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Frank Builders Company Inc.

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Reviews Frank Builders Company Inc.

Frank Builders Company Inc. Reviews (5)

Here is a summary of the work sequence;
On 6-12-this customer signed a
proposal with us to put in a new driveway, city sidewalk, front sidewalk and steps, and remove a basketball pole
On 8/22/we put in the concrete, and finished with a surface sealer that protects concrete for up to a year
After the harsh winter we had ( the coldest sustained temperatures in years), we received a call in the winter that the driveway had cracks and pops in itWe went out and saw that only the driveway had these pops, and not the sidewalks or stepsThe cracks were barely visible but they were there
It was determined that pressure built up inside local chirr,( soft gravel which, when frozen, expands and can "pop" out of the top of the concrete.) This is an ingredient of concrete In this area which may hold waterChirr in the concrete was the cause of the Concrete pops .The winter was unusually cold for a very long time last year and it stressed the aggregate in the concrete surfaceIt was noticed that the gaps were worse under the customer's truck tires and where cars had parked- probably due to road salt brought in on vehicle tires and then trapped under the tires against the new concrete while parked thereIt was also bad by the garage where the gal drums were sittingThe sidewalks poured the same day out of the same mix seemed unscathed
We determined the best fix was to seal the driveway with a penetrating sealer to protect it from future popsOur discussion led to agreement that an employee here would come out and try to repair the pops and put a penetrating sealer on the concrete (a value of ever $11700.00)We also attempted to fill the pops with the concrete patch mix made of same cement as drivewayWe tried to schedule a time to come out and seal it several times and were told It was not convenient for themWe worked with them again and made it happen their wayWe did this in June, When through, the customer said that they were pleased with our efforts and the driveway looked "fine "We stopped back to check on it and it looked fine each time we drove by, though there were always stains on it from other cause
The customer had recycled gal drums in his garage with stains around and under them that were on the driveway when we came to put on penetrating sealer and we had to scrape multiple pieces of gum, dog hair clumps, and various other stains out of the driveway in order to power wash off and seal the drivewayThis is not use of a new driveway
Frank Builders followed the contract exactly and completely as specified, as well as offering a solution that we felt was above the response
There is nothing structurally wrong with the driveway and as it has now been sealed with a penetrating sealer that should last about yearsIt should last a long time with proper further useThere Is no reason to replace this driveway
Other driveways done in the subdivision at around the same time by us had only a few "pops” occurOur company cannot guarantee how a customer uses their drivewayConcrete cracks- we guarantee that! It should crack where we give it joints to expand/contract but it doesn't always crack as predicted
We then received several rather harsh emails from one of them regarding the dissatisfaction again and threatening to go to social media(?) unless we pay ransom
Their rave review for us on Angle's List from last year told us they were pleased with the work, please see attachedOur photos of the driveway show the damage is minimal, and on the surface, where their unusual use of the driveway occurs
In summary, we try to satisfy every customer, but sometimes that goal Is not achievable
Respectfully,
Jeffrey Frank

[redacted] Complaint, reference #[redacted]The customerstates that he required us to install patio with %" slope with no tolerances allowed.We met with the customer prior to the start of the project, on Sunday July 17, 2016 and personally him asked how important the '4" slope was to being...

