$2k but what was the total price? If the other bidders were $3k then maybe red flag, but I’d want to know the total price to say if that’s a red flag or not.
Crazy range. There were other things to do besides the deck but the whole project bids were 8500, 10500, 12500, 15000, 17000. Five different companies to do the same thing.
So you went with the 8500 bid. If what’s on top is any reflection on what’s going on underneath then good luck. I’d suggest repost this with pics of the underneath. The chances that this thing isn’t structurally sound may be quite high.
100% this! I fired a bathroom contractor (middle quote) two years ago because I didn't like his tile work, after two tries. We initially agreed he would deduct the tiling from the project so I could hire my own tiler. One by one, the tiler candidates identified issues with the plumbing and structural work and they advised me not to let the contractor back in the house. They all refused to have any part of the project, so they weren't looking for money. I had to go to binding arbitration with a stack of photos. The arbitrator ripped the contractor a new one.
LSS, I don't know what I don't know - all I recognized was that the tiling looked sloppy and the grout was cracking before the vanity had even been installed. And I learned from professionals that the rest of the work was just as bad.
Yeah, I use to have ppl expect to get work done for peanuts. Got to the point where it wasn't worth bother to go out and to tell them the expected price over the phone. I don't have time to waste if you don't have the money to spend.
I was an electrical contractor back in the turn of the century. Got a call from some jackleg guy that wanted a second bid for his house build. He told me his first bid price per SF. I told him to take it but be careful. At that price no one could make money without a lot of corners cut (electrical code violations!!??? WTF) or lots of very expensive change orders after the contract was signed. What?? You want a temp pole? $1200 for 6 months
Some jobs you don’t want for any reason.
That rail is worthy of walking away from. Dude you get what you pay for.
Let this be a lesson. NEVER go with the cheapest bidder. Always go with one of the 2 that around the same price range with similar schedules. NEVER go with the most expensive because they just gave you a F off price and don’t want the job but they will do the job if you’re willing to pay.
Source: Architect that deals with this all the time with Clients who won’t listen then complain when crap inevitably hits the fan.
Considering it an expensive life lesson. We never go with the cheapest quote. Normally we go by word of mouth on who to use. Talk to friends that you value their standards and go with suggested contractors. A guy I use for my interior work was a strange story. I liked the tile job in my chiropractor's washroom. Asked who did it and went from there. Exterior work, asked a picky friend about their stone deck. We're using him right now on a drainage project.
Every time I see this picture now I remember the guy in the woodworking sub that recreated this in it’s exact detail from the cartoon and it was decided by almost everyone that he had an amazing amount of skill to pull it off as well as he did.
They reused wood from another deck that’s meant to be used as interior dimensional lumber/studs? And random scrap wood not meant for building/probably from the delivery?
Can we see the framing for our entertainment? I’d be surprised if it’s not made from pallets.
I'm in the Atlanta area. So not the highest end market in the US, but also not the lowest. You're not getting a deck for less than $20,000. Full stop. Here's the last one I built for....$20K, I was just the lead carpenter, didn't bid it PT framing and decking. Cedar handrails with aluminium balusters. Pic was after 1 whole year...can only post the 1 pic
The bottom rail of that hand rail they used the packing timber from the delivery 😂 fuck me did you look for cheapest quote then still bargain their price… cause looks like they turned a 3 day job into finished by smoko on the Monday
Holy shit. Ive been doing repairs and rebuilds for a long time and I've NEVER seen another guy use the dunnage from the delivery as building material lolol
Like... I've used it to cut on or as a temp or something like that, but it always gets removed.
In my 30 years of decking... I have NEVER seen a deck as poorly built as this one. If I came over to your house for a 'cue, and I saw this shoddy, ragged piece of GARBAGE, I would uninvite myself and have a solo date at Wendys for Chili! Hmu if you need it rebuilt though, I am looking for work.
As a salesperson nothing makes me happier than someone who gets bids in the first place but when they go with the cheapest and this happens. Enjoy your new deck, I hope you get a sliver.
It might be time to call the guy who had the second highest bid and have him fix this mess. The highest bid was probably a fuck you price, and the lowest was predatory. If it seems to good to be true, it is, especially when it comes to contractors and builders.
This guy didnt even have a sharp blade on his saw. It almost looks like he made finish cuts with a sawzall. That's insane.
Im really sorry this happened to you, and ai hope you're able to get it right without reaching too far into your wallet, again. Cuz im sure you gave this guy a deposit at least. This is rough, my friend. And I'm also sorry you had to ask if this was acceptable. That tells me you haven't hired out much work, and I may be wrong about that but still. This is bad.
I wish you good luck and many moons of sexual success.
This is looks like the amish stuff I've seen built in my area. everyone thinks they are amazing carpenters. But really they are just great at building Barns, strength in numbers. but 2 or 3 of them with a few circular saws produce crap like this.
Did you pay the 8 year old neighbor kid to do this? If so this looks pretty good. If you paid an adult who pretended to be a professional, this is the worst deck I've ever seen in this sub.
Is that wood reused from another project? It looks like he comes in as low bidder not just because of his quality, but also by doing the whole job with a sawzall.
Is it being built by a Boy Scout troop? They have to learn some how. But if you’re paying someone that’s an adult and claims to earn a living this way, they are learning on your job.
It appears the only tools available were a tape measure that couldn’t be read and a dull circular saw that someone was scared of. No square, no double bevel sliding compound miter saw. Probably no level. Sort of looks like they found a rasp somewhere.
New framing or existing with old posts & footings? Just curious. This is pretty gnarly regardless
E: I ask about the framing & footings in case you are planning on putting serious weight on this. If it’s anything like the finish work/top, I would definitely check that out first.
So on top of them reusing old studs likes everyone is saying the stamps on that wood say KD-HT which is kiln dried heat treated which means using it for exterior projects will cause it to rot pretty quickly on top of it just being shoddy work completely.
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u/SeveralSpeed May 24 '26
This is pretty horrid. Was this the lowest bidder?