Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/08) */
Sometime in late Nov 2014 I received a call from an acquaintance who asked me to contact his friend. This person had arranged for someone to do some excavating for him and to also replace his driveway. The person he had contracted with to do the...
work did the excavating but didn't return to do the concrete. I called the client and told him I had time to do the concrete but that it was late in the year weather-wise. He said he very much wanted to get his driveway replaced and would give me a bonus if I got it done. He said the contractor he hired previously removed some dirt from his back yard for a patio. The contract amount for the dirt removal and the driveway was $3000.00. The contractor did about 2 hours of work and didn't' come back having received $1500.00 up front. I could tell the homeowner felt he had been treated badly. I told him that I would do his driveway for $1800.00 As I began tearing the concrete out I discovered it was 7 or 8 " thick and had two layers of wire mesh.Also the clay subgrade would not begin to support my tractor as I was trying to remove the concrete. The client and one of his friends were watching the tearout and it was obvious to everyone something had to be done quickly. I drove out to [redacted] Dock in Peoria to get a load (5 tons)of 1/2" white rock to dump in the driveway to create a bash on which to drive my tractor. As I drove on the coarse rock the subgrade stabilized and the mud pushed up through it. I removed the mud and had a very good base for the driveway. Wet clay is the usual reason in Sunset Hills that the driveways crack so badly. I have been pouring driveways there for 20 years. The following day the driveway was ready to pour. It was approx 37' long and 10' wide. 5 yards of concrete would be required to install a 4" thick driveway. Because of the repair to the subgrade, the removal of mud, much of the subgrade was 7" deep. To pour the drive required 7 yards of concrete, 2 more than the estimate.We also used #8 wire mesh which is 1 1/2 times as strong as #10, the usual residential mesh. At the lower end of the driveway we put double wire to insure there would be no cracking. We used 4000psi white rock cement from Roanoke Concrete.The homeowner is aware of all of these things. They have a very good product and very good drivers. We didn't cut any corners or spare any efforts to provide a durable driveway..After we poured the driveway and cleaned up the yard I asked the homeowner to reimburse me for the cost of the rock and the extra concrete. I did not ask to be paid for the extra truck time or the extra tractor time. He refused even though I was being more than fair. He left town to visit family before the holidays and when he returned he called me to say he had a crack in the driveway. I was very surprised when the homeowner called me to say he had a crack in his concrete and went to look at it. I called the concrete company to tell them what had happened and they sent someone out to look at it. A couple of weeks later the homeowner called me again to tell me the surface was coming off in places. I drove over to look at it immediately and before I left the site I called the concrete company again. After looking at it, it was obvious to them that the surface damage was caused by salt. The approach was badly pitted and the track where the tires contacted the concrete. When I first spoke to the client about this problem I said I had done everything possible to provide a durable concrete job and he AGREED! That was then. He later called and announced in a belligerent tone that I was responsible because I had let his concrete freeze. He knew this because one of his golf buddies told him. if anyone looks at the driveway the only part that FROZE is where the tire tracks are and on the approach where salt accumulates. I had also stressed to him that he MUST extend the downspout at the corner of the garage. It needed to be extended to get the water away from the driveway. It was evident it had been pooling there for sometime. I have pictures showing he did not do this. One of the main reasons concrete cracks is water underneath which freezes. I also have pictures showing that I sawed the concrete the recommended distance of every ten feet and the pitting in the tire tracks. When Roanoke Concrete went out to look at the job and called me back, they commented that I had made the cuts at the right places and the depth of the cuts was more that adequate! We did not compromise on anything. I believe that whomever the homeowner asked to watch his house while he was away put salt on the drivewqy without knowing how much damage could be done to new concrete by salt. This guy is trying to blame someone for his mistakes.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/06/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
no matter how good a job was done, the concrete was not protected from freezing,i.e blankets, air entrainment, antifreezing additives, drier concrete, more cement in the mix... (I have the temperature records for the area those days and several days immediately post pouring were below freezing). How ridiculous to say someone came and salted my driveway (unless it was the contractor being bitter about me not paying the extra $281 charges.Incidentally, he never told me of the extra charges till I was writing the check). I don't doubt the quality of the contractor's work or the quality of the concrete..only that he didn't take proper precautions to protect the concrete from freezing after it was freshly poured...I didn't insist on it being poured, the contractor showed up and said he could get it done. He should know better than I if it was possible to get the pouring done...I respected his judgement.The photographs of my ruined driveway are typical of photos of frozen concrete obtained from the internet. This contractor is not man enough to admit he made a mistake and is trying to lay the blame everywhere but where it belongs...When I called him to ask what he intended to do about the driveway he said "nothing" and that I should contact Roanoke Concrete. When I said I thought the concrete had frozen he said "You're full of s[redacted]", screamed at me to contact Roanoke and then hung up on me.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/08) */
Sometime in late Nov 2014 I received a call from an acquaintance who asked me to contact his friend. This person had arranged for someone to do some excavating for him and to also replace his driveway. The person he had contracted with to do the...
