Swapped my contractor for a smaller crew and saved $4,800 on a deck rebuild

Last spring I got quotes for a 400 sq ft deck in Decatur. Big contractor wanted $13k, small crew quoted $8.2k. Same lumber, same permits, same timeline. The small crew showed up at 7am every day for 6 days. The big guy wanted me to lock in materials by Tuesday or it would push to fall. I went with the smaller operation and honestly the finish work is cleaner too. Their lead actually caught a beam level issue before I even noticed. Has anyone else ditched the big names for a two man outfit and came out ahead?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant1554d ago

Man, that’s the kind of win that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with the big outfits. Smaller crews usually have more skin in the game because their name is on the line, so they actually care about the details like that beam catch. Plus, you saved enough cash to buy a nice grill and some patio furniture, which is the real victory.

jessica9214d ago

$2,400 is what we ended up paying our crew, and they still threw in the extra brackets and a few touch-ups no one asked for. That kind of stuff just doesn't happen with the big companies, they charge you for every single screw. Sounds like you found the same kind of people, which is rare these days. Glad the details worked out for you, that beam catch alone was worth the savings.