Peachtree Decks & Porches

With all the contractors out there who tend to estimate the cost of a project too low with the anticipation of increasing the price during the project, it is refreshing to see someone who takes the time to accurately price a project. As someone who prices out projects myself for a living, I understand how much time is devoted to that process.
I also understand that a higher quality project demands better materials and since I prefer quality myself, I am willing to pay extra to have a deck last a very long time. Some people don’t really want quality, so if that is you, Peachtree may not be the right deck builder for you. They are not the cheapest for sure. There are no doubt others who will build a cheaper deck.
I can’t say enough good things about Greg and his professionalism. I have spoken to many deck builders and many who build everything from sheds to bathroom remodels and the final impression of someone who understands deck structures and materials is what sold me on Greg and his team.
Thanks for everything, Greg. Very impressed.

So, below in double quotations are actual quotes from Greg at this company, to whom we paid what he called a $ 75.00 «design fee,» which is actually a ‘quote an insanely high estimate fee and see if you’re serious before we do a design.’
«Even for us, since every project we build has a different cost, we can only give you a vague ballpark, but to get the true costs, we have to design it first which takes time to do.» (This is right after charged us a «design fee,» quoted us $ 44,959.31, so that it appeared to be a real estimate based on an actual design, and then would neither produce a design or a breakdown of materials and labor. $ 44,959.31 is not a «vague ballpark.»)
«We do not provide breakdowns on labor and materials. We provide clients the turnkey cost of doing the project phase by phase.» (Said no legitimate contractor, ever. Every contractor gives you labor and material costs or estimates.)
He also blamed my wife for our alleged misunderstanding of his sales speak, telling me that he explained «our exact process to her in detail.» The only way for him to have been honest was to say this (which he did not say): ‘We come out to do an estimate. We charge a $ 75.00 estimate fee. For this fee, we provide you an insanely high estimate. If you are not interested, we keep the $ 75. If you are still interested, we then draft a design which you can review at our office but you will never see a design which you paid for unless you’re still interested after the sticker shock wears off. We only prepare our designs so that we can do the job ourselves and we will never release our designs to you, even if you are paying for it. The price we quote you will make you think that we have done a design but really it’s just a «vague ballpark» price, down to the penny, and we cannot do what every other contractor does, give you a breakdown of materials and labor because we really just base the price of the job on the value we think the project will add to your house.’

My wife and I decided to rebuild our current back deck around September of 2011. We researched a lot of reviews on Unilocal,recommendations of friends, and the intranet. We interviewed several potential builders. Most did decks, but not as a general specialty. I can tell you from our experience the ideas we received were all over the board. Including the price estimates. We were about to settle on a builder who has done many jobs in our subdivision, we had looked at some of the porches the company had done and thought they did a good job. Ok, me being the frugal (ok cheap) person I am I requested the wife to find one more bid.
She found Peachtree Decks and Porches, LLC located in Alpharetta, GA. We meet the owner Bobby Parks. We had our initial meeting with Mr. Parks, and his background and experience was very impressive. One item here to note is that he just does decks. After the meeting the wife insisted that we use him. But he had the highest bid. OK, me being cheap here again. But I will say that the material and the workmanship they did on the deck was like no others. All the trim and wrap around boards are PVC. The materials he uses are head and shoulders above these other builders. It is low maintenance and build to last. Our deck has a stacked stone fireplace, slate floors, grill porch, a great design.
In conclusion I can tell you that the workmanship provided and the materials were above 120%. His crew cleaned up after themselves, were on time, and pleasant. The ideas and designs provided by Bobby were much better than all the others put together. An example here of how well he wants to please his customers is — we had an issue with how the plumber ran a gas line under the deck. Bobby said no problem and had them redo the work the way I wanted it. All in all, if you really want the best deck, then choose Peachtree Decks and Porches. I would give them a triple AAA rating. Even from a cheapo like me they are worth the money…