We hired AJ Gale Builders to complete a deck for us in March. Due to weather and other delays the project was not completed until May. Upfront, I'll note that AJ knocked $300 off of our $10,500 deck project because we were dissatisfied with the work and, to be fair, he did ultimately offer to fix what we had issues with, but not before he got upset with us for being mad about what he thought were "aesthetic" issues. Yes, these are "aesthetic" problems, but some of the issues are also woodworking / deckbuilding 101. None of the joints line up (mitered incorrectly); the concrete posts poured hold posts that are barely on the concrete because they didn't measure correctly from the get go and the fix for that was to add more (and terrible looking) concrete to surround it; the stair rails split from being drilled improperly; and the wood itself was not quality in that it's bowing, bending, and splitting now. The subs he hired couldn't be bothered to even face the wood so that the markings didn't show. Some of the screws used were clearly not the right size because the wood is pulling up and away from the deck. The top gate won't close. The handrails look terrible and were just slapped on to pass inspection. The grass is now growing through the deck and stairs because nothing was put down initially to prevent the growth. We were told since the deck was covering it, the grass wouldn't grow. I now have to pay to find someone else to come in and correct the work.
Because of the delay (project was originally supposed to take two weeks and instead took two months - again weather was one issue, not showing up was another. Sometimes we would get called to say the team wouldn't be out, other times, they just wouldn't show. AJ offered to build an additional fence for us because we had been so patient, and then as the project came to a close indicated that he'd build the fence if we paid for the materials. After seeing the "finish" work on the deck, we opted not to go forward with that.
AJ was a nice guy and was fine to deal with, but he was rarely on site. He showed up in the mornings to direct work and was gone. He was most definitely not overseeing the project. I asked specifically about the posts not being centered in the concrete footings (and not just off center, but nearly off the concrete) and was told as long as it was in the concrete it was fine. Well the inspector disagreed, so they had to add more concrete around it and didn't even attempt to make it look reasonable. I have no idea how to even hide it now because it looks so bad. Gravel maybe?
His pricing was more than fair and the deck he built was big. If pricing had been a factor with the size of deck, we certainly would have gone with something smaller, but no issues in that regard were communicated to us. Overall from a distance the deck looks great. Close up though, there are a lot of problems and many items that need to be corrected.
Link to images of the deck here: https://goo.gl/photos/5Km1UNxpP4EsG4ET9 read more