Wagner and his team are stellar. We can't recommend them highly enough…read more
We own a 50 year old home in the country, with an existing large (40'x13') deck in back above a walk-out basement and patio (the deck is elevated about 8 feet). The joists were starting to rot, so we knew it was time to replace it.
After interviewing several builders, we settled on Decks by Caio. He walked us through the various options and some changes we'd like to make. We decided the new deck would be slightly larger (44'x14') to accommodate stairs at one end plus a long ADA-style ramp at the other running along the side of the house.
We chose TimberTech PVC decking, which is attractive, durable, and highly fire resistant (a big deal out here) in a simple two-tone "picture frame" style, which looks gorgeous.
Underneath, the decking is supported by steel joists atop some really beefy yellow cedar engineered beams. The difference in quality between the old deck and the new is night and day.
If that was all I was judging on, this would still be a rave review. But, as I alluded to, there were some surprises along the way.
The first was that the primary decking color we'd chosen was discontinued at just about the time we chose it. But Wagner was able to locate and obtain enough to complete our project, buying it ahead of time even though our project wasn't scheduled to be built for a couple of months.
Another was that it was irrigation season here, which raises the groundwater level and caused the holes dug for the caissons to fill up with water. We had to wait a few weeks for the water level to subside before we could pour, and Wagner's team took additional precautions by adding a water barrier to help protect them
The biggest surprise had nothing to do with the deck at all. Turns out that decades ago a previous owner had built an unpermitted addition to the house. We didn't know it, but the county spotted it when Wagner went to get the deck permit, and insisted on it being remedied.
Wagner was able to get permission to start the deck while we went through the "as built" permit process for the old addition. He was a huge help, and even got his structural engineer to do the engineering assessment they required.
There were enough issues with the addition that while the deck itself was finished in a matter of weeks, passing all the inspections too almost a year. Again, this had nothing to do with Decks by Caio - in fact, we had multiple inspectors compliment us on the deck while still finding "one more thing" that needed to be fixed in the old addition. It was a bit maddening, but Wagner and his team handled it all with patience, professionalism, and humor.
The good news is that this means we've had nearly a year of enjoying the new deck before writing this review. It's still terrific, and once our budget allows, we are looking forward to working with Decks by Caio again to add a pergola and extend the patio as well.