Web banner Highwood Construction, Flagstaff AZ

The 'Other Guys' work

The 'Other Guys' decks:

We build quality decks, but here is the real reason not to hire the 'other guys':

Collapsed deck

This deck pictured above collapsed while guests from a wedding reception were standing on it.  The deck was poorly attached to the house.  This is a typical problem with our competitors decks.

Deck collapsed from snow near Flagstaff Arizona

In Flagstaff, snow loads will often destroy decks that are not built to code.  We have seen our competitors decks fail within the first several years after being built.  While older decks built in Coconino county are of particularly poor construction, we have even seen a deck collapse in the relatively new neighborhood of Boulder Pointe.  During the housing 'boom', city inspectors were overloaded with work and many contractors were able to get poorly done work passed.  This is especially true in Boulder Pointe and Ponderosa Trails neighborhoods of Flagstaff.

At Left: A deck Collapsed in 2008 in Munds Park from poor construction.

The deck below and the deck framing was damaged by water dripping on it from the roof above.

The builder and designer of this home are to be blamed for the poor design.  Most of this 20' long beam was still solid, but this end was damaged by rain and snow melt coming from the second story roof above.  The rest of the deck was protected by a porch roof, which should have been extended to cover the last two feet of the deck.  The builder of this home used the same plans elsewhere in Flagstaff.

A deck in Flagstaff damaged by water dripping off of the roof above.

Here is what happens when house joists are cantilevered out of the home to build a deck:

Rotted wood caused by a cantilevered deck

It is never a good idea to cantilever a deck off of a house.
The massive water damage is on a house in Doney park that was only 18 years old.
The Cantilevered joists caused two problems:
1. The joists created numerous places that relied on caulk to keep water out.
2. The joists acted like sponges, drawing water from outside the home into the inside.

We repaired the damage by removing the cantilever and replacing the rotted wood and siding.
There was also drywall damage inside the home.

After all the repairs, we built a new deck on the home, that was properly designed and permitted.

Warped deck boards:

Warped deck board due to over spacing of joists

Our 'competition' installed this deck recently. They cut a few corners to save a few bucks.
In the picture above the deck boards are warped downwards due to over-spacing of the joists.
Composite decking must be installed on joists spaced at 12" o.c. when run diagonally to the deck joists.

Rotted 8x8 post

Rotted post due to poor flashing
The builder of this luxury home in Forest Highlands didn't understand the proper use of flashing.
By wrapping flashing around the bottom of this 8x8 post, water was trapped inside causing the post to rot.

Actually several of the posts rotted due to this bad design.
Here is another one after we removed the flashing:

Rotted post on a bracket in Forest Highlands
These Post were holding up a large trellis.  We replaced them and several other expensive wood members and rebuilt the Trellis.
If you look closely at the picture, you should also be able to tell that the window trim was installed wrong, and is starting to rot.

We see this type of poor quality work in Forest Highlands Golf Club all the time.
It is really amazing that wealthy home owners choose low price over quality. There really is no excuse.

Another post install by the "other guys"


The bottom of this hand-hewn pole rotted due to three factors:
1. poor construction practices by the builder (wrapping the bottom of the pole in stone).
2. Poor design by the architect (multiple roof lines dump water right on the bottom of the pole).
3. poor maintenance by the owner (it wasn't stained for many years).

It is rather perplexing that a customer in Flagstaff would hire an out-of-town architect to design a house.
At Highwood Construction, we do our own home designs for our unique climate.
We also design each home for the building lot, taking into account sun angles and prevailing wind direction as well as snow and rain factors.

The 'other guys' siding:

improperly installed HardiePlank lap siding

The owner of this home tried to save money by hiring a cheap contractor from out of town.  What they got was siding that was beginning to fall off the house after only 5 years.  Additionally the siding was beginning to crack. The Reason:  Their cheap builder improperly installed all of the siding on the house. Rather than cutting the siding so that the joints landed on the framing, he placed the joints randomly, either from inexperience or in an attempt to save money.  Every joint in these pictures is just floating over the sheathing and is not nailed to the framing.  The result is that the siding begins to blow off the house and to crack all the way through. 

a bad siding installation by an out of town builder     improperly installed hardi-plank lap siding by 'the other guys'

You can have CHEAP, FAST or QUALITY.... choose one!

House Wrap installed wrong

improperly installed house wrap by a local flagstaff contractor

The contractor in Flagstaff that installed this House Wrap installed it wrong.  Notice that the house wrap was installed AFTER the window trim was nailed on.  Any water or moisture that hits the house wrap is directed behind the widow trim and eventually behind the window flange (see below).

How many mistakes can you find in this next picture?

improperly installed siding and trim in Flagstaff

The builder of this custom home is a contractor who has lower prices than us.  IF you can't see the problems in this picture, you might as well hire him!   (He didn't use galvanized nails, the trim was never primed, the house wrap doesn't extend over the window flange and the window is held on by only 4 nails.)

