Caruthers Concrete Service
About us
Caruthers Concrete Service has been serving North Central Florida since 1985. Our business has been built on a foundation of hard work, honesty and customer service. Throughout these 30 years, we have experienced tremendous growth. Caruthers Concrete Service has been a member of the Better Business Bureau for many years and we are licensed throughout the State of Florida. Our business provides four services: Residential Concrete, Commercial Concrete, Decorative Concrete and Landscape Curbing. Our Decorative Concrete Service covers many areas including concrete stamping, concrete staining and acrylic coatings, all of which are installed on new or existing concrete. Today's homeowners, builders, and designers recognize the value in using concrete in their designs and plans. Decorative concrete transforms traditional grey concrete into warm colored floors, expensive slate-look patios, and dazzling entryways, just to name a few. From expensive new homes with elaborate concrete driveways to budgeted one-room remodels, the advancements in concrete tools, concrete stains, textures and patterns have made concrete the most versatile, durable and cost-effective material on the market. We can help you decide how to use decorative concrete in your home or business, including colored concrete, stained concrete, stenciled concrete, stamped concrete, concrete overlays and more. And finally, our Landscaping Curbing Service provides curbing solutions in both plain and decorative patterns and colors. We are open Mon.-Thur. from 8am to 4pm. Friday is by appointment only.
Business highlights
Services we offer
& patios, Residential & Commercial Concrete- foundations, barn slabs, driveways, etc. Decorative stenciled, etc. applications to concrete interior & exterior surfaces., handicap access, pool decks, stained, stamped, walkways
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | ||
| 29% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 14% |
"Thank you so much for your very nice review & compliments on the crew leader. It was a pleasure doing work for you & your wife on your driveway project. Thank you again & please let us know if there is anything we can do for you in the future."
Caruthers Concrete Curbing was the only one with the Better Business Bureau. I looked no further. Big mistake!! Their website and estimate were professional; however, little did I know that his workers were not experienced or fully trained. Not only that, he never came out to survey our yard! First, the workers had trouble adjusting the color of the concrete. Secondly, the mixing was a shovel of sand, a handful of fiber, and a few sprays of water. Determining the consistency of the concrete was guess by golly, squeeze and spray. Questionable! When they dug the concrete trench, they did not level it so that the concrete would be grass level. Then, they didn’t have the proper tools to stamp the pattern. Once I instructed the worker how to improvise, they did a good job. Then they left before they had completely cleaned up extra dirt, grass roots or extra concrete. Caruthers Concrete Curbing sent two workers the next day to spray on sealer and finish cleanup. Again they left the extra dirt and concrete for me to cleanup. My mistake; I didn’t talk to any of his clients who had curbing done! When you do don’t just talk to one, talk to many! Also, have the contractor review your site and answer any questions you may have. Get everything in writing! Good luck!!
"Since 1985 with over 8000 jobs, customer service & satisfaction has been our #1 goal each day. We are disappointed when a customer does not feel we have met their expectations. Our employees are skilled concrete & curbing installers with years of field experience. We do not routinely send a salesman to landscape curbing jobs under 100' unless the homeowner request a visit prior to installation. Every job is different and we adjust to meet each job site's conditions, requirements & the homeowner's requests. The amount of water & color to add to the curbing mix is determined by the dryness or wetness of the curbing sand that particular day. Our first piece of equipment lays out the path of the curbing following the contour of the yard, not the top of the grass. We do not attempt to change the topography of the yard. The stamping tools have different patterns and the pattern can be changed by turning the tool a different way. When we began our normal cleanup process, the wife came out and told us we don't need to clean up as her husband intends to do that. Even so, we continued with the clean up. The following day we returned to the jobsite to seal the curbing. We started again to clean up & the husband/customer said "you don't need to do that, I am redoing the flower beds & you have done a good job, thank you!". This is actually the first customer that has ever expressed any dissatisfaction with a curbing job done by Caruthers Concrete Service!"
"We do not show the name-[member name removed] in our system. She does not state any details about the job or what her complaint actually is. Very surprised anyone would wait 9 years to make a complaint regarding any business. We have never 'skipped' town. We have been in business in Marion Co. Florida for 23 years. We are a member of BBB with an A+ rating and do not have a review/complaint from this person in our BBB file. There have been times in the past where our business name has been used by someone not affiliated with Caruthers Concrete Service. It appears this may be what happened in this case. We request a copy of a proposal or invoice from this member to further look into this matter."
