Description Of Work:
Leo and his team completed a large and impressive deck expansion, screened-in porch, and covered barbecue area for us. We could not be happier with the outcome of the project and with the process! Services performed (you name it, they didi it all)!:
-project planning with homeowners
-multiple in-home visits, consults, emails, phone calls
-acquiring materials
-working with and coordinating other professionals (inspectors, electricians, propane servicemen, granite companies, painters, plumbers, landscapers, the list goes on...)
-tearing down old deck
-building foundation for new deck
-building a new deck, screened-in porch, and built-in, covered barbecue area
-follow-up visits
Comments:
Our process started with several initial in-home visits with Leo. He was prompt, enthusiastic, and really involved in helping us flesh out, in practical and creative ways, the vision we had for our deck project. Leo was clear at all times about materials, pricing, and time involved. Together, we came up with a rough sketch of the new deck. One of the things that we liked most about this part of the project was Leo's interest in helping us develop our "dream deck." We worked back and forth by phone, email, and in person exchanging ideas and narrowing down the details of how our deck would look, how large it would be, what type of materials would be used, and what type of special accents would be included. Leo was great at helping us choose materials that would not break the bank but still would create the beautiful aesthetic we were looking for. With his help, we stayed within our budget but didn't sacrifice quality or asthetics. At times, we felt like we were asking a lot of questions, but Leo was always happy to have a phone discussion, drop us an email, and would often "pop by" to have a conversation, show us a material sample, or answer a quick question. This included weekends (pretty impressive!). The next step was to review and sign our contract. Based on our discussions, Leo's contract laid out, in detail, the materials and prices for us. There were still decisions to be made within the building timeframe (choices about things like how extensive the barbecue area would be and what appliances and materials to use on it, would the ceiling in the screened-in porch be vinyl or wood, etc.), but with the basics decided, we signed our contract and were ready to begin! Leo made it a point during this part of the process to encourage us to give our input as much as possible during the upcoming build. If we were not satisfied with something or if we just wanted to make a change or add a detail or material that we found and liked, to definitely say so because, as he liked to say, we were his bosses for the duration and he wanted us to be as happy as possible. The next phase of our project was the actual build. Since this was our first remodel, we had nothing to compare it to, but we can only say how great this portion was! We didn't know what to expect from Leo's team of builders, but what we got was a group of happy, respectful, helpful, and punctual guys who obviously take great pride in their work! Al, Jose, and "the gang" were absolutely fantastic! Since it was a winter project and our winter was particularly cold, snowy, and bitter, you might expect slow, sluggish workers, but not these guys! They were "on it" each morning starting with Al at exactly 7:30 AM, almost regardless of the weather, and continued to around 4:30-5:00 in the evening. Even more important to a homeowner, their attitudes were A+! They work as a team, not just a bunch of guys sent to a project, and you really couldn't ask for a more respectful and generally happy group of guys. It makes all the difference when you can hear happy banter outside instead of grousing or complaining. And Leo was at our house every morning to set the pace, instruct the guys about the days work, and check on the progress they were making. This was also a perfect time have discussions with us about the process and to get our immediate input. Leo made it a point to check with us each day during building to make sure we were happy with everything that was being done and to make changes if we requested them. Leo (not us), during this time, also took responsibility for all permits involved and working back and forth with town hall and our town's inspector. As the deck started coming together, and we could see the vision we had planned coming to life, it was really exciting! There were, of course, times when changes needed to be made or plans needed to be altered. One such change was our barbecue area. In the beginning phases, it was to be a smaller area with a grill and a roof; however, as the project developed, so did our plans for a much more built-in, custom area with multiple appliances. This was where Leo really got creative! With our input, he designed (really outdoing himself, we thought) a beautiful, 18 foot area with a shed roof mirroring the roof on the screened-in porch, highlighted with exposed beams, a granite countertop, glass tile backsplash, and vinyl bead board facing. It really is the focal point of our deck! It's a thing of beauty! Our project has wound down now, and we are slowly getting to use our deck as springtime approaches. Woodland Builders have not forgotten us, though. Leo has been over several times to make final adjustments and to check again to make sure we like everything. It has been impressive to us that we have been "in the loop" constantly, and we know that if there is a problem, even 6 months or a year later, Leo will be here to fix it. There weren't really many "bumps in the road" during our project. It is inevitable that at times, you won't see eye to eye with your builder, and, of course, we had a few of these times, but Leo takes his theory of "you're the boss" seriously and works to resolve problems quickly and with the homeowner's wishes in mind. He is up-front, honest, and respectful in his dealings, and, at the end of the day, he says it's your project and you have to be happy with it. As homeowners, we have talked about how, since this was a very large project, it could have fallen into a "cookie cutter" pattern and appearance at the end. One of Leo's strengths and goals, however, is making his projects look like they've always been a part of your home, but like, in a newer and better way that you couldn't believe it could be , and this is definitely true of our deck. What was our house before is more like a showplace now, blending perfectly and basically looking 10 times better than it did before! Now people drive by our house, stop their cars, and just look, and our neighbors compliment us on "gorgeous deck"! Thank you so much to Leo and his team at Woodland Builders, you have created a beautiful outdoor space for our family to enjoy for years and have made our first remodel experience a great one! One last thing...Leo, our dog Bailey will really miss you!!
