Decks-N-More

Gary Allen _{on ChamberofCommerce.com}

Apr 8th, 2023

Eric Duchesne, the owner of Decks-N-More in Nashua NH, is a crook and a drunk.

Our association hired Eric to do a few small jobs which were done “OK.” We then needed a larger job – to replace 21 doors for a little under $26,000. He originally wanted a deposit of $19,000 – almost 75% -- substantially more than the usual 50%.

We refused but agreed to divide the project in half and give him a 65% deposit ($8,800) for the first phase. He was supposed to use the deposit to purchase materials to be stored on our property. Instead, after many months of phone calls and excuses, he showed up with just one door which wasn’t as specified, but he did manage to work around the problem and install it. Then it failed and he did a temporary repair and promised to replace it, and get on with replacing 10 more.

But many more months of phone calls, emails, and excuses passed. He finally arranged to return and replace the faulty door on a Monday morning. He didn’t show up, wouldn’t answer the phone, wouldn’t respond to voice or emails, nothing. He apparently spent our money on living expenses and financing other projects as his company melted down; he wouldn’t even face us.

Our lawyer attempted to either recoup our money or at least get the doors he was supposed to have purchased, which he hinted that he had. Again, he didn’t show up with the doors as promised and stopped responding to our attorney.

We sued him in Hillsborough County NH court and he wouldn’t respond to the court. Today he owes us the original $8,800 plus about $5,000 in attorney fees.

Lastly, as the problems with Eric surfaced, several of our associates reported him reeking of alcohol after lunch and after an afternoon break.

Look elsewhere, unless you’re looking for a thief and a drunk.

Tong Stevens _{on Google}

Nov 25th, 2019

My husband and I are happy with our new deck. We replaced our 8x10 wooden deck with a 12x12 last year in the Fall. Eric was very upfront about the cost of labor and materials. His quote was not the cheapest, but it was the most thorough and it explained cost and what materials were being used, all the way down to the types of nuts and bolts being used. I have never dealt with anyone who actually answers and returns phone calls like Eric. Most construction companies we have dealt with will answer calls initially, but then costumer service becomes very questionable. There are so many shady companies out there! We had one guy tell us that we don’t need to pull a permit to get new structure put up?!??? We also look up all companies through BBB and many were not listed or active.
Due to the nature of us choosing wood (temperamental material) over composite decking, a few of our balusters warped and Eric’s crew replaced it. We will eventually get the floor of our deck replaced with Trex and we know who we are calling. During the deck inspection, the inspector even commented on the workmanship and how the crew took the time to sand down everything. The whole process of getting the deck done was not smooth because we had questions and concerns, but Eric was always available in person or phone to clarify things. The crew of three guys were fantastic! They showed up, worked until it rained or got dark until the job was done!

John Galluccio _{on Google}

Jun 6th, 2019

I recently had Decks-N-More demolish my old 16’x10’deck and construct a new 16’x12’ deck. Their estimate was actually the highest I received, but it was the most thorough and therefore I chose them for the job.
As far as the new deck itself….I am very happy. The work that the 3 man crew did was excellent and the deck looks great. The problem that I have with Decks-N-More is the ridiculous overcharging when it came to replacing rotten wood between the old deck and my house.
After removing the old deck, they found some rot on less than 15’ of the pressure treated sill board as well as the bottom 8 inches or so of plywood sheathing along a 10 foot stretch. I confirmed with the crew that the damage did not progress any further than these boards.
In total they had to replace approximately 15 feet of 2x6 (it was actually less but I am rounding up) and approximately a 10ft by 8inch piece of plywood sheathing. The wood for this would not cost more than $50 or $60 and I am being generous with this number.
The crew of 3 guys took 2.5 hours to replace the rotten wood (started at 11:40AM and finished just before 3PM with a 1 hour lunch)
The owner Eric ended up charging me $800 for the repair, and claimed he was doing me a favor as he should be charging me $1200. When I complained he did reduce it to $700, but this was still grossly overcharged. Do the math….$700 paid - $60 in stock = $640 in labor…..that equals $256 per hour in labor!!! He tried to give me a song and dance about increased liability, some nonsense about how he pays the guys and so on, but from my perspective this is a gross overcharge on a job that was already on the high end as far as pricing.
It’s a shame because the 3 man crew that worked at my house was professional and did a great job. I can’t understand why a contractor would be willing to weather bad reviews over a few hundred dollars but Eric is. I informed him of my feelings and that I would be posting reviews to reflect my dissatisfaction and he seemed to not care.
My advice to anyone thinking about hiring this company: DON’T. But if you insist on dealing with them, do yourself a favor and pin them down on the written estimate as to how such things will be billed (get them to put in writing the per hour labor cost and request receipts for the material used).