BH Decker, Inc. General Construction, Construction Management

"A warning: this company is owned by Ben Decker. Our experience with Ben Decker included lies, theft and fraud. We purchased a plot of land from his other contracting business BH Decker. It was a stipulation that we hire him to do the work on the land. We agreed but Ben insisted that in order to show proof of funds after the sale of the land, we open a joint bank account with him. I admit, this was truly naïve on our part but he had put on his small-town charm and we mistakenly trusted him. He told me that funds would only be taken out of the account with my written authorization, this rule was never followed. He removed money for the purchase of materials for the septic and for electric service. He even upcharged us on copper wiring, claiming that the cost went up when he purchased it. Months went by and no work was done on the property. I asked him to show us photographs of the material or receipts, something to show in good faith that he was planning on continuing the project. We got nothing. Finally when I started getting suspicious we contacted the DEP to find out about the septic approval and we were told that Ben Decker did not have any contact with the DEP, the DEP had not approved any plans and any prior plans that were approved were now void due to the fact that he had buried the original site and we had to start over from square one. After confronting Ben about this and asking he return the funds for the “materials” he purchased, he told us the money he took was used toward excavation costs. He claimed that he did nearly $35k worth of excavation work on our property. We agreed that he had done some (because we are fair) but that he had also damaged a small stream that we did not want touched, buried stumps when we asked him not to, and left a tremendous amount of brush and debris. We have since had to hire someone to undo the damage he has done. We asked for $20k back and received nothing but silence. We were also told by the septic engineer that Ben Decker yelled at him and made some off-color comments and he was hesitant to work with us again until we told him we are no longer working with Ben Decker. Ben Decker also overcharged us for a Quonset hut and a small slab, we ran into the contractor he used to pour the slab and found out that he had not paid him even though we had remitted payment to Ben Decker immediately. Ben Decker had implied to this contractor that we had not paid him and he was unable to pay his subs. He even tried to take the money for the Quonset hut twice until I demanded he put the money back! To add insult to injury, Ben knew that my husband was a carpenter and handyman and that our plan after we moved onto the land was to open a handyman business. We were clear that we didn’t want to step on any contractors toes (including his) and were only looking to take smaller jobs in the local community. One has to think, is it possible that he stole from us and derailed our project at every step in order to push us back from being in Delhi full time so he could steal my husband’s idea? After working with him, I can assure you that he is one of the least handy people I have ever met. He is completely inept and untrustworthy. I have documentation to back all of this up, including emails, text messages and bank statements. Update: We also now know that he did not follow the DEP approved plans for work on the septic and land. He cleared and backfilled areas he was not legally allowed to."

"Ben's crew remodeled a bathroom and 2 bedrooms for us last summer and their work was impecable. Ben is great at solving construction problems and mistakes that other companies caused. We strongly recommend BH Decker for all your contracting needs."

"As a consulting professional engineer, I've had the pleasure of working with Ben on quite a few projects. His level of dedication, professionalism and quality are second to none. I've recommended BH Decker, Inc., many times and will continue to do so. Believe me when I say he's one of the finest contractors around."

"Bobby & Darren did an amazing job finishing the interior of my tiny cabin-- and on a hot, summer day, no less. Thanks Ben, for making it happen on such sort notice."