We deeply regret hiring Concrete Replacement Experts (CRE) for our driveway in July/2024, and whats frustrating is the reasons largely contradict their founders company statement: Approximately 75-85% of all concrete failures are a man-made problem created by the contractor who did the original work, and with the material they used or used incorrectly.
Below describes their failed work due to poor workmanship, poor planning and execution from lack of experience, and finally a lack of accountability.
New driveway & apron (charged c/w taxes: $21,814 for 1014 ft2) (Paid in full the day of the concrete pour.)
1. Cracks formed in the driveway WITHIN 2 WEEKS. After some research it appears this is due to insufficient compaction. Contract says 4 of road crush, compacted in layers, will be completed; however, no layered compaction was performed, no water applied during it for improved compaction, and areas where required depth wasnt even reached, NOR was it compacted properly.
2. There is a large swale in the driveway. During their installation of rebar, many of the supports were knocked over and not fixed. This was causing the rebar to visually sag, so I confronted the foreman and was met with anger because they are the experts. Sure enough, there is now a greater than 1 swale in the exact spot I had pointed out.
3. When CRE placed expansion joints between concrete structures, they failed to comply with the contract standards. Not only were they not properly fastened per their installation guidelines, but theyre required to be 4 tall, and they didnt properly plan that out, forcing them to be cut in half and only install them 2 tall. Additionally, ALL expansion joints were required to be foam, but it seems when they ran out, they just switched to fibre, against what was agreed upon. All of this to end up with uneven expansion joints.
4. The apron of the driveway was poured during 30C temperatures with only 1 experienced worker and 1 helper. You could tell they were rushing way too fast because the work was sloppy damaging the city sidewalk and leaving unfinished edges because the concrete was setting too quickly in the heat.
5. The concrete sealant was done terribly and left stains all over the driveway. Water-based Uniseal was sprayed on lightly and hastily. I personally read the directions, and it says to use 2 coats, but not only did they skip the 2nd coat, the first one was only partial. After contacting the vendor of the product, they said it should NOT have been used on an exterior driveway and that this must have been an inexperienced crew. On exterior surfaces it only lasts a short time.
6. During cleanup they simply washed the debris / dirt towards the neighbours and left it there. Our neighbours let us know they had to clean everything up.
7. Communication nightmare. Not only was it clear the crew had no direction or experience in their work, but after mistakes were made, they were not corrected, and when contacting the owner to discuss damage, cracking, etc. he ignored us. No returned calls, no explanations, nothing. Out of pure chance I bumped into him at a local store later and he blamed his crew! He not only took no responsibility but became volatile to the point I had to ask him to calm down. He stormed off in his vehicle and it was an awful experience.
8. Though the owner did not do any of the work himself, he is ultimately responsible for the crew he sent out and for the work they performed.
9. As of todays date, his business and equipment is for sale on Marketplace.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIRING THIS CONTRACTOR FOR YOUR CONCRETE WORK.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $21,000.00