We hired this company to replace the stringers of our exterior front stairs, as the wood was rotted and needed to be replaced. We received a quote from the company and hired them to do the job. We were told to order the wood ourselves and the technician would pick it up on his way to our house. He proceeded to cut the stringers and after completion it did not look right. Many cuts were not flat/jagged. We gave the technician the benefit of the doubt, figuring that he was a professional and new what he was doing, and that he would make adjustments upon installation.
He came back a few weeks later to do install and that's where the issues began. Once the stringers were attached and steps were added we noticed that the steps did not sit flush and there were gaps. The stringers should have sat flush on the ground, but none of them did. They were floating and many of the concrete steps were not touching or laying flat on the wooden stringers.
When we mentioned the gaps he stated that it was better for drainage purpose and would keep the wood dry. We later found this not to be true. We live on a hillside and all the homes in the neighbourhood have similar stairs. We noticed all the other homes in our area did not have stairs like ours.
We contacted the company, provided before and after pictures showing present issues. We were issued a partial refund after several discussions with the office manager. They offered to send the original technician/carpenter to repair the issue. The stringers were cut too short and could not be repaired. They needed to be replaced. How can you repair something that is cut too short? This is why we refused a follow up repair, and we did not want the same carpenter. We were open to other carpenters but were told that no other carpenter wanted to tackle the project.
Less than 2 months after install, two of the stringers broke and the step fell. This was due to lack of support with uneven cut stringers. Sent pictures and video of issue to company. Shortly after the office manager called with an apology and a full refund. We are still out the cost of the wood, which was over $500, and need to purchase new wood again to replace stringers which were cut too short.
Carpenter was polite and on time but we believe this was more than he could handle. We recommend you do your research before hiring and make sure you are satisfied with the job before payment is issued.
The photo with white stringers below is original to home, all others are new job.
