ᐅ Paving work deficient

How much is the whole project going to cost, and how many square meters (square feet) are involved?

halmi schrieb:

What is the total cost and what is the size in square meters?

Hello halmi,

Cost shouldn’t really be the main concern here.
The landscaping contractor provided a quote, which should reflect their calculation for a proper execution. The result, however, is insufficient. Eventually, the first injury is inevitable.
I assume the landscaping contractor (anyone can call themselves that) is overwhelmed by the task. This will never work out with them.
I would flood them with defect notices and plan for another landscaping contractor to take over the job—one who knows what they’re doing.

Steven

So, we already looked into it, but probably not thoroughly enough.
It’s a local company. There are no online reviews available.
By now, I realize that I’ve backed the wrong horse.

The contract was quite extensive:
- Paved area in front of the house
- Terraces
- Rough and fine grading for the lawn area
- Boundary to the neighbor, etc.

Price for paving including installation: €45.25 (about $45.25)
Price for concrete slabs including installation: €68.15 (about $68.15)

With the concrete slabs, what bothers us is that they “rattle.” They wobble slightly and you can hear it. It only affects a few slabs (around 10). The small terrace is solid. It’s only on the main terrace.
They claim this will go away over the years, but I find that questionable.

With the paving, what bothers me is the poor workmanship. Some of the stones have defects (color scraped off from the vibratory plate, missing corners, holes in the surface). Is this normal or something you have to tolerate?

The installation can also be questioned. The house is angled relative to the street, so there are wedges everywhere. Overall, it looks crooked.
The worst part is the height differences to the concrete runners. Here they couldn’t properly compact the wedges, or the runner stone next to the garage was laid too low.

Guys, what’s going on with them? Not a single joint fits properly. The height differences are also extreme. And no, the wobbling won’t get better over time—that’s just a typical contractor myth.

I’m sure you paid around 50,000 or so, and the work should at least be somewhat acceptable.

This is honestly one of the worst jobs I’ve seen so far for exterior work. Where do you live? I’d be happy to come over and give the manager of that company a piece of my mind!

Steven schrieb:

We have the internet, so why don’t you check the companies before awarding the contract?
Steven

Very clever advice, but it doesn’t help at all. Often there are self-assessments or no reviews at all from tradespeople. Even verbal recommendations from individuals can be misleading, but they are better than nothing.

To find good tradespeople, the only way is to track down satisfied customers yourself. Otherwise, they will always send you to job sites where there were no problems. I know this trick all too well!

fortuneflake schrieb:

Supposedly, it would go away over the years, according to his statement.
(Paint scratched off from shaking, corners missing,

Hello fortuneflake

Nothing goes away with time. It only gets worse.
Paint scratched off from shaking? Corners missing? Did they shake it without rubber protection?
They are beating around the bush and trying to avoid responsibility. (By any chance, did you hire my neighbor?)
As much as I hate to say it: I would take the tough route. Submit a complaint about the defects and request repairs. Involve an expert (this is still better than being annoyed by poor work for years and then having someone else fix it). Have the repairs inspected by the expert, and let a professional fix the mess.

Steven