay attention to what they were doing.  Just a few examples are: they cut off one of the support posts; they ripped a window screen; they installed broken and cracked boards; they broke a patio flagstone; they patched two pieces of wood together for an accent board rather than use a single piece which was one of the design elements that Luis told us they would do.
Complaint #3:  A support post was cut off and instead of replacing it properly they put a 4x4 on top of the cut.  The cuts were not straight so when they put the 4x4 on top it did not sit flush.  It is a very amateurish fix.  Not one you would expect from people who build decks for a living.  We will add pictures if possible.
When we brought our concerns to the owner, Ricardo Anturiano, about all the things we found that were unacceptable, he had the workers come back to fix everything with the exception of the support post.  When we showed Ricardo the cut support and the way it was ?fixed? he said it looked safe and he wasn?t going to do anything else about it. 
We are not happy with the look of the support post or Ricardo's decision to not repair it properly.

The deck and porch themselves were bult very well compared to the poor to p***-poor workmanship that is the average in Northern Virginia.  The price was much too high, but consistent with the normal price gouging in Northen Virginia.  If you do business with this company, you must keep in mind that you are dealling with three different entities that do not communicate well:  1. They guy who will design and sell the project to you.  2. The guys that will actually build the project. and 3. The company owner/supervisor. 
Do not assume that what you buy from 1 is what 2 and 3 will provide.  The builders (2) did not even have a copy of the detailed plans and contract details from  the designer (1) until we gave them a copy near the end of the project. 
Ensure that the designer writes every single thing down because if it is not written, the owner will not honor any verbal agreements or commitments made by the designer.  There is no such thing as "normal" or "given expectation"  or "it only makes sense to ..." 
Finally, if you know anything about building and want special methods or design criteria met, you must be onsite to carefully guide the builders - they seem to only know "their way" of doing things.  For example, if you want wooden support posts to be set on concrete pillars instead of buried in the ground, you must first ensure that they received the requirements from the designer, then you will need to show them the proper way to set the pillars and then place the posts on them.  If you do not want enclosed rooms simply bolted through the siding on your house, you will need to be there to ensure that the siding is removed and then replaced.  And of course, make sure that such things are specifically stated in the contract. 
Following my own advice from above,  I would possibly use this company again in the future.  The actual builders were very good in general skill and worked tirelessly in frankly brutal heat, but if I were going to invest so much of my own time and effort in the job, I could probably guide some less skilled laborers and get the job done for much less. 
For the price, I expected a superior experience and deliverable, but only got a good product with a bit of frustration.  I guess for Northern Virginia, I made out like a bandit ...Heck, two previous guys in similar businesses didn't even show up to the job that they agreed to do.
Bottom line:  These guys can build a superior standard deck.  They need close supervision for jobs beyond that.

My fiance and I really wanted to get a deck put in and close in our back yard. We also wanted a smaller deck put in on our bottom floor as well. We met with Luis and he provided us with examples and suggestions. We decided that we no longer wanted a bottom deck but a patio instead due to all of the great things Luis said about it. I want to say they did an awesome job. My fiance and I could not be more happy with the results. We have received numerous compliments from our neighbors as well. I would highly recommend Deck Builders Inc if you ever plan on getting work done. Their prices are very reasonable and the quality of their work is exceptional. Thank you Deck Builders for providing such awesome work :)

We were very impressed with Ricardo. Our original plan was to just rebuild what we already had. He came to our home and gave us a detailed estimate and provided several options. We asked him to come back for some revisions in order to still meet our budget and get a different design other than our original deck. He had great suggestions and encouraged us to add lighting, and we are very happy that he did. We are very happy with the finished product.
A few negatives: The job took longer than we were told, but some of the days were extremely hot. The cleanup left a bit to be desired. We had one board that needed to be replaced on a fence section that was rebuilt, and it took several phone calls to get that board replaced.
Having said that, we are super happy with our deck and it appears to be very well built. We were very happy with Ricardo's design suggestions.

