Ervin and Bridget Lewis Paid More Than $25,000 for a Pleasant Grove Backyard Deck, and the Unlicensed Contractor Left It Up to 12 Feet High With No Railings

The back deck at Ervin and Bridget Lewis’s home in Pleasant Grove, Alabama, was supposed to be finished in time for a Fourth of July gathering. Nearly eight months after they signed the contract, it still has no railings, no screens and no stain, and parts of it sit up to 12 feet off the ground. Ervin Lewis told WBRC he will not let anyone but himself and his wife go up there, because he does not want anyone to get hurt.

The couple paid more than $25,000 on a $21,000 contract with Capa Construction LLC, WBRC reported on Nov. 9. Two Alabama licensing boards told the station they could find no license for the company or its owner.

A $21,000 Backyard Rebuild That Stalled

The Lewises signed with Capa Construction on March 19 for a full tear-down and rebuild of their back deck. The plan included a new screened-in area with a roof, recessed lighting and a ceiling fan. Ervin Lewis said the contractor described the $21,000 price as covering a deck that would be “complete, ready to use.”

Crews framed the deck and finished part of a privacy fence while the family kept paying. The Fourth of July came and went with the work unfinished. “The event came and it’s gone. Still nothing,” Bridget Lewis said.

About seven months after the contract was signed, the family said, owner Pedro Martinez Vicente told them he could not finish. Ervin Lewis said the contractor told them he had underquoted himself. The railings, screens, stain, electrical work and part of the roof are still not done, and Lewis said part of the roof “is not done right.”

Bridget Lewis said she cannot trust the structure, and that the contractor had once stood in front of her and promised she could count on him.

A $3,250 Offer Against a $10,000 Fix

Other contractors have quoted the family about $10,000 to finish the deck. The Lewises asked Capa for that amount back, and the company refused. Instead, it offered to pay them $3,250 over six months, an offer the family has not accepted.

In a written statement to WBRC, Capa Construction said it was aware of Lewis’s concerns and takes its contractual commitments and customer relationships seriously. The company said it had “invested labor, resources, and additional funds to move the work forward,” and that the family still owes a balance for work performed, which it is “not currently seeking to collect.” It said it believes the circumstances, including the work completed and the money involved, should be “presented accurately and in their entirety.”

As of Nov. 9, the company had not answered the station’s questions about an itemized invoice, what the additional payments covered or the license number listed on its social media page.

No License on File With Either Board

The Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, which regulates residential construction and remodeling, told WBRC it could not find a license for Capa Construction or Martinez Vicente. It said the number posted on the company’s social media page “is not a valid license number with the board.” The Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors also found no license.

According to the home builders board, residential work costing more than $10,000, including labor and materials, falls under its licensing law. The Lewises’ contract was more than twice that.

The board also told the station it “cannot order a builder to refund money to a homeowner.” Homeowners who want compensation, it said, should talk with an attorney.

Where Alabama Homeowners Can Report a Builder

Suspected unlicensed residential work can be reported anonymously to the home builders board’s Builder Watch Hotline at 1-800-304-0853. The board’s consumer page links to its complaint procedures and form, a license lookup, its recovery fund and guides on how to hire a builder, what to do before a contractor begins work and remedies for victims of home repair fraud.

The general contractors board accepts complaints online or on a printed form that asks for the company name, license number, project address and a detailed explanation. That board says it can take disciplinary action against licensed and unlicensed contractors alike once a violation of the licensing law is proven, with penalties that “may range from criminal charges, fines, or revocation of license.” Residential complaints are directed to the home builders board.

Backyard projects have turned into costly disputes in other places, too. One homeowner said a neighbor claimed half a meter of his backyard before a fence dispute turned into a police report, and in Florida, Sun City Center neighbors were ordered to tear out backyard fences they had already paid for.

For now, the Lewises’ deck stands half-built behind their house, framed, partly roofed and off-limits to everyone but the two people who paid for it.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: en:User:JDoorjam – CC BY 2.5/Wikimedia Commons