On Friday, June 5, 2009 at 0900 televised and radio broadcasts widely available forecast a 70% chance of rain with overcast skies. Mr. Caruthers made the decision to pour $4,260.00 worth of concrete onto our property abutting our home on two sides, and promptly left the site. He did this leaving his foreman and two workers to conduct the pour in an area which was already identified and known to him (Caruthers) as having a serious drainage problem. As the concrete was being poured the rain began to pour as well. As a native Floridian I would characterize this day’s storm as “torrential” thunder, lightning and torrents of water. This was no “shower.” I was shocked when my wife phoned me at my place of work at 1000 to tell me they were pouring the concrete and trying to brush all the water off, but it was still pooling on the concrete. All the while it was lightning and torrential outside our home. She was very concerned about worker’s safety in this storm.
BUCKETS were coming down outside my job just 10 miles away. Caruthers’ workers scrambled to assemble a make-shift plastic cover for the deluged/submerged concrete, and all the while the water splashed concrete residue up against the house. The workers left footprints in the concrete that can still be seen today.
But being a Friday and payroll due, before the foreman left he made sure to ask for full payment. In spite of the obvious unfavorable conditions and her concern about the outcome of the project, my wife felt intimidated and compelled in the pouring rain to write a check for the full amount of $4,260.00 to the sopping wet employee of Caruthers Concrete Service. Our bank records show that that check was credited to the account of Caruthers Concrete at approximately 1300 June 5, 2009 (the very same day.) We find the timing of the check being deposited and the exit of the workers on a Friday “pay day” at 1300 beyond coincidental.
Shortly before the foreman’s demand for payment Mr. Caruthers made a brief appearance back by the work site that day and according to my wife commented “this looks like Lake Michigan,” and then he left.
To date water persistently pools in the very areas we addressed in detail with Mr. Caruthers. The unfinished look of the job is an eye sore. , but we will not waive any right to litigation by agreeing to Caruthers’ many proposed cosmetic fictions. Our problem as outlined from the start was functional not cosmetic
The bottom line is that in the two plus years since his sole and very poor decision to pour our patio during a torrential thunderstorm, and despite multiple face to face meetings with him. Mr. Caruthers has not made any reasonable good faith effort to correct this costly error.
We are confident he could have done this right, and or could have fixed it by replacing it with a true representation of his work. Instead his only response has been to send multiple “flunky” workers to coat, paste, sand, and grate and otherwise disfigure our patio. He has consistently deflected responsibility for his weak decision by offering “toppings” or “coatings” or “cosmetics.” For the past 2 months he has not returned any of our phone calls.
I am absolutely incredulous that as a licensed contractor, Mr. Caruthers poured concrete on a site with the intention and plan to solve a drainage problem on a day with a forecasted 70% chance of rain. From the very beginning Mr. Caruthers was aware that our problem was not “cosmetic” and could not be solved with a “coating.” We contracted him to solve a drainage problem. He accepted our money to solve a drainage problem. He cashed our check and paid his employees for that dreadful days work with our monies before the cement ever had any chance to dry. And we still have the drainage problem.
Every word represented here is true and has even been toned down to dilute the outrage we feel. Syd Caruthers made fools of us and has scared our home. Real men stand up and take credit for their mistakes. I know I do, he should have to as well.
"On Fri. June 5th, 2009 we were scheduled to pour a patio inside an enclosed area. Rain was in the forecast as on most summer days in FL. Most summer days it rains in the afternoon. However, the rain came much earlier than forecast that day which was very unusual. I too am a native Floridian and have been in the concrete business for 30 years. Watching and timing the forecast is a daily routine for me or anyone in the concrete business. The concrete job was almost finished, but because there was an existing retaining wall next to the slab we were pouring, when it rained the water had nowhere to go except to build up on top of the concrete. We made several attempts to remedy the situation but could not get permission from the homeowner to continue the process of repairing the problem. We would've liked to leave the job having satisfied the customer. If given the opportunity to finish the repair, we gladly will. Our new office address is 1406 SW 15th Ave. Ocala, FL and our new main office number is 352-572-6983."
"Thank you for posting a review. It was a pleasure doing business with you. We hope to do business with you again in the future. Our business has been operating since 1985 and most of our work comes from referrals. Thanks again for your business."
"Thank you so much for posting a nice review and PHOTOS! We take pride in our work and the pictures speak a thousand words. We are so happy you were pleased with the final project. We enjoyed working with you and look forward to doing business with you in the future. Thanks again for the nice review!"
"Thank you so much for posting a nice review! We take pride in our work and appreciate positive feedback! We are so happy you were pleased with the final project. We enjoyed working with you and look forward to doing business with you in the future. Thanks again for the nice review!"
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.