We hired Accent Deck to do a new ipe deck for our home in May of 2019. We had a friend who James had built an ipe deck for and really liked it. James was very responsive to our initial inquiry and came out to our house to talk about design, budget & materials. We were pretty sure we wanted to go with ipe but James was also helpful in giving us the pros and cons of both wood and composite decking. He also was willing to listen to our needs around design, which included a desire to have a bricked space for a wood burning fire pit that we were having manufactured as well as enough room for a dining area off our kitchen/mud room door. We iterated on our overall design for a few weeks and then made the decision to hire Accent. James very quickly got his crew to work, and they were some of the hardest working guys we have ever had work on a home project! They were there every day, weather permitting (and even sometimes in bad weather!). Eli, the head builder, was friendly, paid extremely close attention to detail and always happy to accommodate any small fixes or areas we wanted him to address. Both James and Eli had a very consistent answer of "We can do that" and we never felt like we were getting the runaround or getting pushed in a direction we didn't want to go. The workmanship in the final product is truly impressive and we've had several people remark that it's the most quality craftsmanship they have ever seen in a deck. I would agree -- if you're looking for a high quality deck and care about evenness, levelness, and overall structural integrity, this is your team! I'm including some photos of the before/during/after. Thanks Accent Deck! read more

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Love our new deck! The crew was excellent & detail oriented. James is experienced, professional & a pleasure to work with. They are reliable & completed our project on time. Reasonably priced & high quality. Janet & David read more

We are 100% satisfied with our new deck and pergola! James listened to all of our visions and put them into reality! He even offered suggestions to save us money and was upfront about all costs involved. We were pleasantly surprised about the overall cost as well! James communicated well and made the whole process painless. Eli and John did great work, were pleasant and approachable as well. Definitely recommend! read more

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When the time came after years of finally being able to replace our old deck, I talked to several people and companies, but for various reasons, I knew they weren't the right ones. I received a recommendation for Accent Deck Design from a local lumber place. After calling James and speaking with him, we made an appointment for him to come out. During that appointment, the way he listened to my ideas and came up with solutions, I knew immediately he was the right person. I still wasn't sure exactly on the materials to use or the design, but James with Jame's expertise and a little patience from us to make some decisions, we came up with a plan and a reasonable price. His team that built the deck, Eli and Josh, were so great. I would watch them out the window at times. I saw them spent a lot of time on little things just to make sure everything was level, straight, and perfect. I felt like most people would have just said it was good enough and moved on, but not these guys. In the end, the deck came out better than my wife and I ever dreamed of. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to say that we have the best deck in our entire area. People keep asking us who did our deck because they want to use them. I had to get business cards from James so I could hand to everyone. read more

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I can't say enough about the job James and his guys did for us, redecking our backyard deck and building a pergola. Fair price, on schedule, and stunning craftmanship, especially the stonework. If you are looking for a great guy to work with, who reminded me of what customer service used to be, give him a call! The pics here are from our job. The deck is almost too pretty to use! read more

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Job well done! Accent Deck Designs just finished our custom deck and it is terrific! James is a pleasure to work with, is honest, and works with you while contributing his own design ideas. The construction takes time, because they put quality and durability over speed. This is not a team of workers banging out a template deck over a few days. They may do that, too, but we had some non-standard needs and ideas, and they worked with us. We feel it is the deck we hoped for, and are extremely happy with the outcome! read more

After doing much research and meeting with several companies James proved to be the best choice even before seeing his work first hand! I did go based on reviews and my initial gut feeling upon meeting James. He was honest, creative, responsive and kept his word. Issues I had with other companies. His two man crew took their time and did things right! It was obvious to me they wanted to create perfection. James came by several times to check their work and even responded to some cosmetic concerns I had! At the end everything turned out beautifully and most importantly it was done right. Our deck is lovely and we can't thanks James and his entire team enough for making this happen for us! We are in love with our deck! read more

I can't say how disappointed I am with the services I received from James. We had set an initial appointment for him to come out on Sunday. He was a no-show. I called and asked if he was still coming, and was told he threw his back out and that he would be out the next day. He came out the next day (and it did seem as if he had thrown out his back) and we spoke at length about modifying my current deck. At *no time* did he give me the inkling that he did not want to do this job, etc. I called him a few times after our appointment together and asked about the estimate and was always told "it's coming". It has been over a month and I have not heard one word from James... I guess business must be very good right now! read more

Maybe James' work IS great - but if you don't follow up, respond to emails or phone calls and then basically fall off the planet, no one will ever know how good the work can be. What a waste of time having him come do a quote. All I'm left thinking is that maybe my job wasn't "good enough" or "expensive enough" for him. too bad. read more

