DeVega Concrete LLC

The job went well, very accommodating and professional. Very pleased with the work.

Fidel is awesome. They completed the work a week earlier than their original estimate. It looks great. Multiple people on the block were asking who did the work. Most importantly, my wife is satisfied. I’ll update after the winter to see how the recoating of the steps holds up.

Work was done on time and per proposal. Minimal disturbance for tenants on property. New concrete looks great. One small crack developed in unreplaced concrete which I asked them to repair. They did but crack soon came back. Overall though quality of entire job more than made up for this minor flaw.

Terrible experience. After signing the contract on Sept 7, 2016, I gave the company $660 NON-refundable deposit per contract. The contact person Jesus was not available to be reached for several weeks after deposit. We were worrying about the company a scam. I called the company directly, after a day or two he did call back, stating he was preparing the materials for the work. However, the company kept on postponing the job starting date with various reasons from getting a permit to waiting a good weather. I called weekly since weather in getting cold in Chicago in October, I was afraid the work could not be done due to snow. We were lucky last year winter did not come early. Finally I was so fed up and told the owner that I would take them to court. They did come out for the work on November. The job was done through a hand-held mixer in a small plastic container, and overlay the concrete driveway and the steps. I was worried the quality would be poor with such a ill-equip contractor, I only prayed the best outcome. The work was done in 2 days, but required "patchy repair" per owner. I did came in patching some area as well as the edge of driveway, which frankly making the whole thing looking worse. The decorative concrete became partial repaired concrete! He also left ugly looking white paint marks without removing it after receiving the final check. In retrospect, I should not sign a contract with non-refundable deposit before the job starting, Shame on me! Hire him with your own risk!

I have an extensive background in the construction industry as well as a degree in construction management and have worked with many contractors over the past 30 years. It was an excellent choice to have DeVega Concrete preform the work for our concrete stairs, patio and sidewalk. We are very pleased with the work installed by DeVega. Fidel was responsive to everything from initial design ideas, pricing revisions, design revisions, special requests, scheduling, installation, communication, remediation of unforeseen conditions, and agreeable work remediation. The stamped concrete (color and pattern) installed turned out Excellent. We are pleased that we choose stamped concrete over the landscaping prefabricated pavers. Not only due the cost difference between pavers and stamped concrete, but also for the future maintenance and appearance. Job well done and look forward to working together again with Fidel at DeVega Concrete.

Fidel and his crew have always done an outstanding job!

This is the third or fourth time we have used DeVega and we have never been disappointed. Fidel has always kept appointments for estimates and kept to the schedule he has promised. Several times, he adjusted his schedule to help out me out with an issue that needs a concrete pour.

We have done some major remodeling over the past five years and Fidel has been when the most reliable contractor who always does quality work. DeVega bids have always been competitive. I really can't say enough good things about Fidel. A great contractor with a great work ethic.

Fidel did an excellent job - was quick to respond and gave us an itemized quote including costs for each part of the project. Would definitely recommend!

The concrete poured by De Vega did not last 1 year before it began to deteriorate and spall.  Based on my professional opinion  I don't think this company knows how to pour and finish exterior concrete.   When the poor condition of the concrete was brought to the owner (Fidel's) attention he basically blamed me for parking on the concrete over the winter.  Please keep in mind that the concrete was poured in early spring, and had all summer to set before seeing any winter conditions.  Fidel also pointed to the fact that we did not install an optional  special concrete sealer.   

Here's the thing I am a licensed civil engineer who works on roadway construction.  I oversee construction of  concrete pavement on a daily basis, and if concrete is poured correctly and finished correctly within the correct temperatures it does not spall when exposed to deicing chemicals.  There is no need for  special sealer unless the concrete is poured in October or later.  When I brought this to Fidel's attention, he had the concrete plant write me letter again blaming salt from my vehicle.  I received copies of the mix tickets and was able to confirm the concrete used was a DOT approved mix, so that means the problem was in the workmanship.  Fidel also admitted that due to previous problems he had, the concrete plant had to explain to him that he was using the wrong concrete finishing tools, so he changed his float and now had the right tool.  Too bad I found this out after the fact because it is a huge red flag.  Fidel attempted to fix the problem with some surface patching so now I have concrete that looks like the side of a dairy cow.  Even worse the concrete continues to spall, so its a dairy cow with leprosy.  Fidel freely admitted that he had many problem (at least 12 complaints) with his concrete pours from the past season and now would require owners to sign a waiver if they did not select the sealer in the future.  My recommendation is skip the sealer and find a contractor who knows what he is doing. Unfortunately if you look closely at DeVega's proposal he waives responsibility for defects in the mix delivered.  He will hide behind this clause not to correct his poor workmanship.   It speaks volumes that HE IS LOOKING FOR OTHER TO BLAME FOR POOR WORK even on the contract you sign.

A tidbit of my correspondence with him including references from the Portland Cement Association:
 
My opinion is that I received a deficient final product.  This deficiency was result of improper finishing, curing, or job site modification of the mix.  The deficiency was not a result of the supplied mix.  I will grant you that salt exacerbated the problem, but it is not the root cause it was only the trigger.  Concrete should have excellent resistance to deicing chemicals when installed properly (PCA ISI177).   The insinuation that I as the customer am at fault for not providing an optional sealant or for parking my car on the parking pad is really a poor business practice on your part.  Pardon the pun but it is like rubbing salt in the wound.
Among the Portland Cement Association references that I base my professional opinion on:
PCA ISI177 Concrete Slab surface Defects: Causes , Prevention, and repair
"Upon freezing in a saturated condition, weakened mortar layers break away from the aggregate" - Note freezing is the catalyst for the damage, not the cause
"Poor finishing can aggravate mortar flaking""Experience and extensive labratory testing have shown........ concrete will have excellent resistance to surface scaling and mortar flaking due to freezing and thawing and the application of deicer chemicals provided the concrete is properly proportioned, placed, finished and cured"  - We know the state approved mix portioned correctly, that only leaves the De Vega's works as the possible cause.
"Popouts Causes - do not finish concrete with bleed water on the surface" - also spoke to a materials engineer for an outside opinion and he confirmed adding water to the mix will create excessive bleed water.