work did the excavating but didn't return to do the concrete. I called the client and told him I had time to do the concrete but that it was late in the year weather-wise. He said he very much wanted to get his driveway replaced and would give me a bonus if I got it done. He said the contractor he hired previously removed some dirt from his back yard for a patio. The contract amount for the dirt removal and the driveway was $3000.00. The contractor did about 2 hours of work and didn't' come back having received $1500.00 up front. I could tell the homeowner felt he had been treated badly. I told him that I would do his driveway for $1800.00 As I began tearing the concrete out I discovered it was 7 or 8 " thick and had two layers of wire mesh.Also the clay subgrade would not begin to support my tractor as I was trying to remove the concrete. The client and one of his friends were watching the tearout and it was obvious to everyone something had to be done quickly. I drove out to [redacted] Dock in Peoria to get a load (5 tons)of 1/2" white rock to dump in the driveway to create a bash on which to drive my tractor. As I drove on the coarse rock the subgrade stabilized and the mud pushed up through it. I removed the mud and had a very good base for the driveway. Wet clay is the usual reason in Sunset Hills that the driveways crack so badly. I have been pouring driveways there for 20 years. The following day the driveway was ready to pour. It was approx 37' long and 10' wide. 5 yards of concrete would be required to install a 4" thick driveway. Because of the repair to the subgrade, the removal of mud, much of the subgrade was 7" deep. To pour the drive required 7 yards of concrete, 2 more than the estimate.We also used #8 wire mesh which is 1 1/2 times as strong as #10, the usual residential mesh. At the lower end of the driveway we put double wire to insure there would be no cracking. We used 4000psi white rock cement from Roanoke Concrete.The homeowner is aware of all of these things. They have a very good product and very good drivers. We didn't cut any corners or spare any efforts to provide a durable driveway..After we poured the driveway and cleaned up the yard I asked the homeowner to reimburse me for the cost of the rock and the extra concrete. I did not ask to be paid for the extra truck time or the extra tractor time. He refused even though I was being more than fair. He left town to visit family before the holidays and when he returned he called me to say he had a crack in the driveway. I was very surprised when the homeowner called me to say he had a crack in his concrete and went to look at it. I called the concrete company to tell them what had happened and they sent someone out to look at it. A couple of weeks later the homeowner called me again to tell me the surface was coming off in places. I drove over to look at it immediately and before I left the site I called the concrete company again. After looking at it, it was obvious to them that the surface damage was caused by salt. The approach was badly pitted and the track where the tires contacted the concrete. When I first spoke to the client about this problem I said I had done everything possible to provide a durable concrete job and he AGREED! That was then. He later called and announced in a belligerent tone that I was responsible because I had let his concrete freeze. He knew this because one of his golf buddies told him. if anyone looks at the driveway the only part that FROZE is where the tire tracks are and on the approach where salt accumulates. I had also stressed to him that he MUST extend the downspout at the corner of the garage. It needed to be extended to get the water away from the driveway. It was evident it had been pooling there for sometime. I have pictures showing he did not do this. One of the main reasons concrete cracks is water underneath which freezes. I also have pictures showing that I sawed the concrete the recommended distance of every ten feet and the pitting in the tire tracks. When Roanoke Concrete went out to look at the job and called me back, they commented that I had made the cuts at the right places and the depth of the cuts was more that adequate! We did not compromise on anything. I believe that whomever the homeowner asked to watch his house while he was away put salt on the drivewqy without knowing how much damage could be done to new concrete by salt. This guy is trying to blame someone for his mistakes.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/06/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
no matter how good a job was done, the concrete was not protected from freezing,i.e blankets, air entrainment, antifreezing additives, drier concrete, more cement in the mix... (I have the temperature records for the area those days and several days immediately post pouring were below freezing). How ridiculous to say someone came and salted my driveway (unless it was the contractor being bitter about me not paying the extra $281 charges.Incidentally, he never told me of the extra charges till I was writing the check). I don't doubt the quality of the contractor's work or the quality of the concrete..only that he didn't take proper precautions to protect the concrete from freezing after it was freshly poured...I didn't insist on it being poured, the contractor showed up and said he could get it done. He should know better than I if it was possible to get the pouring done...I respected his judgement.The photographs of my ruined driveway are typical of photos of frozen concrete obtained from the internet. This contractor is not man enough to admit he made a mistake and is trying to lay the blame everywhere but where it belongs...When I called him to ask what he intended to do about the driveway he said "nothing" and that I should contact Roanoke Concrete. When I said I thought the concrete had frozen he said "You're full of s[redacted]", screamed at me to contact Roanoke and then hung up on me.