I used James from Accent Decks just this past September and let me tell you the deck he built is fabulous. Not only did James patiently explain the various types of building material that could be used for the deck but he also dropped off material for us to look at and met with us at his shop so we could see how it stood up under direct sun. James also took my basic design of what I wanted and then asked if he could improve upon them. He did and I'm very glad. He turned my original boxy concept in to something more interesting to look at. He was flexible and allowed me to comment, intervene and be part of the process. Part of my project was also incorporating a shed underneath the deck (our house is on a sloped lot and I needed more space for our gardening equipment) and James took the time to help me understand the design he had in mind. He also offered ways to limit the cost of construction of not only the shed but also the deck itself resulting in my saving thousands of dollars off 2 other competitor bids. James' company was hit during the economic downturn he had to lay off his staff. Now that the economy is back on the upswing, he's adding crew and his work is indeed booming. Yes, you may have to also be patient because he can get busy, but if you are patient, James will work with you and will produce a quality product. He's also an honest guy, extremely polite, never pushy and has a hugely loyal customer base here in the neighborhood. We live in Belterra along Hwy 290 at the corner of MIrafield and Merion. James has done most of the decks for the houses on Mirafield btw but you can clearly see the work he did for us easily from the street as you drive past the house. James was great to work with and I won't hesitate to recommend him to anyone. In addition, the crew working for him, Shilo & Art, were first-rate. They were polite and always stopped to have a friendly chat and then policed the construction site every late afternoon when they were done. Thank you James and crew for what I have to say was a very pleasant experience. read more

James and his crew built a wonderful pergola in our backyard. We could not be happier with the workmanship or customer service.

For an unbelivablly beautifull decks, Accent Decks is the only place in Austin to go. I had them build two decks for me. The bids were fast, the work started in 48 hours (ok it was off season), the work finished when promised by two fantistic workers. James McDowell is a fanatic believer is old fasioned customer service with a smile. At first I was hit with sticker shock but at the end he didn't charge me for beauty, quality, and pleasure. Please do not tell James, please! read more

He understands customer service whereas most companies today have forgotten what it is or don't care. We have had two separate projects completed by James and one of his crew. The workmanship is quality at a fair price. They pay attention to details. The crews are always professional in their work and communication. The area was thoroughly cleaned afterwards each time. The only reason I didn't give James a five is due to his follow up communication with regards to scheduling. Other than that, we will definitely call him again for our next project! read more

James and his staff exceeded all expectations. The quality of their work was superb. James was especially helpful with his design expertise and its translation to the finished product. I highly recommend Accent Deck Design to anyone interested in improving there lifestyle and entertainingbarea read more

Reasonable quote, friendly interaction with all company personnel and great work. They can get busy and sometimes take a while to call back but the work is very good and the personal interaction between us and the owner and crew was always very good and very accommodating. I would definitely use them again. read more

I have had trouble getting contractors to show up and provide timely quotes and project completion in Austin, but James and crew were excellent. Timely quote and follow up questions answered quickly and accurately. The patio and pergola we had built was on time and excellent quality. Customer service defined. I highly recommend Accent Deck Design. read more

We had a great experience with James and his crew. I started with my own rough idea of what I wanted for my deck but they provided a few comps of some other things we could do and it was a great improvement. The guys on the crew were extremely nice and did fantastic work. They talked me through each stage when I had questions or wanted to modify minor things during the build. I have already recommended them to several people. read more

In a time when customer service seems ancient history, I am more than pleased with the work by James and crew on a deck and pergola for us. Excellent communication, timely quote and they showed up and completed the project on time and at a high quality level. Well done. read more

My husband and I had contacted James after a failed deck with stairs project from a "Craigslist Contractor" that left us in a horrible situation. Our stairs were basically hazardous, faulty, and an accident waiting to happen. James called me the same day I contacted him and we scheduled an appointment. After discussing the situation, he pointed out some additional concerns for safety and I had a quote within a few days. His crew started the day he set up and they completed most of the project in one day. By day 2, the project was complete and we are very pleased. His crew was Courteous, and didn't waste any time. They also cleaned up after the first day and picked up all of the spare wood off the grass. Something the other "contractor" did not do. James also answered my texts and emails in a timely manner, almost always right away. Oh ya, and he is a super nice person, really down to earth! In the end, we have a safe set of stairs that look great! James really helped us out in more ways than one and I can very highly recommend his company. In fact, we will be using him for future projects and will recommend him to our neighbors. read more