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.

Have not made-up my mind, still debating on what I am going to do but I was very impressed with Jesus. He came on time, submitted the estimate as promised and would defiantly use them if not for this job but for any future jobs.

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.

After confirming my appointment with Fidel to rec. a quote, he never showed up for it.

Change of plans waiting till spring

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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As above.  If they are out of business or have suspended, they should update contacts and links such as Angie.

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. 

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Fast forward 2 years later and a significant crack developed across the whole patio after that very cold winter.  Mr De Vega was very nice when I called him about this and offered to fill in the cracks.  My issue is that it took a very long time and many email prompts to get him to do the work. He sent a couple of guys who lined the the cracks with super white  material. It did not blend at all and looked sloppy.  I called about this and he said he would send me color swatches to switch it out.  It took quite a while for him to get those to me.  I picked what I thought matched  the concrete but I am no expert in this field. It was re-done but really looks no better. looks very sloppy and unfinished.  
It was clear to me that since the original job was completed and some time had passed he was not interested in doing a good job after that. It's disappointing since I thought he did a good job originally. I was too frustrated to try and contact him again. I will now have to find another concrete provider to try and repair the cracks correctly. What once looked like a very nice and polished patio now looks cheap.

I scheduled an appointment at my home for an estimate for concrete steps. I waited for an hour for someone to show up or call and no one called me or showed up. Today 4/28 the office explained that there was an emergency. I do understand that emergencies happen but there should be a plan in place that notifies the waiting customers. Moreover, not calling me or respecting my time was not professional. Again if I had an emergency and was scheduled to work and was a no call no show believe me I would be fired.

I spoke with 1 person on the phone and booked an estimate appointment, confirmed it even. Was blown off, no show.  Emailed the company and was rebooked with an additional estimator.  This person also blew us off and never showed up. 
I know this company is rated well, this is why I reached out to them. But after 2, no call, no show blow offs, I really do not recommend you waste your time, days off at work or energy to contact this group.  Use your time more wisely and reach out to other companies who will show up, or at least call you/text you if they are unable to make it.