Customer ReviewsforThe Aluminum Company of North Carolina

Aluminum Company of NC built our deck in April 2015. We decided we wanted this to be done right and were willing to pay for a good quality product, to the tune of 26k+. We received a Certificate Letter that indicated a 10-yr Warranty on Material and Labor. (FYI - AC of NC told us 'materials' do not include decking boards.) Fast forward (only 6 yrs later) our deck is disintegrating, literally. We reached out to AC of NC and a representative came out to inspect the deck (I won't go into the lack of response to emails). We were told the damage was due to a fungus. 2 different AC representatives indicated that lack of ventilation under the stairs to the upper level along with a wood eating fungus found in this region was the cause. The stairs were built similar to an enclosed flower-box structure which did not allow good airflow under the stairs which is where most of the fungus damage is. The fungus also spread to 3 main 6x6 support posts which are so eroded you can stick your finger right through it. Not sure how it hasn't collapsed. After telling us that the 10 yr warranty doesn't cover the issue due to 'read the FINE PRINT' on the warranty, the final offer from the current owner of the company was ~$4100 to make repairs with no additional warranty and could not guarantee any further fungus damage. If we accepted this offer, it would bring our deck cost in 6 yrs with AC to $30K+. This is a wooden deck people. With the airflow issue being a design problem, I would have expected a much better offer than this. We feel that this offer is intentionally inflated to discourage us from having them fix the issue. If we could post pictures here, you would see ... our 6 yr old deck looks like a 30 yr old rotted deck where the upper and lower levels join. So much for 'you get what you pay for'.

The ***** called on 6/17/2021 regarding some rot on there deck we installed in 2015. After sending a service technician to the home, he found a few rotten deck boards and informed the homeowners that rotten deck boards are not a warranty issue. Decks need to be constantly maintained and sealed and sometimes rot due to lack of maintenance. In order to continue good customer service, we agreed to switch out the two boards for the homeowner if they purchased the materials. When we sent our carpenter to replace the boards, it was determined that the deck was infested with a fungus. Something was said about the concern over air flow because the stairs were enclosed, but the enclosed stairs are sitting up off the ground many inches and there is sufficient airflow beneath and all around the stairs that were built as a box and mounted to the deck structure. The stairs are not adding to any water issues being depicted by the *****. The Aluminum Company gave the ***** a 10 year warranty on the Structural work of the deck labor and materials, and at the bottom of the warranty, it clearly states that the Aluminum Company cannot be responsible for acts of god, extraordinary weather conditions, neglect, etc. I then offered to make the necessary repairs at a discounted rate to help them with there fungus damage. Then I received this complaint. Below is the contract provided for work performed for to the *****. I'm clearly trying to work with the ***** and was blindsided by this complaint. A permit was pulled on the project and all passed all inspections.

CONTRACT

Furnish and install wood deck and screen porch per plans.
Deck and screen porch approximately 32 x 16 overall.
All material for decking to be double dried lumber.
Furnish and install (1) insulated patio cover, approximately 11 x 16, over screen porch.
Furnish and install (1) overhead light fixture in screen porch area.
Any plot plan or engineering required by building inspection department will be acquired by ACNC as needed; additional cost will be passed on to customer.
No work to grading or underneath deck.
No lattice work or staining included.
Clean up and haul away all job-related debris.

**Please return plot plan to customer** 1/7/2015 9:33:50 AM 1/7/2015 9:33:50 AM

To Mr. ***** and Aluminum Company:

What seems to fall on deaf ears with Mr. *****, is that a 6 yr old deck should not be this eroded if built with pressure treated lumber, regardless of mold/fungus. My wife and I submitted this review based on two reasons: 1) the only area that fungus grew was around the steps and the support posts located against the steps. The rest of deck is fine and looks good, even the lower section steps. If the rest of the deck is fine, why is it the only area with this fungus is the steps to the upper level and supporting structure touching the steps? Either the issue is with the air-flow since 2 AC representatives also stated that improper ventilation to the upper level steps was most likely a contributing factor of the problem or, as indicated by a third party builder that we asked to look at it, it is possible due to the amount of deterioration to the 2 x 12s and 6 x 6s that pressure treated wood may not have been used in that area of the deck. (See the lumber for the lower level in first photo that was not touching the steps...no issue.)

We were also told by one of the builders: the fact that the boards on the steps and in the corner at the steps closest to house are so tight water can't seep through the boards to the ground creating a water problem. We had drilled holes in the decking boards to drain water off the deck when it rains. He told us you either need a gap between the boards or slope the deck for proper water runoff. Rule of thumb is on a solid deck it needs to be sloped between 1/8″ and 1/4" per foot to encourage water drainage. Decks with properly gapped decking boards require no slope as rain will naturally run off the boards even when level. Gapped decking has sufficient drainage between the deck boards to drain excess water off the deck. Your deck doesn't look like it was sloped, and the boards have little to no gaps between them. Thus there is and will be water problems.

2) The second reason for the review is the initial 'offer to help us out' and fix it for $4k+. We have had two builders to look at our deck and one's price is $2500 less and the other one is $2200 less. The price that Mr. ***** quoted us was a price that we believe was meant to discourage us from having them make the repairs.

Potential customers and existing customers should know what we have experienced. This was the reason for our review. We did not submit it as a complaint because frankly at this point we don't trust that AC would do the work in a manner that would resolve the issue at hand and provide a lasting quality product.

On a final note, it is unprofessional of you to say that we misunderstood what we've heard from AC representatives (especially since you haven't seen it for yourself in person) and to now come back with a lower offer: $1500, we buy the materials, and we have to agree to retract our review from the BBB site. Not good business.

Regards,
Whole bottom half of 2 x 12 is completely eroded.
Close up of 6 x 6 support post and (2) 2 x 12s.