This next picture is from the same job.  Notice the extensive damage to the HardiePlank brand lap siding.  The water damage was caused by poor chimney flashing by the builder combined with terrible design by the architect.

Water damage on HardiePlank brand siding in Flagstaff AZ.

Many people, including licensed builders believe HardiePlank brand siding is water proof because it is made with cement.  However we have been called out to repair several homes that were built by our 'competition' where the cement board siding has completely deteriorated in as few as 7 years due to water damage.  Typically the problem is a poor home design combined with bad building practices.  HardiePlank siding is fine, if installed properly, but we still prefer LP SmartSide for numerous reasons.

The home pictured above has about 6000 s.f. of improperly installed siding, trim and house wrap.  The cost to remove the existing and install it properly and then re-paint is about $70,000.  Was it really worth saving a few dollars up front by hiring the "Other Guys"?

Wind Damaged HardiePlank brand Siding:

Here is another typical problem we see when the "other guys" install HardiePlank brand siding. The siding pictured below is pre-finished cement board siding manufactured by James Hardie.  The "Other Guys" did not nail it properly and it only lasted a few years.  We were paid to remove the siding around the entire home and install new siding.

(Note, this is not the same as the job above, even though the color is the same).

HardiePlank brand siding wind damage near Flagstaff AZ

This job is typical of the "Other Guys" HardiePlank siding installation.  They failed to locate the studs when nailing the siding on.  The nails only penetrated the 1/2" OSB and not the framing.  Additionally, they did not face nail at all.  Even with pre-finished siding, it is entirely necessary to face nail periodically to keep the cement board siding from flapping in the wind.  Luckily for the owner of this small home, it only cost $16,650.00 (2013 dollars) to repair the other guys work!

Failed Trusses at City Hall:

Failed trusses at Flagstaff City Hall

These trusses at Flagstaff City Hall were failing due to a lack of good Engineering.

Cracks in Large beams at Flagstaff City Hall

We were hired to reinforce these failing trusses by adding over 2000 pounds of metal plates and bolts in critically failing areas.
Our crew often finds themselves repairing the 'Other Guys' work.

The Other Guys Painting

An example of sloppy painting by a contractor in Flagstaff AZ

If you are satisfied with the quality of work you see in these pictures, then please consider hiring our competition!
  This painting job was done by a competitor on a brand new home in Flagstaff. 
The painter not only got paint all over the window, but he also failed to caulk the window. 
Additionally, he used the lowest quality paint, as evidenced by the chalky white color on the paint.

In the picture below the "Other Guys" painting company needs a few lessons on proper painting techniques!

Poor quality painting by a competitor in Flagstaff AZ

If you are looking for Flagstaff's best Painting Crew, please visit our Painting page.

The Other Guys Fire Restoration:

The 'Other Guys' pretended to completely repair this home from fire damage.

Fire damage not properly repaired on a home in Flagstaff

While preparing to build a deck on this home, we discovered the siding was improperly installed.
The contractor didn't land the siding on the framing members and therefore wasn't able to nail it properly.
We also noticed the siding was warping.
Upon removing the siding, we found this mess. The Contractor had lied to the homeowner about repairing all the fire damage.
This is the type of work "restoration" companies perform.

"The sweet aroma of a cheap price is forgotten once the bitter flavor of poor quality is tasted"

The Other Guys door installation:

The 'other guys' door installation

Here is a common mistake that other contractors make.
This sliding door was installed on top of the siding causing water to be directed into the house.
These type of self-flashing doors and windows MUST be installed under the siding, not on top of the siding!

It seems simple enough to understand that water travels downhill,
yet so many contractors don't understand the simple workings of gravity!

As water travels down the siding above the door, it reaches the flashing and is then directed inside the house.
(pictured is the bottom of the door, but the top and sides are the same).
We helped this homeowner by removing the door, and reinstalling it the proper way.
Cost to repair: $2000 per door!
Thankfully the contractor who did the original installation admitted his mistake and paid for the repair.

The Other Guys Chimney Installation:

A collapsed chimney near Flagstaff

Someone hired a "handy-man" to install a chimney at their cabin near Mormon Lake.
The Chimney fell down and took part of the cabin with it!
The wall, the floor, the ceiling, the deck and the metal roof were all critically damaged.

A fallend down chimeny installed by a handyman

 

Highwood Construction - Licensed General Contractor

Serving Flagstaff, Sedona and Northern Arizona

Home - About - Baths - Careers - Carpentry - Commercial - Concrete Polishing - Construction Wisdom - Contact - Custom Homes - Decks - Doors - Drafting - Drywall - Emergency Repairs - Excavation - Kitchens - PaintingQuiet Cool - Siding - Snow Removal - Special Projects - The Other Guys - Windows

This website and all content Copyright 2023 Dark Sky Enterprises, LLC - all rights reserved.      Web Design by Mark Haughwout

Dark Sky Enterprises, LLC. d.b.a Highwood Construction