We recently had a home built by Boise Hunter Homes who used Any Weather Exteriors to install a balcony off the 2nd story. Unfortunately, we've had a terrible experience trying to get the balcony built correctly. We had over 15 gallons of water pooling on the balcony during the first rainstorm after moving in. Luckily we noticed the issue just before the water went over the door threshold and into the house. We used a wet-dry vac to remove the water.

We called several installers and builders and confirmed that the building code requires the framing to have a 2% slope away from the house. Unfortunately, Boise Hunter Homes and Any Weather Exteriors built the balcony with a 2% slope towards the house. Incorrect slope is an obvious issue, and any competent installer would verify the slope is correct before moving forward. The plans filed with the city stated that the material would be Pli-Dek and that the slope would be "away from home minimum of 1/4" per foot". The slope was actually about 1/4" per foot towards the house. Additionally, the material used for the balcony was actually "Life Deck" not Pli-Dek.

We called Boise Hunter Homes, who came out with the owner of Any Weather Exteriors, Daniel Freer. They said they would raise the door to the balcony and add a "sloping compound" to increase the slope. We told them that we felt the framing should be fixed.

Daniel and BHH assured us the sloping compound would be safe and up to code. Unfortunately, it didn't take long after adding the sloping compound for many large cracks and lumps to appear on the balcony. We called BHH and Any Weather Exteriors back out and they filled in and painted the cracks but did nothing as a permanent fix. Unsurprisingly the cracks quickly reopened and the lumps returned. During this time, Daniel's installer confided in us that he "told the boss the framing needed to be fixed and they shouldn't just fill in the cracks." Even the installer knew Daniel was cutting corners. We now have cracks, lumps, and low spots that pool water. Despite our frustration with the company and Daniel, the installers have always been courteous and seem like they want to fix the issue and not cut corners.

Frustrated with this ongoing issue, we decided to call the Building Code Inspections office, and they confirmed that not only was this not installed to code, the "fix" likely required pulling another permit, which was not done. Additionally, we confirmed with home insurance that any damage caused by the balcony will not be covered because it was incorrectly installed. For final confirmation, we had a third-party inspection, and they also stated the balcony was installed incorrectly.

On Pli Dek's website they have these suggestions when picking an installer: "Next, ask about the deck design and the materials. Ask if they wouldn’t mind and if they would be upset if you showed their plans to another contractor. You may not, but the answer may prove telling. Failure to reveal plans to other qualified individuals suggest something is wrong. Plans designs are pretty well-known in the industry and unless you have a design that is a big departure from the norm, then using an engineer to check the plans might prove smart. Deck failures, or short-lived decks, often obtain that status for reasons stated above. Poor construction as a result of not following codes, poor or improper maintenance that can result from designs that militate against waterproofing, and the lack of foresight. This latter point is especially important for second and above-story decking. The homeowner needs notice and recommendations to improve deck integrity in some cases."

We sent the photos and details of this issue to a few installers, who were shocked that someone would install the balcony this way.

As a result, we absolutely cannot recommend using Any Weather Exteriors. Clearly, the owner, Daniel Freer, does not care about the quality of his work and is willing to cut corners to make more money at the customer's expense.