PCA Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures
"Principal causes of surface defects is finishing while bleed water is on the surface""Sealing exterior concrete is an optional procedure""Satisfactory performance of exterior concrete still primarily depends on...proper placing, finishing, and curing techniques"

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Everything went fine. Men were professional and cleaned up after themselves well. Very pleased.

Very good.

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This is a follow-up to my initial review posted on 6/16/14.  DO NOT LET THIS COMPANY INSTALL YOUR CONCRETE.
Fidel Vega does not back his work, so find someone who does!! De Vega Concrete installed my new driveway at a cost of $7,414 and the surface began deteriorating within just a few months.  He will claim that it is from winter and salt but rest assured there is no way a single winter can cause the surface deterioration that I have experienced across this expensive driveway.
He did come out (after months of tracking him down) and patched the major areas but the driveway keeps deteriorating each month so it must be replaced. 
Apparently his "contract" will release him of any liability or responsiblity, since I just took him to court and he won (After 2 years of trying to get resolution he has himself covered with his Terms & Conditions so BEWARE OF THIS CONTRACTOR).
WORST JOB EVER, AND NO SUPPORT FOR SHODDY WORK!!!  STAY AWAY OR YOU WILL BE SORRY TOO!!

We had to wait to push to get them to give us a scheduled date.  Once they started the job was completed in a professional manner and with the time frame pormised.

It worked out fine.  Initially they charge sixty dollars but they had to come back because we had snow around the building that we didn't want to go into the foundation.  I was trying to find someone near and they were and I liked the fact that they had good reviews.  Our minister was pleased with what they did. 

Initial snow removal to second time they had to come out to get the snow away from the building so it wouldn't go into the foundation. 

I got the permit from my Village ( Elmwood Park ) and sent the deposit check ( $ 300.00 ) along with a copy of the permit and the signed contract ( sent by e-mail a couple of days later ). Check was cashed on 04/14 and today , 04/22 , I am still waiting to get the call to schedule . Exchanged few e-mail with Elizabeth ( got one reply after 3 e-mails and 2 calls ) , spoken on 04/21 with Fidel ( I guess is the owner ). They are starting now performing jobs and don't have a schedule. I have offered week 05/04 -05/08 or 05/11-05/15 no answer ( he was supposed to calle me back ). I understand all but in the meantime my $ 300.00 are gone. when my job will be performed ? ....updates will follow...stay tuned . my feedback will change according to what happen.

UPDATE  05/08/2014 : While travelling I run behind Fidel Vega ( owner ) , that we very very busy and we finally set up the labor for the 05/04 at 7.30 am. The crew arrived at 7.25 am to brake all the old concrete and prepare the base for the II crew ( that  leveled all and put the gravel the same day , 2 hours after the first crew was gone  ). The village inspection went well and the pouring crew performed the final step 2 days after . I was home only for the first step. The walkway looks nice now. Conclusion : it was hard to get hold of the pic to book the labor but at the end it was not a big pain ( for me ). Would I work with them again ? I would say yes. Let's see how the material will react to heat and cold in the winter ( I will not use salt at all ) .

They did great work. They were excellent. The only drawback was that they left some concrete, tools and rocks in the front yard. I worked with Roberto. He was great and had good customer service.

It went very well and I am very happy with the work. It took around 2 days to finish our new patio and it looks excvellent. It has held up very well and I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

It went great.  They were fast, efficient, and friendly.  I appreciated that the owner was there a lot of the time.

Excellent

The actual work was done very well.  The owner was knowledgable about codes in Oak Park and was able to raise our sidewalk slightly by our door to avoid having to put in a step.  Everyone was very courteous and the work was completed quickly once it got started.  It did take awhile to get on their schedule as they misplaced some of my paperwork and I had to call a few times to keep things moving.  This fall I received a  postcard asking if I wanted salt guard.  I called to get on their schedule and they were a no show twice and once called to let me know they weren't going to make it.   I never received the salt guard.  I am happy with the work they did but getting on their schedule and getting the work done proved challenging.

The project started and ended on time. It involved heavy equipment used for demolition, excavation and removal debris. Our plan called for framing and installing a mat foundation, new concrete foundation walls and the concrete stairwell.  All visible portions of the stairwell and foundation used Butterfield Concrete Color as well as Butterfield Form Inserts so that the finished product looked like stone rather than concrete. A concrete stamping process was used on the new landing.
The owner of DeVega Concrete is Fidel Vega. He has a very solid understanding of the concrete business and suggested several alternatives with regard to concrete stamping, coloring and use of form inserts to achieve the desired end result. I was surprised with his high level of responsiveness throughout the project.  It was very clear that he wanted to be sure he had another satisfied customer.  
BOTTOM LINE:  I could not have been more pleased with the end result of this project.  It went smoothly with no surprises, last minute price increases or delays.  Fidel Vega is good for his work.  He has integrity in an industry where that is not always the case. I would quickly recommend DeVega Concrete, LLC to family and friends in need of concrete construction work.

I had already rated DeVega highly for their concrete work, now am compelled to do the same for snow removal. They are very reliable. The snow is cleared from drive, sidewalks and front porch, usually before anyone else nearby. They will also use concrete safe ice melt when needed. I provide that.