GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Even on a gloomy day, the deck in Stephen Cipolla’s backyard brings him joy.
“The quality of what's there now is is amazing, so I'm ecstatic about it,” said Cipolla.
The Grand Haven homeowners says that for a while, he feared his family would be stuck with the deck that was previously there, after Bay to Bay Building Concepts LLC, the Hastings construction company Cipolla initially hired to replace it, failed to complete the work.
“The original deck was coming down,” said Cipolla. “It was in really bad shape and then because of my situation, it didn't look like it was going to get fixed anytime soon, so I was really worried about that it was going to be dangerous.”
Cipolla paid Bay to Bay $11,430, but says the company only refunded him $4,572, which left him financially unable to find someone else for the job. In an effort to get that money back, he contacted the Problem Solvers.
READ MORE: PROBLEM SOLVERS: State suspends Hastings construction company's license amid consumer complaints
Bay to Bay did not take action, but after FOX 17’s original story aired in August, Hutcherson Construction offered their help.
“I had initially told Steve, like, ‘Hey, I want to help you because what happened to you, it’s just not fair,’” said Nick Hutcherson, the owner of Hutcherson Construction.
Hutcherson says that when homeowners go through something like this, it tarnishes his field’s reputation.
“I feel that the construction industry, across the state, but also across the country is a bit like the used car industry used to be, in terms of there's just too many people in this industry that are so focused on, on what's in it for them and not focused on what's in it for the client, and what's in it for the community,” said Hutcherson.
Hutcherson Construction paid for the labor and Builders FirstSource donated the composite boards needed to finish the deck. The gesture surprised Cipolla, who then bought the needed rails and hardware.
“My first reaction was, ‘Why would you do that for me?’ because there are so many other people that could need it,” said Cipolla. “It didn't take long for me to understand where he was coming from and it was a good place.”
Cipolla now looks forward to the memories his family will make on the deck.
Hutcherson meanwhile says moments like this mean the most to his company.
“We’re in business to make an impact,” said Hutcherson. “We do it to make an impact in the communities in which we live, work, and play, and to be able to do that feels better than any amount of money we ever could have profited off of any job."
