Xclusive Concrete & Brick Paving

It went well. It was a small job that they worked in to their schedule.

Because of the blow winter struck on concrete, we had a horrible time getting any companies to give us bids or to respond after seeing the job. This was one of two companies that went through the whole process and we chose them because we felt better about Xclusive than the other (moonlight).

The start date was delayed many times because rain, etc., put them behind on other jobs. That was OK.  We felt we were lucky to have a decent company commit to doing the job, since so many stood us up, wouldn't return calls, etc.

Need to insert here that they never responded to our phone calls. They usually did, however, respond to e-mails (a woman named Grace I think).

They came the week of Nov. 4. They told us it would take one to two days. We were told they would come between 7 and 7:30. They never came that early. They worked Monday and Tuesday on the deconstruction part, leaving that yellow construction tape up (which is a good  thing). They didn't show up Wednesday or Thursday. They didn't respond to our e-mails asking what happened, why they weren't done and when they would finish. They came back Friday and Saturday. It appears they finished Friday but left the tape over the stairs so not entirely sure. Hope to find out for sure today.

One thing I give them points for is cleaning up after themselves each day they worked. They moved their stuff into the side or back yards so it wasn't thrown on the front lawn. They did, however, dirty up the railing and didn't make any attempt to clean it (at least not as of today when I came to work). We plan to have it sanded and repainted, anyway, so it won't matter long term.

One thing I wish is that they had told us we might want to get new railings. I didn't even think of it until I saw them laying on my side yard and noticed how crummy they looked.

How I feel about them: If concrete companies were not in such great demand at the time we were searching for one, I would tell you they were just fair. But the fact is they were one of only two (of eight to 10 maybe) that even bothered with us, and for that we can't help but be grateful.  So under the circumstances, I'd rate them a good.

unknown

I had done my due diligence with Xclusive and had asked a ton of questions including what was included and what wasn't.  He answered all my questions and his contract was very inclusive.  Do your homework and really research and then ask to see their work!  Just a few tips for others...
1.  Be sure contract is very specific about how much gravel will be laid and if any excavating needs to be done to remove clay or dirt.  Does it include dumping fee's?  This is where Evergreen screwed me!
2.  Thickness of concrete?  Include Fibermess?  I wouldn't have any concrete poured if the company doesn't use the fiber!
3.  Expansion joints...Where will they be placed?
4.  Where do they get their concrete from?  Will it be white white when dried?  Some people don't like the white white look.
5.  Will they seal it...come back later or do it when poured.
6.  Who gets the permits and is the cost included in the contract?  Got screwed here too!  Long story though.
7.  Is top soil laid and is it seeded?  Not a big deal unless you are adding pavers.
Anyway, just a few things to think about...Good luck with your job.  Mine looks great, but cost me $1240.00 more on an already $9,000 job.

They were excellent.

A little lacking in the communication department to begin with. We signed the contract for 6 weeks in the future, never called to schedule the job or called to say he would be coming in 2 to 3 weeks. Once I reached him, the owner explained that they were behind schedule due to the weather. He was very good about following up after that point. Crew showed up on time, very hard working and professional. The owner was there to supervise the pouring of the concrete and the finishing. We are very happy with the results and would recommend his company to family and friends needing concrete work. Pricing was much better than many other contractors.

did not use

Coordinated with pavers and city who was replacing street. Crew started every morning on time and accomplished the job in the stated time frame. The driveway and walkways look Great. Crew arrived on time and cleaned up nightly. The job was completed in3 days with minimal disruption. Very satisfied with the work.

We were very satisfied with all phases of the project.  We received a prompt call back after leaving our initial request for a quote, and Tony Grisanzio, the owner, was out within a week or so to look over the job.  He gave us his quote on the spot, and estimated when he could get to our job.  Despite a summer of rain, he was quite accurate with his estimate.  The team that did the work was extremely polite and very receptive to my tweaking of the design of the stoop and sidewalk.  Their craftsmanship was excellent.  We thought the price was very reasonable.

I still the need the work done, but since the time we made the appointment I have not heard from Tony. I have given up at this point. Tony said he would be out the next day and ignored my calls. I waited 3 hours for him to not show.

We called Xclusive after another contractor removed our existing driveway and then left us high and dry.  Tony came and graciously finished the job.  This included re-grading where the first contractor had done a poor job.  Tony also worked with our city (Des Plaines) to recitify some code violations the other contractor had left us with.  Tony was very responsive.  His guys showed up on time and always made sure that the job site was cleaned up and safe at the end of each day (important to us since we have a very curious toddler).  The finished product looks absolutely great.  It ended up costing a bit more than we wanted to spend, but that was our fault because we tried to cheap out and go with a contractor we didn't check out on Angie's List first!  Cleaning up the first guy's mess actually cost more than it would have cost to go with Xclusive in the first place.  We would definitely use Tony again in the future.

My contractor worked with them.  I’m pleased with the estimate and I’m still waiting for the work to be done.  They were supposed to start the work on the 12th of September, but they haven’t called me so far.  I’ll wait to see what they are going to do and till such time I can’t say if I would use them again.              

Tony replaced two foundation walls and the basement floor in our nearly 100 year old home. He also poured a new driveway to replace what had been a partial driveway. Tony offered good advice about how to handle different aspects of the project, such as the grade of concrete to use and the installation of different drainage systems. He was in regular communication with us about options and status and to respond to questions we had about the project. The work was completed on time and the finished work product is exactly what we wanted.

Did not complete job yet.

From beginning to end it went GREAT!!!! No complaints.