Cusatis Construction

Review: I contracted with Cusatis Construction Company Inc. to pour a concrete driveway and pour/stamp a decorative concrete patio in March. The patio was poured and stamped on Monday 5/13/13 and the driveway was poured on 5/14/13, both the driveway and patio had a protective sealer applied by Cusatis Construction on 5/14/13. Weather conditions during this time were partly cloudly and the weather temperatures were in the mid 60's. Less than one month later in approximately Mid June I noticed three large cracks in the stamped decorative patio. Two of the cracks originate from where the patio meets the stop and a third crack runs the entire width of the patio. The cracks go all the way through the patio and are very bad looking and ruin the appearance of the patio. I asked [redacted] to stop out and look at the patio cracks which he did on Tuesday 7/2/13. The patio did not have any expansion joints in it because [redacted] said that decorative patios he poured did not use expansion joints. However, researching stamped concrete patio reveals that expansion joints are required just as with conventional concrete patios. When I asked Marcus if this had been a conventional concrete patio would he have installed expansion joints he said yes. At this point I asked Marcus to remove the patio and re-pour/stamp it free of charge because I felt that work he did was defective (well poured concrete should not crack one month after being poured) and improperly done. [redacted] stated he would not re-pour/stamp the patio free of charge as he did not think there was anything wrong with it and did not think he had done anything wrong.Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund of $3600 (what the patio cost) issued to me to have the replacement work done by another contractor.

Business

Response:

In response to the complaint filed by [redacted] we would like to express how bad we feel about this

unfortunate situation. We take pride in our work and the patio portion

of the job we did for [redacted] is no exception.

We do

everything possible to prevent cracks from appearing however we can not

and do not guarantee that there will be no cracks. In fact we send a

"disclaimer" along with all our quotes informing all potential customers

of this possibility (copy attached). We do install rebar in all our

concrete projects as reinforcement to prevent the hairline cracks from

becoming large, unsightly and potentially dangerous.

Most of

the stamp patterns do not allow an asthetically acceptable control

joint. The option to add control joints is up to the customer. The

majority of our cutomers choose to let the slab crack naturally because

it is less obvious and unsightly. We do acknowledge that [redacted]

does have three hairline cracks in his patio.

We would be

willing to offer [redacted] a free sealing of the patio again this

fall and another next year. We would also agree to monitor the cracks

for signs of deterioration and do repairs if the cracks become wider.

Contractor will take precautions to avoid possible damage. Contractor is not responsible for possible reasonable damage to landscaping, to unknown and unidentified (undisclosed by owner, diggers hotline, and not obvious) hidden wires, pipes, and other obstructions. Homeowner is responsible for contacting digger’s hotline ([redacted]) and obtaining required permits if needed. Contractor is not responsible for delays beyond our control due to weather, labor problems etc. Customer acknowledges that contractor is not responsible for any defects in its product or it’s workmanship that are the result of normal wear and tear of the product, or that are due to factors not within the control of this contractor.

Customer is aware that color inconsistencies are possible due to amount of sun and weather conditions. Customer is aware that occasionally random cracks and occasional chert pops occur due to climate extremes in Wisconsin. Contractor is not responsible for back filling unless stated in quote. Please make note of the salt warning enclosed with this quote.

Cusatis Construction Company Inc. reserves the right to withdraw this proposal if not accepted within 60 days. Wisconsin lien law will apply where necessary. Any expenses incurred in collection of payment will be the responsibility of the buyer. Payment is due upon completion of work.

President

Cusatis Construction Company Inc.

Consumer

Response: