Virginia Deck Builders

Caroline J.

a month ago

CAUTION: Fraud, theft. We hired Nikolay of Virginia Deck Builders in October 2023 to complete a three-seasons room porch remodel. The contract stipulated that the project would be done by February 2024 by a licensed contractor. Nikolay’s license (Deck Dream LLC doing business as Virginia Deck Builders) was revoked by Virginia DPOR in December 2023 and as of May, he is UNLICENSED. He has multiple violations listed on the DPOR website. To date, our project is still unfinished and we are owed significant funds. Nikolay is unresponsive to communications. The company has committed fraud and theft and I do not recommend their services. Our experience has been similar to other one-star reviews.

C Lee

a month ago

Update 5/15/24. Immediately after my review, the owner company reached out with excuses. He sent a change order, which included a refund of the ~$4k. Two months later, I have tried everything to reach them and still have not received my refund. Initiating action in small claims, as well as writing a review for BBB and contacting the CPB. Also, their VA license was revoked. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! As of 3/12/24, we are beginning legal proceedings for a ~$4k refund after the company pulled out of the contract and has since refused to contact us. Facts: In March ‘23, we chose VA Decks for a $37k three season room project. They were not the cheapest option, but we liked their design and plan the best. Within a day of signing the contract, the owner (Nikolay) came to our house personally to pick up the 50% deposit check (which we have been informed is now an illegal deposit % in the state of VA). Then, we didn’t hear from the company for two months. In May, after a number of attempts to reach the company, I submitted a complaint to the BBB and left a review on Google. Within an hour, Nikolay reached out saying there was a misunderstanding and that he had submitted the permits and we were just waiting for them to clear. Not completely untrue, as he had submitted the permits that day (I assume after my complaint/review, and before contacting me). I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the delays in the coming months were out of their hands, as permitting in the City of Alexandria can be cumbersome. However, the company not once reached out with an update; rather, I was constantly having to check in to make sure the permitting office got what they needed to move the permit forward. When the permit did finally come through, in the Fall, the company came out within a week to tear down our existing porch and install the new one. In their favor, the team worked efficiently to get the new porch up – and it appears to be of decent quality. [Though the work crew did insist on going to the bathroom behind our shed, despite having access to a bathroom, and leaving trash all over our yard.] Once the porch was installed and the second payment was paid (35%), the company went dark again. It took MONTHS for them to admit that they were not going to be able to install the windows/screens, per the contract. And, since agreeing to cancel the remainder of the contract and agreeing upon a refund amount, I have not been able to reach the company, despite numerous texts, voicemails, and emails. Nikolay, the owner, hits the “on a call – will call you back” auto message when I call, and then has never once returned my call or texts. At the time of this writing, we are waiting on a $4k refund (the remaining 15% ($5k) was never paid, so the outstanding work not done is around $9k). Besides the horrendous communication of this company and the near fraudulent business practices, a couple of things to note: – Their claim of a high BBB and AngiesList rating are false; they are intentionally misrepresenting their customer satisfaction. – They continuously breached contract. The contract stated that they would begin work within 3 weeks and the job would be finished no later than 6 months from the signing of the contract. Neither of those things took place. When I tried to cancel the contract, Nikolay was evasive and immediately made progress. – There is no project management team. It is completely overseen by Nikolay, who is impossible to reach. – Their place of business does not exist. The Holland Lane address is a condo building in Alexandria, so there is no location to go to get answers. All in all, this has been a painful and regrettable experience that I do not wish on other consumers – hence the lengthy review. We are working with HD Exteriors to have the remainder of the work completed, and we are very happy with their professionalism so far and their communication. The remaining work will cost modestly more than that contracted with VA Decks. All I can hope is that we eventually get the refund for the work that was not completed.

Gabrielle Grant

2 months ago

CAUTION: We entered into agreement of May 4, 2023 under the pretense that we did not need a permit when in fact we did per DC code. I requested the permit in June 2023 and the company agreed to facilitate. After a year-long battle of receiving sporadic updates on the permit and being misled when we did receive updates, we decided to officially cancel the project on 4/15/2024. Communication for resolution has been difficult.

Kristin Maggi

3 months ago

We hired Virginia Deck Builders to install a 5′ x 6′ landing with steps at our back door. They did a beautiful job. We worked with Hernan who was very responsive and patient with our many questions. He was knowledgeable and helped us to stay within our budget. His crew are talented and professional. We requested latticework and a door to access underneath the landing and their craftsmanship exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend hiring Virginia Deck Builders for your deck/landing needs. Excellent company!

Tim Peterson

3 months ago

Great company from start to finish. They worked with me to design my perfect deck and the crew was meticulous in all the technical details of its construction. The owner was responsive to my inquiries and continually checked on his crew’s work. He handled everything from coordinating a dumpster for the debris of my old deck, to coordinating the applicable inspections with the country as the deck building progressed. I couldn’t be more happy with the results. Thank you Nicolae and your entire team at Virginia Deck Builders.

Sean Suter

6 months ago

I hate to give a poor review, but this has been the worst experience I’ve ever had with a contractor. Do not recommend at all. Signed a contract and gave a down payment in March. Contract said they’d be done by July at the latest. It’s October and we still don’t even have a permit for a screened in porch. Communication has been horrible. Because they’re in breach of contract they said they’d refund and we could part ways. 10 business days later they still haven’t repaid and have not responded to multiple texts and calls. UPDATE: My full down payment was reimbursed but it took getting the DLCP involved to do so. Everyone at the company was civil, but communication was very difficult. I would still not recommend this company if you’re in DC. It seems I am not the only customer that had this experience.

Mary Ann Warner

8 months ago

Submitted details about my project but never heard back from them.

John McManus

9 months ago

Nikolay and his team did an excellent job at installing a large 400+ square foot deck off the back of our home. He even addressed unforeseen issues once he demolished the old 55-year-old deck without hesitation (as some contractors tend push back). The finished product was very well built and followed the Fairfax County code requirements. He didn’t skimp on the process, and we are very pleased with the final product!

Sheryn Anthes

9 months ago

Virginia Deck Builders did a great job with my deck. They gave me a quote ahead of time. Showed up on time and communicated well. I highly recommend them.

Tarik Essawi

9 months ago

Virginia Deck builders just finished a screened in porch for me. They were very good about providing a detailed estimate without charging a fee. The work exceeded my expectations everything was very precise and he added finishes I did not expect to make the room look even better than I could have imagined.