maintained. In his own words he stated that he did not want to feel like he is falling when sitting on the patio. With his comment, concluded that the 4" fall slope did not have to be maintained.He was so concerned about it being level that he wanted us to do a broom finish instead of a swirt finish so that it would not be too uneven a surface, We looked at his front porch, which was swirled finished &concluded that the broom finish was best.He stated this in front of both myself and my wife.have explained to Mr. [redacted] that the purpose of the slope is to have the water run off the patio, which it does. We have had many heavy rains since the patio was installed & no areas held water that have béén observed.Since our crew arrived & did the work, Mr. [redacted] came out several times to inspect & verify that the conditions and specs were being followed, i.e. 3" gravel installed & Compacted, 2" rebar was installed and hammer drilled into his foundation and forms installation was done correctly.Without our knowledge, he filmed our crew installing the concrete,After we completed the job, Mr. [redacted] gave us a list of things to finish, i.e. cleanup the Windows, cut the Control joint deeper, add more dirt to the edges, which I personally completed.When finished that, I ask Mr. [redacted] if he was satisfied & he stated yes, also witnessed by my wife and employee,Many days later, he then started bring up the shortness of slope.Mr. [redacted] has been trying from the commencement of the job to try to prove that we did an inferior job, when in fact, it is an excellent job. He has sent several emalls telling us & has spent a lot of time trying to prove us wrong. He filmed the crew while they were doing his work, without telling us in advance, attempting to show how we did not do the work right, where in fact it did prove we did do the work, i.e. pulling up the rebar while pouring the concrete.Mr. [redacted] keeps bring up concrete standards from several inter et and other sources. He never asked what our, Frank Builders, standards are nor requested them when he signed the contract or afterwards. We have installed hundreds of Concrete patios & understand that people don't want have too much fall on the patio. If we had made the patio with greater than %"fall, 1 would understand Mr. [redacted]'s Concern. This concrete is installed by hand, not machine produced. Therefore, deviations from perfect slope is the standard and we never promised nor expected otherwise.Mr. [redacted] has threatened to turn us in to the Revdex.comureau, unless we agree to accept $500 less for this $3,000+ job and wanted a” paid in full invoice" too, But before we could even respond, he contacted you, the Revdex.com, instead,Mr. [redacted] has accepted the patio and is installing retaining walls around the patio, thus is using the patio. Therefore, Frank Builders Co. is entitled to the outstanding balance and fully expects payment.Respectfully,
[redacted]President

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]
 
At no point did we blame for any stains or discoloration. Our issues are with the premature deterioration of the driveway and sidewalks. For example the pictures with the very large crack and the chipped off piece is from the sidewalks. My truck is a regular pick-up truck that is used to go to and from work. So it does not stay in one place. We were not told that cracks would occur from a pick-up truck as suggested by Frank Builders. The concrete is even pulling away from the foundation and water is seeping down, which is what we were trying to fix from our old concrete. There was no ransom, we just do not want other people to spend thousands of dollars for a job that began falling apart before it was a year old. Our driveway was the only one completed last year by Frank Builders that is falling apart. I would think if the harsh winter was to blame, then everyone else's driveway would be doing the same thing. We were happy with how the driveway looked upon completion because nothing had fallen apart yet. My wife works from home and was available for repairs. They delayed trying to patch because they were experimenting with different sealers. We have attached some pictures and could attach more if necessary.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The response from Frank Builders Company failed to address the key issues of our dispute:
1. On July 19, 2016 when I informed the crew foreman the patio forms didn’t appear steep enough, why did he tell me the concrete forms had a falloff of 1/4” per foot as specified in his copy of the blueprint?  The response from Frank Builders Company takes our prior discussions out of context in an attempt to weave a narrative that explains the incorrect patio slope.  Unfortunately for Frank Builders Company, this narrative doesn’t explain why the foreman told me the forms had a falloff of 1/4” per foot.  Simply put, the foreman made a error in his slope calculation and the owner of Frank Builders Company has now fabricated a narrative in an attempt to cover up this costly mistake.
2. How can Frank Builders Company arbitrarily alter a material term, such as the specified slope, in our written agreement?  Legally, they need my written consent.  I never agreed to any slope other than 1/4” per foot, verbally or in writing.
3. Is their phrase “All work to be completed in a workman like manner according to standard practices”, which appears in our written agreement, simply an empty promise that Frank Builders Company makes to its customers?  This and similar terms have been interpreted by the court system to mean work customarily done by someone of ordinary skill, competency and standing in the concrete industry.  It does not let Frank Builders Company arbitrarily decide what is and isn’t acceptable in the final product.
4. How can Frank Builders Company discredit the standard practices of the American Concrete Institute which specifies a tolerance of 3/4” from the specified elevation?  The installed patio has more than 2.5 times this allowed deviation in elevation.  
5. How can Frank Builders Company ignore the video evidence they received on August 17, 2016 that clearly shows areas on the patio where water flows towards the house, not the yard?  These areas must be repaired to prevent frost heave under the patio.  Frank Builders Company has not offered to pay for these repairs.
6. How can Frank Builders Company justify the patio is acceptable simply because I’m trying to make do with a bad situation?  Frank Builders Company installed the patio on a grassy lawn.  They didn’t have to demolish and remove an existing concrete structure.  Even if Frank Builders Company refunded all my money, I’d still be out hundreds of dollars to demolish and remove the deficient patio before paying to install a new one.  Frank Builders Company hasn’t refunded my money nor offered to pay for the demolition and removal of their defective product.  I’m stuck with a patio that doesn’t satisfy our written agreement because of their foreman’s mistake.
7. Why can’t Frank Builders Company acknowledge the patio would have been better integrated with the existing yard if the front lip had been 2” lower to match the blueprint?  As a result of their error, the retaining walls of the adjacent flower beds need to be taller, and a step is required at the lip of the patio.  Frank Builders Company has not offered to cover these additional expenses.
The response from Frank Builders Company failed to address these key issues because they’d have to admit fault.  Instead of owning up to their costly mistake, the owner has responded with a fabricated narrative containing unrelated tangential items and half-truths.
For example, he claimed I filmed their crew without their consent.  My home has a security system with 24-hour surveillance.  Signs stating this fact are clearly posted, including one on the back door.  A security camera near the back door records activity in this vicinity.  Since the patio is adjacent to the back door, portions of the patio installation were captured on security footage.  This security system has nothing to do with the incorrect slope of the installed patio.
Similarly, the type of finish, broom versus swirl, is the texture on the concrete surface and does not affect the overall slope of the patio slab.  As a veteran in the concrete industry the owner of Frank Builders Company should be ashamed for suggesting otherwise.
Frank Builders Company is simply grasping for excuses rather than taking ownership of their foreman’s error in calculating the slope of the concrete forms during installation of the patio.
Regards,
[redacted]