.The design was outstanding and the quality of the work and materials exceeded my expectations.  A lot of time and thought was put into the overall addition.  Plus the designer actually listened to what I wanted.  The workers who did the labor were always on time and very professional.

The representative came two times to our home for an estimate. He worked with our initial plan and made it happen. My husband had a design in mind and Tommy detailed it out into a fantastic outdoor area for our family.
The builders worked quickly and kept everything clean and orderly. We were very pleased with the final deck.

My husband and I were ready to get our deck project started and we were pretty sure of what we wanted. So I lined up 6 contractors to come out  to place a bid on the job.
Deck Builders was one of them. I  found the company through a Google search. That day, I called and left a request for someone to contact me for a free estimate. That same day,  Luis Figueroa called me back to schedule an appointment. Because my  weekends were already booked, Luis offered to come after work during the week to run his estimate. I sort of questioned myself as to how he would be able to see the property at night, but went with the appointment anyway. 
Luis was prompt in arriving for our appointment. He first went out to our back yard with his notepad and cellphone (to use as a flashlight) and took a bunch of measurements. We met back inside and as he was getting more information from us about what we wanted, what we expected, he was sketching out a deck layout for us. He made a few suggestions but was never pushy. The idea of adding lighting to our deck came from him, and BOY are we GLAD we did! It looks amazing. He definitely knew what he was doing and you could tell he was passionate about design. He even gave us some great suggestions as to what we could do with our downstairs patio on our own.
Luis assured us that Ricardo (owner or Deck Builder) and his crew were great at what they do and very seasoned. He showed us several photos of completed projects on his iPAD.
Once we were done with our appointment he said he would email us a final proposal in about 48 hours. And that he did. His proposal came in at the upper-mid price point of the 6 contractors we received bids from. We emailed and texted back and fourth as there were a few changes we wanted made and a few price adjustments we asked for, and the entire time, Luis was very  responsive. Also to note, Luis will provide you with all that you need to submit your home improvement proposal to your HOA.
We officially hired them as our contractors on February 13, 2013.
The construction began on March 15th, 2013.
Two guys arrived that Friday morning. I was a bit hesitant as they pulled up in a minivan with car seats and their tools. I thought to myself, 'hmm, you would think Ricardo would have a work truck." Well turns out that Ricardo was not one of the two guys that showed up, but  rather 2 of his crewmen. I was hoping Ricardo would be there, because, well, that's what I was told.
After the guys unloaded their minivan and brought all their tools and supplies around to our backyard, they got started right away on the deck. I appreciated that they kept our backyard clean and tidy after every completed workday. The same 2 guys came back each day until the project was complete.
I thought they did a great job on our deck and have been pleased with the craftsmanship. We have already passed their names along to our friends who also need some outdoor work done. I would definitely recommend Deck Builders and will call on them for future services if needed.

We met Ricardo Anturiano, Owner, at a home expo show.  We were drawn to this company by their professional display.  It was nice to see their craftsmanship and samples of materials.  The fact that he was bilingual (English/Spanish) was a major plus for us.  He arrived on time for all of our appointments.  He spent ample time answering questions and helped us understand the county requirements.  We never felt pressured or enticed to sign a contract in exchange for a better deal.  It was simply here is my price call me if your interested.  We really appreciated the straight forward approach with no gimmicks or up-selling.
While they told us they could begin in 3 weeks, they were ready to begin sooner.  They were patient with our schedule which delayed the start of the project as a whole.  He quoted it would take up to 7 days to complete the deck, but they actually finished the entire deck within 3 days.  They coordinated and kept us posted about the Fairfax County inspectors.
The crew leader, Donald, worked tirelessly to complete the work promptly and quietly (as realistic).  He and his partner kept all the construction materials neat and orderly from project start to finish.  The crew only requested access to a power outlet (saws) and running water (for the cement).  My wife who was home with out two toddlers was never disturbed by the crew requesting any access to our home.  Donald was very respectful and capable.  I highly recommend to ask for him by name.  He is bi-lingual in English and Spanish, so communication was very clear.
We love our deck and we consider Deck Builders an outstanding contractor.  Should we move to another home, we will contract them again without question.

Great

Overall, the experience was excellent. We're the sixth person that has used them on our street; Ricardo is such a nice man! His crew is very nice, too. They clean everything up and do all the work to code. Ricardo also designs everything himself, and his ideas are great!

I called Deck Builders Inc. on Tuesday and had an
appointment the following day with Luis Figueroa. Luis sat down with my wife
and I and we talked about how we want the deck to be designed.  Luis did a couple of drawing for us and we
decided on one of the three options. The next day Luis emailed us a different layout
that he thought would look better do to the way our back yard is configured and
yes we agreed to the drawing Luis has great design taste. My wife and I had
three company?s come out and provide us with estimates Deck Builders was
willing to give us more for our money without charging us for every little nail
and screw so we signed a contract with them that following Monday a good
selection of C ? cut wood was delivered and the workers started working on the deck
within that first week was deck was almost finished. The workers were great and
very respectful we had a great crew of three hard worked doing our new deck. The
job was completed on time the job was inspected twice by the PW deck inspected
without any problems or code violations was gave us piece of mind knowing
everything was building and attached properly to our house.  I would truly recommend Deck Builders Inc. to
any of my friends for any deck projects they might have.

Fantastic!Bid Process: Deck Builder's professionalism was unmatched by all the other companies I sought estimates from.  The Deck Builders representative called (within an hour on a weekend) to schedule an appointment after my on-line request to their website and ask a few questions to understand the scope of the effort.  The representative emailed the day before to confirm the appointment then appeared on time (actually a few minutes early) to review the planned work.  He listened closely to use patterns and customer desires.  The representative inspected the home's structure to ensure he understood requirements for deck support prior to submitting a bid.  He carried many pictures of previous work to offer ideas on deck design details.  The process was described including the permitting and inspection process.  With decisions made, he provided a draft estimate (after about 15 minutes) that would be emailed in final form that evening.  True to his word, the formal proposal matched his draft exactly.  CONTRAST TO OTHER BIDDERS:  Other companies either tried to convince me that the structure of a 20+ year old visibly sagging deck was sound or since this is a replacement deck the job could be "grandfathered" without a permit (incidentally as a homeowners assoc rep  I have checked with the county and this grandfathering is not allowed due in part due to safety restrictions on deck railings).  The other bidders clearly tried to steer us to what they wanted to do, not what we wanted.
Comparison of Bids:  Based on the higher level of professionalism exhibited by Deck Builders in the bid process, I had expected that I would have to pay a premium for their service, but this was not the case.  In fact, the other bidders initial quotes came in above Deck Builders with a caveat that they would "attempt" to price match if I had a lower quote.  (You be the judge on what that means.)  With promises of discounts from some, the best I could do was close to Deck Builders, but none would match their price. 
Scheduling:  In this busy part of the season, companies promised a 4 week start time;  Deck Builders estimated 3 weeks but in fact started the work in 2 weeks.
Quality of work:  The finished product was first rate.   Permits were obtained before the start and all inspections conducted during the process. The attention to detail was as promised.  Workers arrived early in the morning and worked to about 7 to complete the job (incl SAT) in a week. 
OVERALL:  If I had additional work to do, I would not hesitate to go directly to Deck Builders.  They stood apart from the rest and their product was superb.  
General note of caution to homeowners:  After personally observing how detailed Deck Builders is in the bid process to fully understand the job and their attention to compliance with permitting and code compliance compared to other bidders, the tendency to go with someone who says "that's not required" and offers a cheaper price for less work scope is temping.  However, when the job begins and previous "unknown issues" crop up - you're in for a battle on who pays.  In fact, a neighbor recently did not select Deck Builders after DB stated what work was required for code compliance; the neighbor selected another bidder who was willing to develop a "work around".  Time will tell as that job progresses, what was the best value.