We moved to Colorado three years ago. The home we purchased had two decks: one large upper deck and one smaller lower deck. Shortly after buying our home, we noticed a tilt in our upper deck. Simultaneously, the recessed hot tub in that deck began to leak. We decided to replace the hot tub and put it on a new deck section connected to the lower level deck. I reached out to several deck contractors, but Mike was the only one who responded. And, he responded immediately. Mike scheduled a time convenient to our working schedules to discuss our deck addition. While assessing the new deck, I also asked Mike to look at our other decks. One by one, Mike began to point out serious issues. I know just enough about construction to know that he wasn’t trying to sell me a bill of goods. He was finding serious issues. We engaged a civil engineer through Mike to assess the situation. The engineer’s recommendation was “I wouldn’t use that upper deck if I were you.”
What started as a deck addition turned into a complete rebuild. Complicating the situation, our home was on the side of a mountain. Access to the construction area with any kind of equipment was prohibitive. Even worse, to rebuild the deck as it was would have required soil mitigation to stabilize the ground. That would have put us way beyond any reasonable budget. Mike spent many hours with us brainstorming ideas, drawing concepts, and trying to help us figure out how we could rebuild the deck affordably. He never quit on us.
Finally, we were able to come up with a design that would satisfy the engineering requirements, allow us to pretty much duplicate the square footage we had previously, and stay within a reasonable budget. Architects drew up the plans, we agreed on materials, and Mike went off to obtain the permits. We hit a snag with the County when they determined that our house (built in 1979) was 15 feet too close to the property line! Mike immediately started working with the County to figure out a solution that would allow him to begin construction while awaiting the variance hearing. (Timing was becoming critical because this project, started in August was getting ready to begin construction as winter was approaching.) After spending an entire day at the County, Mike obtained the necessary permits. Deck destruction and construction finally began.
Mike’s crew was very efficient and they kept our space very clean throughout the entire project. The destruction took one day. The construction materials we chose required steel framing and Trex decking. The deck pattern was fairly simple but the construction was not. We had to cantilever one side and a corner, with the latter being a curve instead of an angle. All throughout the process, Mike was extremely cost conscious. We made some design changes to the railings as the project progressed. Mike provided new costs very quickly and made sure he used every bit of material as efficiently as possible. They knew we were trying to get our hot tub in by Christmas. They worked through the snow and some very cold December temperatures. We were able to get out new hot tub installed the day before Christmas Eve thanks to Mike and his crew.
We grew to trust Mike and his great crew early on, so much so that we gave them free access to our home while we were at work so they could use the restroom and warm up when needed. They kept our house neat and clean and were very careful to lock up when they left.
Our deck is a thing of beauty. We love the look, the construction, and the strength in the steel construction. Mike and his fabulous crew—I can’t say enough about how great his crew was—produced an excellent product for us. I know how difficult it is to get a contractor to call you back or even consider doing your work when you live in the mountains. The work window can be short due to the weather. Mike didn’t just call us back and he didn’t just consider our job. MIKE DELIVERED! We are extremely pleased with our entire experience with Mike and Bulldog Builders and recommend them most enthusiastically. Now, for spring to come so we can begin to enjoy our new deck!