What a nightmare. I won't go into the details of all the mistakes that were made a how long it took to finally get the driveway paved. My biggest issue was that it was paved in June 2014 and cracks appeared in the asphalt within 3 months. I contacted Frank in September and December with photographs and asked what they were going to do to honour their warranty. No response. I then contacted him again June 2015, and his solution was to patch it, which is unacceptable. His final response was that he can't help me because I won't accept a 20 foot patch on a new driveway that didn't last 3 months.
Sept 2015 Update. After going through the BBB and corresponding back and forth with the owner, I'm told that this is not their fault and isn't a warranty issue. Note also that the cracks are now much wider than this original photo, and chunks are about ready to break off. I'm now looking at having this redone at my own expense as it annoys me to see it every time I pull into my driveway.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,800.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
We are sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your driveway. Due to existing conditions and certain limitations the driveway could not be met to your satisfaction. It is important to consider that when Frank met with you to discuss this project, you expressed to him that you wanted to widen and repave your existing driveway. Frank then informed you that widening the driveway could be an issue because it would be in close proximity to the extremely large tree on your property which would not be compliant with the City of Oakville. He also warned that the tree would have roots under the driveway which could lead to cracking in the future. With this information in mind you still decided you wanted to proceed with the work.
We came to excavate and widened the driveway as per your request. After this was done the City of Oakville noticed that the driveway did not follow the tree compliance laws and wanted to fine you. Due to this we came back and changed the driveway back to its original size to avoid you having to pay a fine.
When the driveway was paved we used road mix asphalt HL3 which is a stronger mix. We hoped that this would hold up against the roots and make the driveway last longer. We have been very co-operative with you from the beginning when you initially called and complained about the cracks. We came to repair it immediately. We then returned to repair the driveway a second time. At this point when our crew was about to patch the cracks you told one of our workers to leave because you expected the whole driveway replaced. Unfortunately due to the roots on the property and the warning given beforehand our warranty does not cover a full replacement. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to prevent the tree from creating cracks.