Music,,,its a kinda dealWhat is Reasonable and What is not.

Reasonable to me as a Contractor is you call me,I come out and see what you got going on,I give you a few ideas, I give you a price for your project in writting. You check out my Happy Wallets,look at my workers comp/libality insurance and go with me,or not.

U n Reasonable to me is the guy working out of his 82 ford station wagon, no license,no workers comp,no insurance who will give you a basic price but not with some materials.
Also unreasonable is a wallet that is willing to take the risk of paying labor only, knowing or not knowing that if the driver of that ford cuts off his hand doing the work you told him to do you and your home owners insurance are going to pay big time.

On the other hand,pun defently intended, the man might be ok $15 a sq ft for a preasure treated deck with handrail is about right in a basic kinda way.He might have comp and libality and he might know using trex there is a very good chance you are going to hate it down the road but you bought it so he is completly in the clear.

Over here in Cow Town my basic price starts out at $16 sq ft and can range right on up to a $55 sq ft. The best I have done this Season it being early on is a Com Job with ipe and allum balusters, service for the first 2 years with twp finish>> $95 a sq ftDont know a Contractor in MD, You might look in the phonebook and check out the Guys using the above guidelines,also angieslist might be helpfull for info on how there Wallets liked the work. J

We live in Montgomery County too and haven't been able to find anyone to do a 4x6 deck for us either. I called a few people out of Washington Checkbooks and one I couldn't find the right phone number and a few never got back to me. So, we are going DIY.

If you use a VA contractor in MD, and they do a bad job, you have a problem as they aren't licensed, insured or bonded and you may not be able sue if you have a problem. If you are willing to hire a day laborer, then it might be fine.

Perry's has the "best" selection on decking at their Gaithersburg store (I've been looking) but they don't like to deal with anyone but contractors. We are going through another company for our windows (Smitty's in VA) and Perry's did a week later after I ordered them from Smitty's reduce their price to give me their contractor's price (we are DIY) but it was still $300 more than the other store. I originally tried to get a bid from Perry's and they blew me off. I went to the Gaithersburg store to look at decking and they offered to bid the windows - their initial bid was full MSRP and it took them a week to give me a new estimate even though I told them I needed to order ASAP. Their guys who work in the yard are much more helpful but in the store, their customer service is horrible so don't expect a lot of help or advice.

If you can't get neighbor referrals, I try to use Washington Checkbooks in their neighbor-to-neighbor section but they don't have much for decks.

pcjs,

>> haven't been able to find anyone to do a 4x6 deck for us ... give me their contractor's price (we are DIY) So you'll tackle windows but not a 4x6 deck?

I built fences and decks in the MD/VA/DC area back in the 80's and our basic (#2 py, #1 pt decking) was around $12-15 sqft. The caveat is that the estimate can be highly site specific: access, finished height, size, materials etc. Very few EVER turned out "standard". Customers always wanted: benches, planters, curved sections, cedar decking, electrical outlets ... you get the picture. Please make sure you see and talk with the contractors past customers, both recent (currrent year) and several 2-3year old clients. Our crews changed from year-to-year. They should be licensed/bonded/insured.

Bob

Barron Brothers Construction www.barronbrothers.com ; Fine Decks www.finedecks.com ; I recommend either very highly.

Have to agree w/ John. Hiring an out of state contractor, not licensed in Md only leaves you open to liability & possibly little recourse in the event of problems.
Contractors are busy this time of year & sometimes need a call back to remind them you are serious.

The deck decided last week it was coming down so my husband demo'ed it today. So, we will be doing it... he's in freak out mode about how to do the framing per code and worried the inspector will want us to pull a permit, so I told him to email me all his questions to get you guys to help think it through... so, there may be questions coming later. Thanks for the help and support.

As far as I know any new deck in Md. is supposed to have a permit to build. If a building inspector from the county is involved, then you almost certainly need a permit.
Many counties will provide some specific deck construction guidelines.

I am also in Montgomery County and got an estimate today from Advanced Deck Design. Has anyone used them?

I agree with making sure the contractor is bonded, insured, & carries workmen's compensation but I'm not sure what "license" you guys are referring to.

In NC a general contractor's license is required for any project $30,000 & over. Most decks are less than that with the exception of JH's $95/sq ft jobs.

Obviously they should have a business license to be able to conduct business but I don't think you guys are referring to that so which license are you guys talking about?

Regarding " I will have to get my own permit since this contractor is licensed only in VA. Does this sound reasonable? ". Here in NC a person without a general contractor's license can still pull a permit to perform work on another person's house.

Regarding my comment of "Here in NC a person without a general contractor's license can still pull a permit to perform work on another person's house." I should have said Raleigh & Wake County. In other cities/counties/jurisdictions that may not be the case.

Call Joe Zuppo Handyman Services. Also on servicemagic.com. Quality work and affordable prices. Licensed, bonded and insured in MD.

Joe, you guys bond up for Res work??