Case #
[redacted]
There was excellent
workmanship on this job. We did not need a permit to pour a front porch in
Colerain Township. We tried to do extra for this customer but nothing was good
enough. His forms were solid and there is no hump. The patch we did do for him
was a spot...

where our employees thought we were going to put a railing back in
and we had been asked not to. We then had to remove our spacer, that he saw us
take out of the concrete, and did not understand why. He then decided we
dropped other things in his concrete and it went on from there.First
of all, Mr. [redacted] has never paid for his $1545.00 concrete porch or
sidewalk that we have featured on our web page. He has agreed multiple times to
send a check and then does not do it.I
began working here in 2014 when I paid him a visit to find out what the problem
was, and at that time it was already too late to pursue him in small claims
court. His complaint this time was that his porch was not level. It is as level
as it should be for the water to run off properly and not hold water/ice. He
did not let me finish explaining what I wanted to say, and that has been the
pattern ever since.
We are not the only company
he has done this to, The windows man was on his third visit when I met him I in
[redacted]' driveway- that windows guy told me the situation as to how he has done
this to other contractors. Then the neighbors began to share their stories with
me each time I came to bid more work. He has quite a legacy.
We are regularly on his
street bidding work for his neighbors so his guilty conscience has him thinking
I am stalking him for the payment he still owes. When I saw him two weekends
ago walking past, he said hello so I asked If I could stop by. He did answer his door and I told him I just want
to resolve this issue. He asked me to send a bill that would reflect how much
materials were and he would only pay for that-not the labor. I agreed to It to
get any form of payment from him at all. When I saw him, he asked me to write
him up a bill and he would pay for it. He now won't pay It. He does not answer
calls from our company phone. When I called from my cell phone he hung up the
phone on me, threatening to call the police if my vehicle showed up again. He
was highly Irritated and talked faster and faster, louder so I could not talk,
He needs psychiatric help. We will be working on his street and do not want to
be threatened by this man because his conscience is haunting him. We need to
know to whom to report this man. We also need protection from him.
Sincerely,
 
[redacted], Frank Builders Company

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