Southern Decking

On December 24, 2024, we signed a contract with Wesley Chase Veal of Southern Decking for the construction of a 25 ft. x 16 ft. sunroom addition. The total contract amount was $47,000, and we provided a $5,000 deposit on the same day. Two days later, Mr. Veal delivered a load of sand to the property, which was later found to be contaminated with grass and twigs (see attached photos). That same day, he informed us that he planned to bring a truckload of cement the following day to begin constructing the cement flooring. Additionally, he removed the front steps to the house, which Baldwin County now requires to be replaced. While a building inspector was in the area, he visited the site and inquired whether Mr. Veal had obtained the necessary permits for the construction. Mr. Veal stated that he did not need a permit and might obtain one toward the end of the project. Upon inspection, the official determined that the sand lacked proper retention or a base and immediately halted the work. Since then, the inspector has attempted to contact Mr. Veal multiple times via calls and text messages to guide him through the permitting process. However, Mr. Veal has refused to respond or communicate. We also attempted to resolve the matter directly with him, but he refused to return our $5,000 deposit. In his last message, he claimed that he had incurred expenses for soil and labor, justifying his refusal to issue a refund. We made it clear to Mr. Veal that, as clients, we should not be held responsible for his failure to exercise due diligence. It is evident that he was unprepared and unfamiliar with the required permitting process. A letter from Baldwin County is attached for reference. Beyond financial loss, Mr. Veal has also left us with a serious issue: the contaminated sand is washing toward the lake, creating an environmental hazard. Baldwin County required us to resolve this problem by a specified deadline. As a result, we incurred additional expenses for the removal of contaminated sand, debris cleanup near the lake, mileage, legal consultations, court fees, and replacing the front steps of the house. These costs total $2,922, bringing our total claim to $7,922 (the original $5,000 deposit plus additional expenses). Mr. Veal entered into a $47,000 contract without obtaining the necessary permits or complying with Baldwin County regulations. We formally demand the immediate return of our deposit, along with full reimbursement for the additional expenses incurred due to his negligence.

Great!! Showed up as promised, worked very hard and did an excellent job!

Great. Price was right. Excellent work. Friendly staff. Made some suggestions to make it a better deck for the pool. We have some additional work that we will be having them do as well. Excellent experience. Thanks so much. We highly recommend Southern Decking.

Southern Decking did a really Nice ! Job my deck is very nice. Very proud to show it off I would Highly recommend Them to anyone you will definitely be Glad you do choose them Good Price top quality work and They was done very fast .. 5 stars + Give them a call you will be happy you did (:

Great service, good price, completed on schedule

He did hood work ahead of time

It went very smooth. I highly recommend Southern decking. I love my new deck. It is very spacious. They got done in a timely manner and were very easy to deal with.

The job went very smooth and they really done a great job it was a lot of deck but they did an excellent job very happy and would recommend Southern Decking to anyone looking for a top quality Deck …