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Old 04-06-2013, 09:19 AM
 
2 posts, read 8,772 times
Reputation: 11

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Hi everyone, I want to have a deck built this spring and wanted to know if anyone had a good recommendation for a contractor to use. The deck I'd like to build is roughly 10' off the ground, about 12x24, made from composite, and will have stairs down to the yard below.
I've searched the web and found a couple different companies -

Minnick Home Solutions
Quaker State Construction

But it's difficult to know who isn't going to cut corners and will give me a fair price. I figured that I would try this forum and see if anyone out there has any suggestions. I'm in the North Hills/Ohio Twp by the way. Thanks in advance!
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Old 04-06-2013, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,620,287 times
Reputation: 1595
I just moved here and didn't know anyone to ask for recommendations for a good contractor. I interviewed four that were highly rated on Angie's List and one that I heard about from people on this forum. It turned out he also was highly rated on Angie's List. The two I liked best were Rick Horn Construction and Commonwealth Remodeling. I chose Commonwealth and they are remodeling my home now. I'm pleased with the progress and quality so far. I'm pretty sure I would have been equally happy with Rick Horn. Both companies impressed me. The deciding factor was the kitchen cabinet options I had with Commonwealth.

FYI, I worked for a home remodeling company in CA before I moved here. We worked hard to maintain or "A" rating on Angie's List. The reviews there are legitimate. It is not a "pay to play" company.

Tips for choosing a contractor:
- Ask friends, family, neighbors, this forum for recommendations
- Angie's List
- Find out what the ballpark price is in your area for the type of work you want done so you have some idea of how the estimates you get compare.
- Make sure they have General Liability and Worker's Comp insurance, and are properly licensed. Guess who's liable if someone is hurt on the job and they don't have insurance?
- Get references and call them. Ask if the work was done to their liking. Was it finished on time and on budget? Was the jobsite organized and cleaned up every day? Ask how the contractor dealt with any problems that arose.
- Ask the contractor to take you to see work in progress and a finished project.
- Get at least three estimates from companies that you think would be a good fit for you. If any estimate is significantly higher or lower than expected ask why. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. In other words, do all the estimates cover the same items, labor, materials, etc.? Check that material quantities and quality are the same.

When I hear remodeling horror stories 99% of the time it happened to people who didn't do their homework in the beginning or chose a "too good to be true" estimate and now have a contractor who can't afford to finish the job.

Good luck!

Last edited by Goodjules; 04-06-2013 at 12:22 PM..
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Old 04-06-2013, 03:42 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
7,541 posts, read 10,196,392 times
Reputation: 3509
"honest" isn't the only attribute you need with a deck builder.

I think you also need one who is competent.

Every year around here, several people's decks collapse.

Asking a few technical questions as to maximum load might give you an idea as whether a contractor really knows what they are doing in this regard.
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Old 04-06-2013, 03:52 PM
 
2,538 posts, read 4,691,666 times
Reputation: 3356
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam View Post
"honest" isn't the only attribute you need with a deck builder.

I think you also need one who is competent.

Every year around here, several people's decks collapse.

Asking a few technical questions as to maximum load might give you an idea as whether a contractor really knows what they are doing in this regard.
This shouldn't happen if the deck is inspected and the engineer is even remotely competent. All decks in PA need a building permit and will be inspected. If the contractors tells you that you do not need a permit this should be a major red flag.

I don't know about honest, but some of them seem to be extremely high priced. I know when we build our deck "Affordable Decks" was by far the highest quote we got. We talked to Quaker State as well, but the guy never came back with a quote.
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Old 04-06-2013, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,620,287 times
Reputation: 1595
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velvet Jones View Post
This shouldn't happen if the deck is inspected and the engineer is even remotely competent. All decks in PA need a building permit and will be inspected. If the contractors tells you that you do not need a permit this should be a major red flag.
Excellent advice.
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Old 04-06-2013, 04:01 PM
 
89 posts, read 169,444 times
Reputation: 60
We have used Mabro for bathroom construction and they were great! I would not hesitate to use them for anything and I'm sure they build decks too.
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Old 04-06-2013, 04:36 PM
 
2 posts, read 8,772 times
Reputation: 11
Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess by "honest" I mean a contractor that will build a quality deck for a fair price; not someone who will gouge me on price or cut corners to come in as the low bidder. I'll look into the contractors that have been mentioned so far, and if anyone else knows of someone, please chime in!
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Old 04-06-2013, 04:42 PM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,620,287 times
Reputation: 1595
Quote:
Originally Posted by tondraj View Post
Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess by "honest" I mean a contractor that will build a quality deck for a fair price; not someone who will gouge me on price or cut corners to come in as the low bidder. I'll look into the contractors that have been mentioned so far, and if anyone else knows of someone, please chime in!
Let us know who you chose and how the project goes. If you do your homework it should be a good experience.
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Old 04-08-2013, 08:47 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
4,359 posts, read 7,478,456 times
Reputation: 1611
Joe Kriebel 412-302-1782

He did a deck for me, my parents and a friend. He has also done a lot of other work for both me and others. Most recently he did a master bath for friends.
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Old 05-20-2016, 10:03 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,447 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for all the advice regarding contractors. We want to put on a deck & have two quotes so far. One is Quaker State the other is Lowe's. First one wanted almost double what the big box store quoted us. However 1/3 down, when work begins another pymt. balance when job finished. Big box wants all up front which I never heard of from anyone when doing home improvements...
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