Distinctively Outdoors — Local services in Parsippany-Troy Hills

I am not sure how to respond to Distinctively Outdoor's response. I am modifying my post with the facts. You can judge for yourself. (The pics show where they left the project)

Distinctively Outdoors has a C- rating with the Better Business Bureau. Shawn is NOT the owner of the company.

I signed a contract with Distinctively Outdoors in November 2022 for an outdoor project. They promised the project would be complete well before summer of '23. The permits for the project were not filed with the town until July '23 - 8 months later and well after the promised completion date of the project.

Before they started working I paid them 56% of the cost of the total construction project.

In a separate transaction, simultaneously, I ordered a hot tub for almost $25k and was told that their policy was I needed to pay in full upfront - non-negotiable, and so I did. Several months later Laura asked me for the 2nd half of the payment. She had forgotten that I paid in full. And even if that were true, clearly full payment upfront for the hot tub is NOT expected from everyone!

They began working on the front of my house upon the signing of the contract. I made an additional payment of 11%. (for a total of 67% of the project) They stopped working before Christmas - my front steps and stoop were left with yellow caution tape and inaccessible.

They did not return to work again until the end of May; without reason or explanation. It was an unusually mild winter and there were no supply issues. And did not finish the front steps until August.

In September '23 they demanded an additional 25% payment. (Making a total of 96% of the cost of the total construction project + I had paid full payment of almost $25k for a hot tub.) The frame of the deck had been completed but I was still missing the decking, the 900 sf patio, (I did have the stone), the railing, the hot tub pad, about 35% of the project and they had not yet delivered the hot tub.

They claimed they would be finished with the work in 5 days. I offered to pay each day, with an immediate 1st payment - they refused and would only accepted the full demand to return. I also later learned that permits were needed for the hot tub and had not yet been filed - so it definitely would have been more than 5 days.

They claim that I made changes and there was no pleasing me. I truly do not know what they are referring to. I asked about repositioning the hot tub. Shawn thought it might create a problem with the permits. I said forget it. Any other changes I asked about were additions and Shawn never followed through. None of which impacted their ability to complete the work in the contract. I eliminated 2 elements of the project - neither had been started. Laura said that none of my payments had been allocated to those 2 elements. And did not indicate it was a problem.

If you are looking for a reliable hot tub company, go to hottubcentralnj.com. They sell Bullfrog tubs and other brands. I put down a 25% deposit and paid the balance upon delivery, 5 weeks later. Excellent prices and awesome service. They will deliver anywhere in NJ.

If you are looking for an outdoor kitchen go to Thomas Outdoor Kitchens in Hillside. Ask for Jeff and tell him I sent you. Their products are superior quality and wonderful...

I'm lobbying Google to add a sixth star for companies like Distinctively Outdoors :D The entire staff is knowledgeable, professional and helpful. Saying that they will go the extra mile is an understatement. They were willing to work with me to decide on every detail and they kept communication lines open and provided frequent updates on build, delivery and installation timelines. Most importantly, when a product did not meet their standards, they got on the phone with the vendor and negotiated a resolution on our behalf. Sending my highest recommendation to this...

We purchased our Bullfrog A7 from Distinctively Outdoors. Laura and Shawn are great and the purchase process could not have been better. We were able to sit in several different models on the showroom floor and they have one fully operational if you want to wet test. Shawn personally showed up onsite for the delivery and answered all of our questions - there were many because we are first time hot tub buyers!

If you are in the market - do yourself a favor and go to Distinctively Outdoors. You will not be...