We decided to tap into our savings and put in a basketball standard and a cement pad in the backyard connecting our patio to our RV pad. It was a great decision, except when we decided to go with the contractor for installing it. We used someone who had supposedly been doing cement for 23 + years, promised us the best looking cement in the neighborhood and propbably the worst part... is almost family! (He's marrying my cousin) We felt like he would take care of us. He talked it up big. He did show up when he said he would be there, worked hard getting it ready and then it got away from him. He tried to pour over 10 yards of cement with two wheelbarrows, and two people helping him. The result...
He tried to fill low spots with a mix from a bag from the store, and where it was cracking, power cut lines along the crack with a dull blade. The result is we now have AWFUL looking brand new cement which is now cracking out around the power cut line right down the middle of the cement. Its one of those things you have to see in person to fully comprehend how bad it is. There is pitting, bird baths (where the water accumulates), cement all over our fence and window well covers, it is AWFUL. It truly has been a trial for me. I get sick to my stomach, angry and feel despair everytime I go in the backyard. We have tried calling to see what we can do to get this resolved, but he won't return our calls and is avoiding family functions because of it. I have had 5 different companies come out to see if there is something they can do to make it at least look better, but everyone has recommended tearing it out and starting over. After putting as much money as we did into it, that isn't really an option as we would have to put even more into it than we did when we started to get it torn out.
To add insult to injury: we had to repair 4 sprinkler lines (one being a main line that flooded our backyard), he pulled the cement truck up on the front driveway and cracked two sections that had to be replaced, one of which Jess and Phil tore out by hand, and in trying to be helpful and move broken out concrete from the backyard, I caught my leg on the wheelbarrow, and an ER visit and 9 stitches later, I not only have emotional, but physical scars as well ;)
We are trying to look at it as a learning experience...Always used a licensed company for contractor work and never ever use family!
1 comment:
Oh Rach, we had to learn this lesson the hard way too. You probably remember when we had my friend's husband put in our countertops. Not a good experience, although not as expensive as yours, I'm afraid. I'm sorry.
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